Associate business architect

Band 7 · Business architect · 483 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Associate business architect

Most often performed at Civil Service grade SEO.

An associate business architect uses their knowledge and experience to address business scenarios. They continue to get support and training for their role.
At this role level, you will:
apply architectural methods following direction and wider strategy to produce outputs
break down complexity and produce clear outputs
explain complex business problems using clear language and artefacts
bring together disconnected information to inform decision making
recognise issues that cut across different areas of the organisation and present opportunities for improvement

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

Model capabilities, services, and care pathways for a part of the organisation.
Analyse models to find gaps, duplication, and pain points for patients and staff.
Bring together information from different teams and organisations to inform decisions on change.
Explain complex service problems to stakeholders using clear models and plain language.
Keep the business architecture repository accurate and linked to application and data models.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Business architectureUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: help support the adoption of business architecture clearly communicate business architecture frameworks, principles, and techniques support the production of a multidimensional view of your organisation assess the impact of strategies on the organisation, highlighting risks and issues
Communicating informationUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work collaboratively in a group and build relationships with others identify issues through Agile 'health checks' and work with others to address them manage stakeholder expectations be flexible and capable of proactive and reactive communication host or moderate difficult discussions within the team or with senior stakeholders
ConsultancyUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: provide advice, guidance and recommendations based on your specialist knowledge and experience propose methodologies to follow and approaches to implementation frame problems so they can easily be understood, and troubleshoot where required, to support the business in operating more effectively
Making and guiding decisionsUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: make decisions characterised by managed levels of risk and complexity, and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase resolve technical disputes between wider peers and indirect stakeholders, considering all views and opinions
Methods and toolsUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: select and use the most appropriate tools and techniques to support the planning, analysis, development, testing, implementation and improvement of systems and services within a project
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: identify important stakeholders and communicate with them clearly and regularly tailor communication to stakeholders' needs and work with them to build relationships while meeting user needs build and reach consensus with stakeholders work to improve stakeholder relationships using evidence to explain decisions
Strategic thinkingUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: work within a strategic context and communicate how activities meet strategic goals contribute to the development of strategy and policies
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse how a service fits into care pathways across organisations work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: follow the organisation's rules for handling personal and health information recognise and report a data breach or near miss
Equality, diversity, and inclusionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: recognise and challenge behaviour that excludes others consider different needs when you plan your work

Typical qualifications and experience

Specialist knowledge of business architecture or business analysis, at master's level or equivalent experience.
Experience of business analysis or service design.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

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	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational 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	2	Supervises or coordinates staff day to day, trains others regularly, or gives basic HR advice.	12
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	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 7: 466 to 539)			483

Banded above the UK GDaD PCF grade suggestion (Band 6): health-sector adverts place this role at Band 7. Knowledge is scored at master's level or equivalent, because the job models and analyses services and care pathways across teams and organisations.