Associate technical architect

Band 6 · Technical architect · 412 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Associate technical architect

Most often performed at Civil Service grade EO or HEO.

An associate technical architect supports technical architects in putting forward designs as solutions to technology challenges, usually under supervision.
At this role level, you will:
work closely with developers when designing appropriate solutions
have an understanding of the overall strategy and how your work supports it

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

Draw technical diagrams and document the components, hosting, and integrations of existing services.
Research technology options and summarize their pros and cons, with guidance.
Work with developers to check that builds follow agreed designs and patterns.
Record technical decisions and keep design documents up to date.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Architect for the whole contextUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: identify relevant information that can inform your architectural work, such as strategies, roadmaps, policies and technical trends understand how your work supports the team in enabling change
Architecture communicationUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: show an awareness of different ways of creating architecture representations for a limited audience, including technical and non-technical stakeholders gather and explain information to be used in architecture representations
Community collaborationUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: understand the work of others and the importance of team dynamics, collaboration and feedback
Making architectural decisionsUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: describe the reasoning behind architectural design decisions gather information to inform decisions understand architectural governance and assurance relevant to your work
Strategy designUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: explain how organisational objectives link to designing strategy describe the purpose and application of strategy, standards, patterns, policies, roadmaps, vision, and mission statements
Technical design throughout the life cycleUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: create technical designs characterised by managed levels of risk, impact, and complexity provide guidance and support to teams using technical designs throughout the life cycle adapt a technical design if needed during delivery work with well-understood technology and identify appropriate patterns
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: describe the main parts of the health and care system and the services the organization supports explain why patient safety and confidentiality matter in your work
Health data interoperabilityThis reference	Working (2)	You can: read and use FHIR resources, profiles, and APIs build or test simple integrations under guidance check messages against a specification
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: follow the organization's rules for handling personal and health information recognize and report a data breach or near miss
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: explain how health IT systems can harm patients, for example through wrong, missing, or delayed information report a possible clinical safety issue through the right route

Typical qualifications and experience

A degree in computing or a related subject, or equivalent experience in software or infrastructure engineering.
Specialist knowledge of technical design, at postgraduate diploma level or equivalent experience.

Band 6 outline

Knowledge: Specialist knowledge across a range of procedures, built through further training or experience.
Autonomy: Works independently; interprets policy for own area; seeks advice on complex issues.
Scope: A product, service, or workstream.
Leadership: May lead a small team or mentor colleagues.
Accountability: Outcomes of own workstream and quality of advice given.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgmental skills	4	Judgments on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organizational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
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	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	1	Takes personal care of equipment and resources used in own work.	5
Responsibility for people	1	Shows own work routines to new or less experienced colleagues.	5
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
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	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
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 6: 396 to 465)			412

Banded above the UK GDaD PCF grade suggestion (Band 5): health-sector adverts place this role at Band 6. Knowledge is scored at postgraduate diploma level, and information resources at level 5 because the job designs parts of major information systems.