Atkins is a major leading multidisciplinary consultancy. Our Technology Solutions and Services practice has key accounts across Central and Local Government, Public Services, Regulated Industries, blue light services as well as the Private Sector. Within this wider technology consulting practice we have a specialist Strategic Technology Consulting team providing management consultancy and client-side consulting, with a primary focus on programme and project delivery, technology enabled transformation, strategy development and business change management and implementation.
We are experiencing considerable growth and particularly strong demand in our defence, security and government markets. Serving these markets, our Strategic Technology Consulting practice is a successful and growing part of our business, which has expanded over the last two years in terms of both footprint and capability. We have built a high quality consulting team, attracting top-tier consultants and delivering high quality work. We are now looking to expand the scope and scale of our capability in Service Integration and Service Architecture.
As part of this growth we are seeking to appoint a Service Architect to support our clients in moving towards more diversified, delaminated multi-vendor technology estates, with the associated disaggregated services. Many of our clients are seeking to move away from large systems integrators, transitioning more of their operations to cloud and microservices providers. This places the client in the role of the prime systems integrator and service integrator. The transition to this new operating model is technically and commercially complex, yet needs to be undertaken whilst keeping business as usual and wider change programme running. To succeed they require expert advisors who listen actively and advise clearly, based on deep experience and mature methods. The successful candidate will be an experienced Service Architect with a proven track record in providing high quality advice and delivery to demanding clients in complex stakeholder environments. Candidates must be experienced in managing multidisciplinary teams and in acting as a senior client interface, technical assurance and point of escalation for the delivery of those teams.
We are looking for exceptional individuals who can demonstrate a robust knowledge and high quality track record of service design, information and technology architecture and organisational change advice. Candidates will be influencers, shapers and comfortable operating in fluid and uncertain environments. The role will involve a blend of client-facing consulting, business development, technical assurance and team management. Candidates will also be responsible for developing propositions and thought leadership.
This is an exciting time in Strategic Technology Consulting, and this role provides the successful candidates with significant development opportunities that arise through working in a growth area in an expanding team. As well as technical delivery, individuals will be expected to support development of the capability through, for example, development of propositions and thought leadership and potentially assisting with the development and delivery of training. Additionally, there will be a need to support or lead business development activities through leading or contributing to proposal development.
The Requirements
Candidates are expected to demonstrate excellent core competence and experience in complex IT Service Design within the context of cloud and rapidly evolving digital services. Experience of managing business critical IT services against a backdrop of continuous development and evolution through agile/DevOps methods is highly desirable. We are also looking for people with the experience and skills in developing business relationships at all levels, and leading teams to deliver great work. Candidates will have a proven track record in some or all of the following areas:
• Leadership, motivation and direction of teams from both a delivery and line management perspective.
• Translating business visions, goals, objectives and high-level requirements into Solution, Organisational or Service Architectures.
• Developing service strategy, including within the context of dynamic, agile, rapidly evolving environments
• IT strategy and target operating model development.
• Technical assurance of consulting deliverables and bids.
• Developing technical solutions for large and complex programmes, including multi-vendor service integration and performance management.
• Leading reviews of the as-is service architectures or in-flight projects, and communicating the findings of the review back to senior stakeholders.
• Using industry recognised IT frameworks, such as ITIL and SFIA to accelerate programmes and provide common understanding amongst key stakeholders of architectural concepts and their impacts;
• Knowledge and experience of significant aspects of related disciplines such as Systems Architecture, Enterprise Architecture, Agile and Digital.
• An ability to influence and communicate with all levels of stakeholder including senior executives, directors, managers and junior staff.
• Good general consulting skills (soft skills, structured thinking, effective report writing and presentations, and stakeholder engagement).
• Comfort in operating in highly fluid and environments characterised by uncertainty.
• An ability to work under broad direction, with a high level of self-initiation.
• Central Government experience is highly desirable, particularly in Defence and Security/Intelligence agencies; some additional wider sector experience (Local Government; Regulated Industry; Private sector) is desirable.
• Knowledge and experience of new technology trends and disruptive technologies, including cloud, government ICT strategy, social, big data and digital services.
Training
Atkins develops individuals through a portfolio of training and development activities designed to help you make the best of your abilities and talents. These are reviewed with individuals through an annual appraisal process. We actively support staff in achieving corporate membership of relevant institutions.
Rewards and Benefits
Please refer to our website for details of our full benefits package.
Security Requirements
Successful candidates will be required to undergo a security vetting process and offers of employment will be subject to relevant security clearance being granted.
