We are looking for people who can help us rise to meet the challenge, so we want people with the right skills, behaviours and mindset, people who:

• Have a fascination in how technology is evolving, and you know the world is changing and want to be a part of that through creating IT solution designs.
• Enjoy being a part of building out technology projects that deliver results.
• Have an interest in, or knowledge of, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies.
• Can solve real world business problems through creative IT solutions.
• Can work collaboratively as part of a larger team.

We're bolstering our solution architecture function - working on some of the most complex problems for the UK; simplifying how citizens engage with HMRC, managing the border and driving down on those who try to avoid their obligations for the benefit of our citizens.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities and Requirements:

• Architect and design IT solutions that are secure, scalable, and user-centric, powering the UK's systems.
• Leverage expertise in leading technologies (e.g. Azure, AWS, Python) while quickly adapting to new ones.
• Collaborate to solve business problems, identifying root causes and creating practical IT solutions.
• Get hands-on with technologies, creating POCs, prototypes, and technical spikes to test and de-risk solutions.
• Work in an agile manner, from problem-shaping through design to delivery.
• Build trusted relationships within project teams, understanding business needs and driving change at pace while managing architecture risks.
• Lead a team of solution architects, setting direction and delivering results within IT change programs.
• Author costed design documentation aligned with IT strategies and business goals, in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Ensure successful delivery of solution designs by partnering with delivery teams and external collaborators.

This role may require travel and overnight stays

Essential Criteria:

• You will have led, shaped and developed solutions for digital and technological services to meet business and user needs.
• You will be able to pick up new technologies and architecture concepts and styles quickly, understand their strengths and weaknesses and apply that learning.
• You are a collaborative problem solver - working with colleagues to identify root causes allowing you to create and deliver pragmatic IT solutions.
• You have 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.

Technical skills:

As part of the interview, we will ask you to present the skills you have from the list below (we do not expect you to have all these skills).

• 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.
• Decommissioning of legacy systems including migration and archiving of data.
• 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.
• Big Data, Analytics and machine learning and artificial intelligence.

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, to speak on behalf of technical teams to the business stakeholders and on behalf of the business stakeholders to technical teams.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will be asked to prepare a presentation - further details will be provided prior to interviews.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,344, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,322 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 28.97% 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

Things you need to know

Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Technical skills.

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:

Application must include:

A CV including education, professional qualifications and full employment history, giving details of key achievements for each role/job.

When giving details in your CV you should be explicit in highlighting your experience in line with the essential criteria & technical skills listed in the advert. You should therefore include details of the work and projects that you have been involved in, and the role you played.

Important information:

• Please attach your CV as a separate additional document in either PDF or word format no bigger than 5MB.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• Please do not include any personal details in your document title.
• If your CV contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
• Desirable skills will not be scored but will only be used in the event of a tie break situation.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

We acknowledge that AI can assist you in your application. Find our guidelines here.

Sift

At sift your CV will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.

We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.

Interview

If you're successful at sift stage, you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will 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.

Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

We will aim to sift applications within 2 weeks of the closing date, and invite successful candidates for interview, we aim to interview candidates within 4 weeks of the closing date.

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 with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk - Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example - 'Please re-open my application - 380350 & vacancy closing date 11/12/2024'.

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.

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.

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.

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 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).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Asif Atcha
• Email : asif.atcha@hmrc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk

Further information
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 ubsrecruitmentcomplaints@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.

Attachments
Combined TC and OGD Pay - English Opens in new window (docx, 132kB)