Principal Data Architect - Loan
Location: National*
Closing Date: 2nd June
Interviews: w/c 15th June
Grade: 6
(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: £75,674 - £93,025 (which may include an allowance up to £17,351)
National: £71,381 - £88,900 (which may include an allowance up to £17,519)
Working pattern: full-time, part-time, flexible working
Contract Type: Loan - Fixed term, 12 months
Number of vacancies: 1
Vacancy number: 17670
*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.
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. Please click on the link for details.
We’re recruiting for a Principal Data Architect here at Justice Digital, Data and Science, to be part of our warm and collaborative Data Architecture team.
This role aligns against the Chief 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 Principal Data Architect to shape the department’s architecture from the ground up, leading an end-to-end journey from concept to implementation.
As a Principal Data Architect, you’ll lead the Data Architecture strategy within one of our business areas, and help define how data is structured, governed, and made accessible across prisons, courts, probation, and more. As a Principal Data Architect, you’ll report to the Chief Data Architect and work in close partnership with the Heads of Data teams across multiple portfolios, ensuring our data foundations are robust, interoperable, and future-ready. You will build and lead a team of talented data architects, work closely with engineers, analysts, and digital teams, and shape the future of how we design, govern, and manage data at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
This role sits within the newly established Chief Technology Office (CTO), which leads the Ministry’s technology strategy and delivery across prisons, agencies, probation services, and the MoJ corporate centre. The CTO works across the Chief Digital and Information Office (CDIO) to shape principles, processes, design patterns and roadmaps that underpin resilient, secure and cost-effective technology solutions. As part of this team, you’ll contribute to shaping a compelling 3-5 year vision, enable and support strategic and analytical initiatives for the Director of CDIO, and help model modern ways of working. You will champion rapid prototyping, cross-functional collaboration, and performance-driven prioritisation.
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.
Additional Information
This is a 12-month Fixed Term/Loan role with the potential to be extended/made permanent.
Please note: This role is offered on a loan basis. Candidates who are currently on permanent contracts must obtain approval from their home department before applying. Any successful appointment will be managed as a loan move.
Lead a team of Data Architects, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.
Enable and support professional development through mentoring, coaching, and clear career pathways.
Champion data architecture as a strategic enabler across the organisation.
Define and embed architectural standards, principles, and patterns for data across MoJ systems.
Oversee data model development and alignment across programmes, ensuring reusability and consistency.
Ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and data governance frameworks.
Stay close to emerging tools, technologies, and methods, bringing fresh thinking from industry and government.
Represent MoJ in government-wide data architecture communities and working groups.
Ensure consistent standards are understood and applied within the wider profession, and support profession leads in driving continuous improvement
across Justice Digital.
Ensure we attract, develop and retain high calibre talent within the profession, building the digital capability, skills and competencies needed within Justice
Digital and across the MoJ
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Essential:
Deep expertise in data architecture or related fields (e.g. technical architecture, data engineering).
Demonstrable knowledge of cloud-based architecture (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and appropriate tech stack, including open-source tools.
Proven experience leading technical direction and delivering data architecture solutions across large, complex organisations, with a customer-centric mindset that aligns strategies to business outcomes.
Ability to influence and collaborate with senior stakeholders across technical and non-technical domains, applying commercial and financial understanding to shape strategy.
Track record of building, leading, and developing high-performing technical teams, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture.
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.
Six Months in - Building the Women in Engineering Working Group.
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.
Base salary for this role is from £71,381 to £80,419 (National) or from £75,674 to £85,257 (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 £17,351 per year (London) or £17,519 (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 Experience, 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 3 criteria listed below, using a separate paragraph for each.
Deep expertise in data architecture or related fields (e.g. technical architecture, data engineering).
Demonstrable knowledge of cloud-based architecture (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and appropriate tech stack, including open-source tools.
Proven experience leading technical direction and delivering data architecture solutions across large, complex organisations, with a customer-centric mindset that aligns strategies to business outcomes.
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.
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 - Experience, Technical and the following Behaviours:
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Seeing the Big Picture
As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a 5-minute presentation during the interview stage, which will assess your Technical Skills: Demonstrable knowledge of cloud-based architecture (e.g., Azure / AWS / GCP) and appropriate tech stack, including open-source tools.
Details of the presentation will be sent across prior to interview.
Appointments are made strictly in merit order. In the event that two or more candidates receive identical interview scores, the “Demonstrable knowledge of cloud-based architecture" 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.
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