Chief Architect for Royal Navy Digital Services

Tender description

Summary of the work A specialist is required by the Royal Navy’s Digital Directorate to lead the Architecture Function: providing architectural services to other Royal Navy organisations and projects, supporting the Executive, and ensuring coherence and architectural alignment of projects with MOD and Royal Navy strategies. Specialist role Technical Architect Expected Contract Length Ending 31st March 2023 with the option to extend for up to six months. Latest start date Monday 14 June 2021 Maximum Day Rate Up to £1200 per day ex VAT. Standard 7.5 hour working day, for services provide to the Portsmouth and surrounding area to 25 mile radius. Additional expenses outside this area are only paid with prior approval of the Authority. Early Market Engagement No early market engagement has taken place for this role. Who Speclialist Work With Navy Digital (ND) is a directorate of Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) responsible for delivering the CDIO strategy, governance, business and portfolio management of digital services for the Royal Navy. The architectural function will deliver modelling, design, artefact creation, architecture repository management, and collaborative engagement across MOD. The specialist will work with a team of digital professionals to meet digital objectives. The ND ecosystem comprises MOD Crown Servants, Military personnel, DSTL researchers and contractors from various industry partners. The specialist will work with a Delivery Manager to manage and support a team of other architects delivering output. What Specialists Work On The Chief Architect will lead the newly formed Architecture Function. Defining overarching architecture strategy across Navy Digital in collaboration with key stakeholders. Evolve and mature the architecture function in line with RN's strategic and digital needs. Provide hands-on delivery including; design and modelling for key projects, review of documentation and supporting other architects. Engage MOD-wide to collaborate on technical delivery and represent RN at working groups. Collaborate with the Navy Digital Services Technical Chief of Staff to facilitate architectural coherence. Manage and guide the resolution of architectural issues on behalf of the Executive team as required. Skills & Experience • Recent experience (within 12 months) of working on a UK MOD programme in a senior/leadership role to deliver digital transformation. • Understanding of the Royal Navy and MOD policy environment and including knowledge of policies and standards – e.g. JSP604, JSP465, DEFSTAN 21-88, NAF v4. • Experience of establishing and maturing an Enterprise Architecture Capability. • Practitioner level certifications in required architectural standards: TOGAF and ArchiMate. • Proven ability at bridging the gap between the technical and non-technical, mediating between people and communicating with stakeholders at all levels to build a consensus. • Skilled in setting strategic technical direction. • Expertise of delivering an open architecture, and against reference models. The RN defines Open Architecture as “a modular approach to specifying, developing, acquiring and integrating, testing and verifying digital solutions” • Substantive leadership, delegation/empowering and stakeholder management skills. • MOD acceptable SC/DV required at contract start. MOD will not sponsor clearances. Nice to Haves • Understanding of the Navy Digital and MOD technical environment including knowledge of existing technology and processes. • Expertise in representing key stakeholder interests in pan-organisation communities and working groups. • Working knowledge of delivering using agile methodologies, preferably using different methodologies in tandem, within the public sector. • Proven ability to operate at all levels of business, both within MOD and wider industry. • Understanding of the need to pragmatically consider the wider budgetary and organisational maturity landscape as part of the architecture development. • Experience of the specific challenges faced by solutions delivered across both fixed and deployed environments. • Experience of working within the UK Maritime domain. Work Location Royal Navy Digital Services, 3rd Floor, Semaphore Tower, HMNB Portsmouth, PO1 3LT Working Arrangments Your core location will be Semaphore Tower in HMNB Portsmouth or within Navy Command HQ on Whale Island Portsmouth. For collaboration purposes with your peer community you will be expected to work on-site most of the time with occasional travel as and when required to other Royal Navy locations. Expenses will be within your daily rate for your regular work location. Additional travel expenses will be available should you need to travel to other sites other than your core location. The Royal Navy supports flexible working. Security Clearance As a minimum a MoD acceptable SC clearance is required at contract start. MoD cannot sponsor clearance. Additional T&Cs All expenses must be pre-agreed between the parties and must comply with the MoD Travel and Subsistence (T&S) Policy. No. of Specialists to Evaluate 3 Cultural Fit Criteria • Work as part of a team within our organisation and with other suppliers. • Be transparent and collaborative when making decisions. • Take responsibility and demonstrate accountability for their work. • Operate within and promote a no-blame culture that actively encourages stakeholders to learn from mistakes. • Share knowledge and experience. • Challenge any practices and behaviours that do not support the culture of Digital Transformation under Navy Digital and work constructively to improve them. • Be able to balance competing needs across the organisation, and enact appropriate decision-making. Assessment Method Interview Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 70% Cultural fit 10% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Will this be assessed as inside IR35? It is not expected that IR35 will apply. An assessment will be made after the winning supplier has been selected and how the supplier intends to provide the personnel delivering the service. 2. Is there a Cyber Risk Assessment? The Cyber Risk Level is very low. Suppliers that are down selected will be required to complete a SAQ. 3. Is there an incumbent supplier in the role? There is an incumbent delivering this service. 4. Would you accept a DV cleared candidate? Yes, we would accept a candidate with a DV for this role. 5. How crucial is it that this individual needs experience in all of the essential fields? This is a single requirement for one specialist and we are therefore looking for an exceptional supplier with a wide range of expertise to deliver outcomes required. Suppliers/candidates will need to provide one example outlining their experience in each essential criteria. 6. How will tenderers be assessed Each tenderer will be evaluated and scored 0-3 against responses to essential and nice to have criteria. The tenderers with the three highest total scores will be down selected.Down selected tenderers will be asked to provide a CV and a cultural response, which will be evaluated and scored 0- 3. They will then be provided with a percentage score for the technical, cultural and financial criteria (relative to their scores in comparison to the maximum available score and their rate in comparison to the lowest offered rate).The tenderer with the highest combined score will be the winning tenderer. 7. Good afternoon, our candidate is an expert and train in TOGAF and has delivered various projects using Archimate. However does not currently hold Practitioner level certification, Should they be selected they are they would, as a contract pre-requisite get the practitioner level certifications. Would this pass as compliant? Practitioner is the professional bar at which this post is set and measured against and applicable on the start date of 14/06. The MoD will not sponsor certification. 8. Your requirements for recent experience (within 12 months) of working on a UK MOD programme in a senior/leadership role to deliver digital transformation. Is this role only limited to suppliers who have previously worked for UK MOD? Would any supplier who has SC clearance from another Govt. Department in a Similar/Senior role going to be disqualified or not preferred for the role? Experience of and exposure to programmes within MoD will be favoured. We would consider a candidate with experience delivering in another government department.