Senior Solution Architect - Customer Services

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Are you interested in cloud computing and joining one of the most digitally-advanced tax authorities in the world and one of the largest and most dynamic IT estates in Europe? Then HMRC will surprise you with an exciting opportunity to help shape the future digital landscape of one the largest departments in Civil Service.
At HMRC, we are entering an incredibly dynamic time as we undertake a major transformation to deliver cutting-edge digital services, ensuring that we will be an enterprise wide digitally advanced organisation which will benefit all our customers and colleagues. This includes several key strategic digital priorities, such as real-time transactional information and a single customer account, enabling customers to access all their data and undertake all their interactions with HMRC in one place.
We work with leading technologies often supported by the companies behind them - Amazon Web Services (AWS), SAP, SAS, Pega, Azure, and Microsoft Power Platform to name a few, to develop and implement solution designs.
In this role you will be using these technologies and more to architect IT solutions that work on a UK wide scale across all HMRC’s tax and benefits including Self-Assessment, VAT, Corporation Tax, and Counter-Fraud, as well as designing systems that support all the UK’s international trade.
As the tax authority that collects money to fund our UK public services and provide financial support to the people that need it, almost every individual and business in the UK is a direct customer of HMRC. By joining the Chief Digital & Information Office (CDIO) as a Solutions Architect you will be playing a role in helping define HMRCs technology direction and create IT solution designs that make an impact that really matters on a national scale.
See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert., This is a challenging role, and we are looking for people who have the skills and determination to help us to realise our vision.
In this role within the Customer Services team, you’ll be architecting and delivering systems which underpin HMRCs ability to engage with customers at scale, so they pay the right taxes and receive the right benefits as their work, business, and family lives change.
Your responsibilities in this role will include:
+ Leading a team of solution architects within one or more strands of IT change programmes, setting direction for the team, and delivering results.
+ Being accountable for producing technical IT solution designs on projects that align to the HMRC IT Strategy and deliver business outcomes.
+ Responsibility for authoring costed design documentation, working closely with business stakeholders and technical architects to create cohesive solutions that meet the business and user needs.
+ Working with delivery teams and partners to ensure that solutions are delivered and implemented as designed.
+ Designing customer-facing web and mobile applications, telephony, IVR and webchat, proactive push communications and the automation of digital mail, using an omni-channel approach as HMRC adopts CRM technologies.
+ Architecting solutions that support third party software such as accounting packages via external APIs.
+ Designing solutions for recording customer circumstances in systems of record, calculating tax liabilities and benefit entitlements, receive and issue payments and maintaining accounts.
+ Producing designs that support the collection of customer debts including analytics and self-service options to set up payment plans and arrange more time to pay.
+ Adoption of AI technology to bring efficiencies to large-scale customer service operations e.g. call summarisation, next-best-action for colleagues and customers.
This role may require travel and overnight stays.

Person specification
Our ideal candidate will be someone who has a fascination with how technology is evolving, understands that the world is changing, and wants to be a part of that change through creating IT solution designs. They will enjoy being involved in building out technology projects that deliver results and will have an interest in, or knowledge of, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
To undertake this role, you can:
+ Architect IT solutions – our systems power the UK.
+ Design IT solutions that put users experience at their core - whether internal staff or external and that are also secure and scalable.
+ Pick up new technologies quickly and be able to understand their strengths and weaknesses and apply that learning.
+ Collaboratively solve business problems – working with colleagues to identify root causes and create pragmatic IT solutions.
+ Get “hands-on” with new technologies where necessary, testing their potential to solve the problem in hand.
+ Create POCs, Prototypes, Technical and Functional spikes to bring ideas to life and de-risk delivery.
+ Take an agile approach to solving problems from problem-shaping through design to delivery.
+ Understand the business needs and have a track record of developing a close trusted relationship within project teams.
+ Drive change at pace because it is important to you, but to also manage the architecture risks., A sift will be conducted on your personal statement, with successful candidates invited to interview.
Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage, you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. In this 30-minute session you will be asked to provide an overview of your CV and answer questions around experience.
You will also be assessed against the essential & technical skills and your experience.
You will also be asked to prepare a presentation - further details will be provided prior to interviews.
We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process to manage numbers.
Interviews will take place via video call.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created and you will only be considered for posts in locations you have expressed a preference for. Appointments will be made in strict merit order in line with the set number of roles in each location.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
+ Contact the UBS Recruitment Excellence Team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Additional Security Information
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
+ UK nationals
+ nationals of the Republic of Ireland
+ nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
+ nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
+ individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
+ Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window)., Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles.
In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.

+ Experience and knowledge of Architectural Governance
+ You will have shaped and developed technology solutions using the capabilities described in the technical specification to meet business and user needs.
+ Ability to pick up new technologies and architecture concepts and styles quickly, understand their strengths and weaknesses and apply that learning.
+ A collaborative problem solver – working with colleagues to identify root causes allowing you to create and deliver pragmatic IT solutions.
+ A track record of communicating, collaborating, and influencing stakeholders.
+ You can work at pace, identify and manage architectural risks appropriately, and have your solutions approved through architecture governance boards.
Desirable criteria:
+ Strong inter-personal skills, especially in handling diverse stakeholders across all levels within the organisation.
+ Experience working within significant large scale IT Change/Transformation programmes.
+ Possess or willing to work towards TOGAF, BCS or CITP qualifications.
+ Ability to translate viewpoints, speaking on behalf of technical teams to the business stakeholders and on behalf of the business stakeholders to technical teams.
+ Experience of working with, and leading, teams of architects and business analysts.
+ Have an understanding of ITILv4.
Technical skills
This is the range of skills we use in HMRC. We do not expect you have all these skills.
As part of the interview, we will ask you to present the skills you have from the list below.
+ Designing and delivering multi-channel digital applications to support large-scale customer services.
+ Experience of CRM technology.
+ Knowledge of telephony, IVR and workforce management/contact centre solutions.
+ Integration to core accounting/ERP systems.
+ Use of APIs to create distributed applications across internal and external organisational boundaries.
+ Knowledge case management/ workflow technologies to present information to colleagues.
+ Use of document scanning and robotic automation to bring efficiencies to manual processing tasks.
+ Architecting IT applications, including making use of Cloud, IaaS, SaaS and PaaS.
+ Knowledge of a range of technology stacks and the ability to take a balanced approach to technology selection.
+ A good understanding of security and practical experience in ensuring that it is a central to all solution designs.
+ Managing application through the full application lifecycle from Idea to Decommission.
+ Application integration and awareness of programming techniques and languages.
+ Awareness of Cost modelling/estimating particularly of cost drivers to support commercial challenge activity.
+ Approaches to managing technical debt whist delivering required functionality., Combined TC and OGD Pay - English - July 2024 Opens in new window (docx, 129kB)

Alongside your salary of £54,439, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £15,770 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
+ Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 27% of their salary.
+ Family friendly policies.
+ Personal support.
+ Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service.