Senior Data Architect

Location: National*

Closing Date: 25th July

Interviews: after the 11th of August

Grade: 7

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary**: (for more information, please see below):

London: £63,343 - £78,225 (which may include an allowance of up to £14,882)

National: £58,511 - £73,450 (which may include an allowance of up to £14,939)

Working pattern: full-time, part-time, flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Number of vacancies: 5

Vacancy number: 19811

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

Please note that unless you are an existing member of staff at Justice Digital, Data and Science, the only London location being recruited to is 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU. We are no longer recruiting to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ.

The Role

Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. Please click on the link for details.

We’re recruiting for Senior Data Architects here at Justice Digital, Data and Science, to be part of our warm and collaborative Data Architecture team.

This role aligns against the Senior Data Architect role from the Government Digital and Data Framework

We’re establishing a dedicated Data Architecture function to support the Ministry of Justice’s growing and evolving needs – enabling delivery of strategic and transformational priorities, such as the independent sentencing review recommendations. This is an exciting opportunity for a Senior Data Architect to shape the department’s architecture from the ground up, leading an end-to-end journey from concept to implementation.

As a Senior Data Architect, you’ll translate the vision and standards set by the Principal and Chief Data Architects into practical designs and solutions. You will design data models, metadata systems, and data dictionaries, ensuring they are consistent, reusable, and aligned with organisational needs. You’ll provide expert guidance and oversight to data architects across different portfolios, helping teams to create high-quality data artefacts and ensuring our systems are designed in line with agreed data architecture principles.

You will collaborate closely with technical architects, engineers, analysts, and policy colleagues to ensure data is managed and shared in ways that are secure, interoperable, and enable better services. You’ll also play a key role in embedding modern ways of working, mentoring other architects, and contributing to a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.

This role sits within the newly established Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), which leads the Ministry’s technology strategy and delivery across prisons, agencies, probation services, and the MoJ corporate centre. As a Senior Data Architect, you’ll help ensure that the Ministry’s data foundations are robust, sustainable, and designed to support the justice system’s long-term needs.

You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:

• A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• 25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.
• Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!

You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of data architectures for major MoJ programmes, ensuring they are robust, secure, and aligned with enterprise and data architecture standards.
• Shape and maintain high-quality data models, metadata, and reference data to support interoperability and reuse across services.
• Work closely with solution and technical architects to ensure data is considered at every stage of design and delivery.
• Provide expert guidance and review to other data architects, supporting consistency and quality across projects.
• Mentor and support the professional development of data architects within your area of responsibility, helping to grow capability and confidence.
• Act as a visible advocate for good data architecture practices, promoting their value as enablers of digital and service transformation.
• Engage with business stakeholders, analysts, and engineers to understand data requirements and translate them into practical, actionable designs.
• Stay informed about emerging data technologies, methods, and approaches, and apply them to solve real problems within delivery teams.
• Contribute to cross-cutting communities of practice and collaborate with colleagues across Justice Digital, Data and Science to share knowledge and align approaches.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!

Person Specification

Essential:

• Significant experience in data architecture or related disciplines (e.g. technical architecture, data engineering), with strong knowledge of cloud-based platforms (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and modern data technologies.
• A proven ability to design and deliver data architecture solutions within large or complex organisations, ensuring they are scalable, interoperable, and aligned to strategic standards.
• Experience of leading and guiding other architects or technical teams within programmes, supporting consistent approaches to data modelling, integration, and governance.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams and influence stakeholders at different levels.

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC clearance

We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.

Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Salary Information**

Base salary for this role is from £58,511 to £65,329 (National) or from £63,343, £70,725 (London).

• New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
• Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
• Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.
• Candidates may also be eligible for a non-pensionable Government Digital & Data Allowance of up to £14,882 per year (London) or £14,939 (National). This is a temporary allowance, reviewed annually and may be retained, amended, or withdrawn.

The final offer will reflect the skills and experience you demonstrate during the assessment process.

How to Apply

In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We shall assess a combination of your Technical Skills and Behaviours during the assessment process.

Stage 1 - Application and sift:

To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:

• A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification of this advert.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) which should outline your experience and skills, giving clear examples of work undertaken. It should specifically address the following criterion listed below.
• Significant experience in data architecture or related disciplines (e.g. technical architecture, data engineering), with strong knowledge of cloud-based platforms (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and modern data technologies.

A diverse sift panel will review the information in your CV and Personal Statement to assess the sift criteria specified above. We operate an anonymous shortlisting process. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement do not include your name or any other identifying details.

Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on “Significant experience in data architecture or related disciplines (e.g. technical architecture, data engineering), with strong knowledge of cloud-based platforms (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and modern data technologies” below will be conducted before the sift.

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance

Stage 2 - Interviews:

Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a panel interview held via Microsoft Teams. At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements - Technical Skills and the following Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Developing Self and Others
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a presentation that assesses your technical skills (first and second criteria). Further details will be provided if successful at sift.

Appointments are made strictly in merit order. In the event that two or more candidates receive identical interview scores, the Leadership behaviour will be applied as the primary lead criterion to determine the final merit order.

Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Terms & Conditions

Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk