Principal enterprise architect

Band 8d · Enterprise architect · 703 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Principal enterprise architect

Most often performed at Civil Service grade G6.

A principal enterprise architect leads at the highest level and is responsible for ensuring the strategy is developed, agreed and followed.
At this role level, you will:
network and communicate with senior stakeholders across enterprises, and actively seek opportunities for improvement
support multiple communities and teams
find and use best practice
find and use emerging technologies and approaches
inspire other enterprise architects and help them understand how to meet organisational goals
horizon scan for external influences or risks
support successful delivery of the long-term strategy
be responsible for the overall direction of business and digital capabilities
be responsible for the creation, maintenance and consumption of a Digital Twin

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Set the organisation's enterprise architecture vision, principles, and strategy, aligned with its health and care strategy.
Advise the executive team and board on the architecture, risks, and value of major digital investments.
Lead the organisation's architecture practice, governance, and standards.
Represent the organisation in cross-organisation architecture and interoperability forums.
Build architecture capability across the organisation, including recruitment and career paths.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Architect for the whole contextUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: assess how trends in society and industry practices might impact the organisation work with people outside of your organisation to inform policies, strategies and standards anticipate changes to policy and build resilience through your architectural work coach others in identifying important trends
Architecture communicationUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels, and across organisations, using architecture communication techniques mediate between people in difficult architectural discussions gain support from business and technical stakeholders for architectural initiatives with high levels of risk, impact and complexity coach and support others in architecture communication
Commercial perspectiveUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: identify appropriate contractual frameworks and approaches identify, evaluate and select appropriate suppliers
Community collaborationUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community
Enterprise architectureUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: lead others designing architectures defining the technology, people, process and other elements needed to achieve organisation objectives work with others beyond the organisation to influence organisational structures, technology, people and processes to achieve objectives ensure organisation-wide changes align with the architectural strategy
Making architectural decisionsUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: make and guide architectural design decisions characterised by high levels of risk and complexity identify and address architectural risks across the organisation or wider government lead and evolve architectural governance and assurance represent architectural governance as part of wider governance, for example, legal or commercial
Problem definition and shapingUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: lead the framing of a problem characterised by high complexity, complication, or risk so that a solution can be created coach others in defining problems and describing appropriate options for solutions help others challenge requirements and assumptions, and identify opportunities when defining problems and solution options
Strategy designUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	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
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: shape organisational strategy using a deep understanding of the health and care system represent the organisation with health and care partners and leaders anticipate how policy and service changes will affect digital services and care
Health data interoperabilityThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set interoperability standards and strategy for the organisation lead national or cross-organisation standards work assure the design of critical integrations across many systems
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set information governance policy and strategy advise the board on information risk and compliance represent the organisation with regulators and partners
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead hazard identification and risk assessment for a product or change write and maintain hazard logs and clinical safety case reports agree risk controls with product teams and check that they work advise teams on applying clinical risk management standards
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the risk process for a directorate or programme assess risks against the risk appetite and escalate them report on risks to committees
People managementThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: lead managers and shape the culture of a large area design workforce plans and organisational change coach leaders and resolve complex people issues
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits

Typical qualifications and experience

Extensive experience of leading enterprise architecture across organisations.

Band 8d outline

Knowledge: Strategic knowledge across functions and the wider health and care system.
Autonomy: Shapes organisation-wide strategy; deputises for a director.
Scope: A major function or several functions.
Leadership: Leads several functions or a large department.
Accountability: Major functions, large budgets, and organisation-wide risks.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	8	Advanced knowledge (doctorate plus further training or equivalent), or specialist knowledge across more than one discipline built over a long period.	240
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	6	Corporate responsibility for major policy or service development across or beyond the organisation.	60
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	3	Authorises payments, buys some assets or supplies, monitors or holds a delegated budget, or maintains assets.	21
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programmes as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	6	Manages and develops information systems across the organisation as the main duty.	46
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	6	Interprets overall policy and strategy to set goals and standards.	60
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8d: 675 to 720)			703

Banded above the UK GDaD PCF grade suggestion (Band 8c): health-sector adverts place this role at Band 8d. Policy and freedom to act are level 6 because the job holds corporate responsibility for the organisation's architecture vision, principles, and strategy.