Summary
A principal technical architect leads at the highest level and is responsible for making sure the strategy is agreed and followed.
At this role level, you will:
• network and communicate with senior stakeholders across organisations
• proactively seek opportunities for digital transformation
• support multiple teams, finding and using best practice and emerging technologies
• inspire other architects and help them understand how to deliver the goals of the organisation
• be responsible for governance, solving complex and high risk issues or delivering architecture design
Background
| Description | Background |
|---|---|
| Demonstrates an understanding of strategic issues, and is an authority on the systems development lifecycle and typical problems associated with the implementation of information systems, from initial concept through development and implementation to operation and support. Has detailed practical knowledge of the organisation's IT infrastructure and software development and maintenance methods, tools and techniques. Is conversant with the organisation's IT strategy, policies and standards. Has a sound knowledge of risk assessment, change management, configuration management, reliability and safety methods and the use of metrics. Is skilled in project risk management. Communicates persuasively and effectively. | Prior Knowledge and Skills |
Work Activity Components
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Architecture Development (ARCH) (Level 6) | Leads development of architectures for complex solutions, ensuring consistency with specified requirements agreed with both external and internal customers. Takes full responsibility for ensuring that architectures balance functional and non-functional (e.g. service quality and systems management) requirements within a significant area of the organisation. |
| Change programmes (ARCH)(Level 6) | Within a business change programme, manages the programme's target design, policies and standards, working proactively to achieve stable, viable designs, and ensuring consistency of design across projects within the programme. Defines the migration path from current mode of operation to the future mode. |
| Coordination (ARCH)(Level 6) | Manages or co-ordinates the applicable architecture function within an organisation. |
| Evaluation and selection (ARCH)(Level 6) | Establishes policy and strategy for the selection of data architecture components and takes responsibility for the strategy and methods used in implementing a data architecture in a significant area of the organisation. Manages the organisation's data strategies, policies, standards and practices, ensures that they are applied correctly, and promotes consistency. |
| Reviews and controls (ARCH) (Level 6) | Advises on appropriate quality standards and quality control processes relating to solution architecture. Ensures that quality control activities (including testing) are carried out satisfactorily. Attends quality reviews as appropriate. |
| Technical assurance (ARCH)(Level 6) | Takes responsibility for the technical integrity of designs, ensuring for example that reusable elements are recognised, and that work is not unnecessarily duplicated. Ensures that all changes are managed effectively and contributes to formal reviews and evaluations when projects and programmes end. |
| Design (DESN) (Level 6) | Leads systems design activities for strategic, large and complex systems development programmes. Takes responsibility for all aspects of systems design, ensuring compatibility with enterprise and solutions architectures. |
| Design approach and principles (DESN) (Level 6) | Champions the importance and value of systems design principles and the selection of appropriate systems design lifecycle models, whether predictive (plan-driven) approaches or more adaptive (iterative/agile) approaches. |
| Communities of practice (Level 5) | Promotes the establishment and ongoing development of one or more community of practice (CoP). Encourages participation and ensures alignment with organisational needs. |
| Development needs (Level 5) | Determines development needs for a professional practice area. Aligns development activities with organisational priorities, learning and development strategies and career pathways. |
Behavioural Skills
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Analytical Thinking | Acquiring a proper understanding of a problem or situation by breaking it down systematically into its component parts and identifying the relationships between these parts. Selecting the appropriate method/tool to resolve the problem and reflecting critically on the result, so that what is learnt is identified and assimilated. |
| Conceptual Thinking | Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses. |
| Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness | Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions. |
| Leadership | Clearly articulating goals and objectives, and motivating and leading others towards their achievement. |
Technical Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Agile | A collection of methods, practises, tools and techniques, underpinned by the Agile Manifesto, that enable teams to deliver high value products and services in small, workable, increments. An Agile culture typically encompasses concepts such as Servant-Leaders; ceremonies, Stand-Ups, Sprints and Retrospectives; and the deployment of tools and techniques such as Backlogs and A/B Testing. | Proficient in |
| Application Development Tools | Software tools which automate or assist part of the development process. | Expert in |
| Application Systems | Technical or functional understanding of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) applications and/or other bespoke software deployed within the organisation in order to provide system configuration, audit, technical, and/or functional support. | Expert in |
| Business Environment | The business environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners and competitors), in particular those aspects of the business that the specialism is to support (i.e. localised organisational awareness from a technical perspective). | Proficient in |
| Cloud/Virtualisation | The principles and application of cloud/ virtualisation (including ownership, responsibilities and security implications). Use of tools and systems to manage virtualised environments. | Proficient in |
| Corporate, Industry and Professional Standards | Applying relevant standards, practices, codes, and assessment and certification programmes to the specific organisation or business domain. | Proficient in |
| Database Software | Software that enables the user to capture, create, populate and manipulate data structures and where appropriate unstructured data. | Proficient in |
| Design Principles | Principles and practice of good sustainable, secure, maintainable and efficient system design. Together with standard industry design approaches. Understanding the importance of adhering to design principles during infrastructure development, taking into account all relevant non-functional requirements in order to assure smooth running of the service in live operation. | Expert in |
| Development Approach | Understanding and application of different development approaches e.g. iterative/ incremental methodologies (Agile, XP, TDD, SCRUM) or traditional sequential methodologies (Waterfall or V-Model). Irrespective of development methodology a DevOps approach may also be taken where development and operational staff work collaboratively. | Proficient in |
| DevOps | The collaborative approach consisting of agile practices, processes, and procedures designed to facilitate rapid IT service and product delivery. DevOps emphasizes people (and culture) and seeks to improve collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with the aim of shortening the systems development life cycle to provide continuous release of high-quality software. | Proficient in |
| Infrastructure Configuration | Knowledge and understanding of infrastructure configurations. | Proficient in |
| IT Environment | The IT environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners), in particular own organisation's technical platforms and those that interface to them through the specialism, including those in closely-related organisations. | Expert in |
| Middleware | Software which forms part of the operating platform infrastructure. | Proficient in |
| Networking and Communications | The planning and management of the interaction between two or more networking systems, computers or other intelligent devices. | Proficient in |
| Operational/Service Architecture | Knowledge of the IT/IS infrastructure and the IT applications and service processes used within own organisation, including those associated with sustainability and efficiency. | Expert in |
| Proof of Concept and Prototyping | Performing a proof of concept or prototyping exercise to demonstrate or evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of applying a particular technological business change in order to meet a business need. | Proficient in |
| Structured Reviews | Methods and techniques for structured reviews, including reviews of technical work products, test plans, business cases, architectures and any other key deliverables. | Familiar with |
Other Skills
| Title | Details | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching Techniques | Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, which could include use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans. | Proficient in |
| Project Planning and Control Techniques | Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects. | Proficient in |
| Quality Management | The system or method for the management of quality within the employing organisation's Information Technology practices, including quality planning, assurance and control. | Expert in |
| Techniques for Effective Meetings | Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants. | Proficient in |
Training
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Coaching | Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model). |
| Latest Cyber Security Threats for Senior Execs | Short, high-level, up-to-date and to-the-point briefing on the latest threats and vulnerabilities in cyber security. |
| Mentoring | Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals. |
| Strategic Planning for Information and Communications Systems | The process of defining the ICT strategic plan of an organisation in a methodical way based on business aims and objectives thereby enabling the specification of options and associated action plans for the use of IT-enabled business processes. |
| Technology Products for Future Use | Technology products or solutions that are potentially of use to the organisation. |
Professional Development Activity (PDA)
| Title | Details | PDA Group |
|---|---|---|
| Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues | Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation | Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation | Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to health and care, country and global issues. | Increasing Knowledge |
| Job Shadowing and Special Assignments | Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures. | Broadening Activities |
| Management Development | Undertaking learning and best practice of the skills appropriate to managing all or part of an organisation, including business and financial management, benefits management, people management, management of change and strategic planning. This will require both on and off the job learning and may include participation in an appropriate development programme such as MBA or DMS (Diploma in Management Studies). | Developing Professional Skills |
| Mentoring | Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development. | Broadening Activities |
| Participation in Professional Body Affairs | Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level. | Participation in Professional Activities |
| Project Assignments | Participating in a project team, working group or task force established to deliver a solution to a specific problem or issue - especially valuable if the group is inter-disciplinary. | Broadening Activities |
Qualification Components
| Title | Awarding Bodies |
|---|---|
| BCS Practitioner Certificate in Enterprise and Solution Architecture | BCS The Chartered Institute for IT |
| Chartered IT Professional (CITP) | BCS The Chartered Institute for IT |
| FEDIP Leading Practitioner | The Federation for Informatics Professionals |
| TOGAF Certification Portfolio (4 certificates) | The Open Group |
Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework Skills
| Skill | Level |
|---|---|
|
Governance and assurance Governance and assurance involves defining and ensuring adherence to an organisation's quality control and compliance processes. |
Expert Governance and assurance You can: understand how technical governance works with wider governance (such as budget) assure corporate services by understanding important risks and mitigating them through assurance mechanisms |
|
Making and guiding decisions Process optimisation involves ensuring your processes are accurately defined and capture the most efficient way to complete a task by monitoring modified procedures. |
Expert Making and guiding decisions You can: make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders |
|
Strategy design Strategy involves creating a plan to achieve a team or organisation's objectives. |
Expert Strategy design You can: define and connect strategies or visions across the organisation or wider government enable the implementation of strategies or visions across the organisation or wider government, for example, by advocating for resources and removing blockers |
The Professional Body Responsible for this job family is BCS. This job role profile was created in collaboration with BCS, using Role Model Plus.