Reference number
487680
Salary
£59,816
National – £59,816 and London – £64,515
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Job grade
Grade 7
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
DFT – Corporate Delivery Group (CDG)
Type of role
Architecture and Data
Digital
Information Technology
Digital
Information Technology
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time
Number of jobs available
1
Location
Birmingham, Hastings, Leeds, London, Swansea
About the job
Job summary
Are you passionate about shaping data architectures that drive better decisions and public services?
Can you turn complex business challenges into innovative, scalable data solutions?
Would you like to lead the future of data architecture and innovation across the Department for Transport (DfT)?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
Design the foundations. Influence the future. Unlock the value of data.
Join us as a Senior Data Architect and shape the data architecture that supports innovation, insight and better outcomes across DfT.
This is an exciting time to join the Digital, Information and Security Directorate within the DfT as we restructure our directorate to ensure we are ready for future challenges, building a more sustainable, skilled and in-house capability.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it’s like working at Department for Transport Central – Department for Transport Careers and within the Government Digital and Data Profession.
Job description
As a Senior Data Architect, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the Department for Transport’s data architecture, ensuring data is structured, governed and managed to support innovation, digital transformation and better decision-making across the organisation. You’ll lead the design and development of enterprise-scale data models, standards and architectures that enable the effective use of data across a growing and diverse digital ecosystem.
Working within the Advance Service Line, you’ll collaborate with architects, analysts, engineers and senior stakeholders to develop data solutions that support advanced tooling, digital services and emerging technologies. You’ll provide expert advice and assurance, ensuring data architecture aligns with organisational priorities, industry best practice and wider government standards.
You’ll influence strategic decisions, develop data architecture roadmaps, and establish governance frameworks that maximise the value, quality and accessibility of data. Leading teams and working with third-party partners, you’ll drive the delivery of scalable, repeatable solutions that support business needs today and into the future.
This is an exciting opportunity to influence how data is used across DfT, shaping the foundations that enable insight, innovation and better public services.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Being responsible for all data architecture within DfT providing designs for data solutions and understanding the interdependencies between different data stacks.
- Developing DfT’s data architecture strategy, roadmap and plans, working closely with data engineering teams to ensure delivery plans are aligned and that the underlying data architecture supports the goals of the department and government overall.
- Leading and developing DfTc’s data architecture to support a growing data eco-system with multiple analyst users and third-party builders.
- Influencing data decisions throughout policy lifecycles through demonstrating technology value, risk and opportunity.
- Developing data solutions aligned to business need, business capability, and the DfTc digital and technology strategy.
For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only – whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
Additional Information
The role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.
The base pay is £59,816. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £19,700.
The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process. Here are more details on the pay framework.
Person specification
To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:
- Interpret an organisation’s needs, providing oversight and advice, designing data models and producing data artefacts
- Design and support the management of data assets
- Make sure that your teams are working to the standards set for the organisation
- Work with technical architects to make sure that the organisation’s systems are designed in accordance with the appropriate data architecture
- Develop data architecture strategies, policies, and designs, and support their implementation within complex organisations.
- Create and review conceptual and logical data models to ensure alignment with overall data strategy and accurate representation of data requirements.
- Data architecture governance principles and experience acting as a key stakeholder in review and sign-off processes (e.g., Data Architectural Reference Authority)
- Data modelling and governance, covering conceptual, logical, and physical architectures, metadata management
- Data architecture, data modelling, database design, or a related area such as application architecture is expected.
- Data modelling tools and methodologies.
- Lead data architecture projects and/or teams.
- Working with enterprise data platforms, including relational databases, cloud-native analytical platforms and modern data architectures such as data lakes, lakehouses and NoSQL solutions
- Using cloud services such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements
Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
Visa Sponsorship
DfTc does not offer Visa Sponsorship for this role
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Leadership
- Seeing the Big Picture
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Senior Data Architect: Data Modelling (Skill level: Practitioner)
- Senior Data Architect: Data Governance (Data Architect) (Skill level: Practitioner)
- Senior Data Architect: Turning Business Problems into Data Design (Skill level: Practitioner)
- Senior Data Architect: Communicating Between the Technical and Non Technical (Skill level: Practitioner)
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £59,816, Department for Transport contributes £17,328 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
- 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
- Access to the staff discount portal.
- Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
- Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
- 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies.
Things you need to know
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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
How to apply:
Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant’s experience, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.
The selection process for this role will be:
Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement
Stage 2: Interview
You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.
Stage 1: Sift
At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (1000 word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:
- Demonstrable experience designing enterprise-scale data architectures, including data models, metadata, integration patterns and data platforms that support organisational objectives and deliver value.
- Strong understanding of data governance, standards and assurance, with experience establishing or applying data policies, promoting good data management practices and ensuring compliance across multiple services or business areas.
- Ability to translate complex business requirements into strategic data solutions, balancing factors such as security, scalability, interoperability, cost and user needs when making architectural decisions.
- Experience influencing and engaging senior technical and non-technical stakeholders, building consensus and providing clear architectural leadership across multidisciplinary teams.
The sift will take place from Wednesday 11th November 2026.
Stage 2: Interview
At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:
- Behaviours – Communicating and Influencing, Leadership, Seeing the Big Picture
- Technical – Data Modelling, Data Governance (Data Architect) ,Turning Business Problems into Data Design, Communicating Between the Technical and Non-Technical
You will also be required to create and deliver a presentation. Guidance will be provided if you are invited to interview.
The interviews will take place week commencing Monday 23rd November 2026.
This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site.
Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Pre-employment Checking
If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:
Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
Threats or acts of violence
Illegal activity or substance misuse
Sexually explicit material
Extremist views or affiliations
Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name :Steven Kear
- Email :Steven.Kear@dft.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email :dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk
More Information
Department for Transport
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