Associate solution architect

Band 7 · Solution architect · 483 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Associate solution architect

Most often performed at Civil Service grade HEO or SEO.

An associate solution architect supports other solution architects to design solutions. You will usually work under supervision.
At this role level, you will:
support the design of solutions by working with stakeholders
help your team achieve its objectives

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

Gather requirements from product teams, clinicians, and suppliers to inform solution designs.
Draw current and target state diagrams, such as context, data flow, and integration views.
Draft sections of solution designs and decision records under supervision.
Check designs against architecture standards, security, and information governance requirements.
Help prepare designs for review at design authorities.

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	Working (2)	You can: listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders create and use different architecture representations to communicate effectively, achieving agreement with technical and non-technical stakeholders provide support in discussions about architectural topics within a multidisciplinary team
Commercial perspectiveUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: show an awareness of government commercial processes show an awareness of legal and compliance rules
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
Problem definition and shapingUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: help to frame a problem characterised by managed levels of complexity, complication, or risk so that a solution can be created help to create options for solving problems at an appropriate level of detail
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	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognise when a change could affect patient care and raise it
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	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
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

Typical qualifications and experience

Specialist knowledge of solution design, at master's level or equivalent experience.
Experience of analysis, development, or technical 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 designs across applications, data, integration, and security.