Enterprise Architect

Enterprise Architect

Hybrid Must attend site in Dorchester weekly (2 days minimum)

700 a day

Outside IR35

Monday to Friday

Enterprise Architect - Brief and summary of role and requirements

About Connect2Dorset

Connect2Dorset is the managed service recruitment partner to Dorset Council, providing temporary, contract, and interim opportunities across the organisation. Built on values of being ethical, trustworthy, and caring, our profits are reinvested back into our Local Authority shareholders.

Context and Background

Dorset Council is delivering significant transformation across services, digital, data and technology, including major investment in customer services, data, enterprise resource platform, modernisation and organisational redesign.

As we continue this journey, there is a growing need to strengthen our enterprise architecture capability to ensure that transformation, technology, data and service design decisions are aligned to a coherent future-state vision. We have established leadership for our Digital, Data and Technology operating model and this role will work alongside that function, contributing to our architecture community of practice, design authority and wider governance arrangements.

Purpose of the role

We are seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect on an initial six-month contract to provide strategic architectural leadership across the council.

The role will help Dorset Council build a clearer view of its current and future architecture, supporting better organisational, data, digital and technology decisions. The successful candidate will help identify opportunities to simplify the technology estate, improve interoperability, maximise existing investments, reduce technical debt and ensure transformation activity contributes towards a shared organisational vision.

This is not a traditional technical architecture role. We are looking for someone who can operate at an organisational level, connecting business strategy, operating models, data, applications, technology and transformation to help shape the council's future direction.

Key areas of focus

A six-month contract period is expected to focus on:

• Establishing a clear view of current-state and target-state architecture
• Developing enterprise architecture principles, standards and roadmaps
• Supporting major transformation and investment decisions
• Identifying opportunities to simplify systems, platforms and integrations
• Strengthening alignment between business, data, digital and technology change
• Supporting architecture governance through Design Authority and other strategic forums
• Providing independent challenge and assurance for major programmes, procurements and investment decisions
• Building capability and maturity within Dorset Council's architecture community

Skills and experience sought

We are looking for an individual who can demonstrate:

• Significant enterprise architecture experience within a large, complex organisation
• A strong understanding of business architecture, operating models, data, applications and technology architecture
• Experience supporting large-scale transformation programmes and organisational change
• Ability to translate strategic ambitions into practical architectural roadmaps and priorities
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with confidence operating at Executive, Senior Leadership Team and programme leadership level
• Experience simplifying complex environments and identifying opportunities for rationalisation, integration and improved value for money
• Strong understanding of modern digital platforms, cloud technologies, integration, interoperability and data architecture
• Ability to communicate complex concepts in a clear, pragmatic and accessible way
• Experience working across organisational boundaries and influencing without direct authority

Contract requirement

This is an initial six-month specialist contract assignment to help establish and accelerate Dorset Council's enterprise architecture capability during a significant period of organisational and technology transformation.

The successful candidate will bring both strategic thinking and practical delivery experience, helping the council make better-informed decisions today whilst creating the architectural foundations required for the future.

Connect2Dorset is a trading style of Dorset & Kent Commercial Services LLP - A joint venture between Dorset Council & Commercial Services Kent Ltd. Connect2Dorset is an equal opportunities Employment Agency & Business. It positively encourages applications from all suitably qualified and eligible candidates.