Senior solution architect

Band 8b · Solution architect · 604 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Senior solution architect

Most often performed at Civil Service grade G7.

A senior solution architect is responsible for a single, more complex, solution. They usually work on solutions where the risk is moderate. They may lead and coach other solution architects.
At this role level, you will:
build relationships with senior stakeholders across different business or technical areas in the organisation
be proactive in identifying opportunities to improve the organisation
support multiple architecture projects
find and use emerging technologies and approaches
support others to follow best practice for solution architecture

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

Design complex solutions of moderate risk, such as clinical systems or services used across several organisations.
Lead technical evaluation of supplier products in procurements, including interoperability, security, and safety.
Design for resilience and business continuity where the solution supports care around the clock.
Work with clinical safety officers so that design decisions and risk controls are recorded in the safety case.
Coach and review the work of other solution architects.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Architect for the whole contextUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: align your work with the work being done by other architects and technical professionals track emerging issues, strategies, roadmaps, patterns and technologies over time to assess opportunities and risks to your work identify how other teams contribute to delivering outcomes through change
Architecture communicationUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead the communication of complicated, complex or risky architecture topics with technical and non-technical stakeholders communicate with senior stakeholders across your organisation adapt your message and communication techniques to your audience advocate on behalf of a team to other stakeholders manage stakeholder expectations effectively
Commercial perspectiveUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: understand commercial processes and the appropriate internal contacts within a government department understand different sourcing strategies and when to apply them
Community collaborationUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work collaboratively in a group, actively networking with others adapt feedback to ensure it’s effective and lasting use your initiative to identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses
Making architectural decisionsUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: make and guide architectural design decisions characterised by medium risk and complexity identify and address architectural risks that affect multiple teams or domains use architectural governance and assurance to make design decisions and manage technical risks at the appropriate level contribute to the development of architectural governance and assurance
Problem definition and shapingUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: frame a problem characterised by medium complexity, complication, or risk so that a solution can be created produce architectural representations that enable different teams to have a shared understanding of problems throughout the life cycle describe options for solving problems so that appropriate delivery methods can be decided
Strategy designUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: support the development of a strategy or vision that aligns with organisational objectives challenge requirements and assumptions, and identify opportunities to develop strategy support the implementation of a strategy or vision, for example, by using a roadmap or plan use architectural principles, patterns, and constraints when appropriate
Technical design throughout the life cycleUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: create technical designs characterised by medium risk, impact, and complexity maintain appropriate quality and architectural coherence of a technical design in response to change use feedback to optimise and refine technical designs throughout the life cycle
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
Health data interoperabilityThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: design and build integrations using FHIR, HL7 version 2, and messaging patterns write and profile FHIR resources and implementation guides resolve complex mapping and data quality issues between systems
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead data protection impact assessments and information sharing agreements advise teams on lawful basis, consent, confidentiality, and retention investigate incidents and recommend improvements
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
Identity and access managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: create, change, and remove user accounts and access rights check access against role-based access rules
Medical device software regulationThis reference	Awareness (1)	You can: explain that some health software is regulated as a medical device know who to ask when a product might be a medical device
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: record and update risks for your area suggest controls and track actions

Typical qualifications and experience

Extensive experience of designing complex solutions across several disciplines, at a level beyond a master's degree.

Band 8b outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge across several disciplines or a large service.
Autonomy: Shapes policy and strategy for a large area.
Scope: Several services or teams, or a principal-level discipline.
Leadership: Manages managers, or is the principal authority in a discipline.
Accountability: Several services, their staff, and their budgets.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.	45
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	4	Plans a broad range of complex activities or strategies, adjusting them as needed.	42
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	4	Implements policy and develops policy or services for a service or several areas.	32
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	2	Handles cash or valuables, looks after equipment used by others, controls stock, or authorises small payments.	12
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
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	3	Carries out research or development within formal programmes as a main duty.	21
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
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 8b: 585 to 629)			604

Banded above the UK GDaD PCF grade suggestion (Band 8a): health-sector adverts place this role at Band 8b. Knowledge is scored at level 8 for specialist knowledge across several disciplines, such as applications, data, integration, security, and clinical safety.