The Infected Blood Compensation Authority seeks an ambitious data architect, to lead how to exploit current and emerging techniques so we might make swift payments to victims of infected blood. IBCA is responsible for administering a compensation scheme that will see millions of pages of evidence across medical records, minutes of meetings, and other data, as well as flows of information to and from government departments, health agencies and other bodies. The data landscape is complex and delivering an efficient service will rely on making data work hard on our behalf.

The postholder will report to the Head of Data Engineering and Architecture with responsibility to lead on the complex and sensitive nature of data architecture across the authority. 

Job description

This opportunity allows an unparalleled opportunity to shape and define how data is managed and applied in ensuring accurate and timely payments are paid to those infected and affected. The role will be dynamic and fast paced, as we orchestrate a picture of infected and affected people, so IBCA is able to deliver a digital service that is underpinned by quality, trustworthy data practices.

You’ll play a leading role in championing the benefits of data architecture to support service delivery and data science to tackle the challenges IBCA will face including operational efficiency, forecasting, fraud mitigation & detection, cohort analysis, and more - as well as being capable of conveying the benefits and risks to non-technical audiences.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a drive for social impact to join the data directorate and hit the ground running, quickly getting to grips with the challenges that arise from standing up a greenfield department at pace.

Responsibilities

Strategy and Design of Data Platforms:

• Provide leadership to the overall strategic approach for data architecture, capability, infrastructure and management for the Authority.  
• Bringing knowledge and ideas and awareness of new technologies and practices.  

Define a Robust Data Architecture:

• Map the data flows and structures across data platforms through logical and conceptual data models, mappings, lineage and data flows.
• Defining data principles and standards to ensure traceability, security, and quality and alignment with business needs and promote best practice. 
• You will be responsible for ensuring data capability meets evolving data requirements and communicating clearly how to stakeholders.  

Working at pace without losing sight of the bigger picture:

• Manage workloads using agile methods with continuous delivery to meet demands as the service evolves.
• Maintain Strong stakeholder relationships ensuring solutions meet legal and operational requirements. 

Due to the challenging nature of this role and the complexities of setting up a greenfield department at pace, you may be asked to get involved in other areas associated with the Data Directorate. 

Person specification

Essential:

• Experience of designing data platforms such as Data Lake, Lakehouse or Data Warehousing in one or more cloud environments.  
• Experience of one or more Cloud Technology data platforms such as AWS, Azure or GCP and experience of technologies such as Redshift, Snowflake, Synapse or similar technologies.
• Experience of Data Modelling techniques and patterns for managing structured and unstructured data and when to apply them.
• Experience of database technologies including relational, document and graph.  
• Experience in defining data flows, lineage, and architecture.
• An understanding of role-based access control methods.  
• Worked within agile delivery environments.
• Keeping abreast of emerging technologies and methodologies and to promote innovation .   

 Desirable:

• Exposure to health and/or social care information such as HL7/FHIR.
• Experience of Enterprise or Domain Modelling. 
• Experience of ArchiMate or other architecture or process modelling language. 
• Awareness of Data Pipelines components and their design.  
• Experience in building data platform projects through onboarding, transformation and business intelligence. 
• Experience of metadata and master data management. 
• Proficiently in SQL and another scripting language or ETL tool for data manipulation.
• Experience of implementing complex access control strategies.

 Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Technical skills

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

• Data Architecture design
• Understanding Data
• Data Modelling
• Data Integrity
• Learning and Self Development

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,400, Cabinet Office contributes £15,469 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Opportunities to move to the new Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA).

At the moment all IBCA roles are hosted by Cabinet Office within the Civil Service. However, once IBCA becomes operational, it is anticipated that these roles may transfer to IBCA, which is a new public body separate from the Cabinet Office and independent of the Civil Service. Roles that transfer to IBCA from Cabinet Office will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment that are overall no less favourable and it is anticipated that employees who move from Cabinet Office to IBCA will be able to continue to participate in the Civil Service Pension arrangements with no break in their pensionable service.