Chief Architect

Shape the Future of Government Technology: Lead, Innovate, and Transform as the Chief Architect for the Cayman Islands Government!

Job Purpose

The Chief Architect will report to the Deputy Director for all activities related to the Design and Architecture for Information Systems across Government – for all 3000 users – supporting CI$800M Revenue. The Post Holder will play a key role in shaping the IT strategy, leading a team of senior architects, Implementing an Enterprise wide technology Roadmap, steering the Architectural Review Board (ARB) process, and endorsing enterprise-wide design standards. The Chief Architect role involves providing strategic guidance and leadership in aligning the government's IT Technology with overarching goals and policies. This includes developing and maintaining a comprehensive enterprise architecture that encompasses applications, data, technology, and security domains.

The Chief Architect will play a key role in advising on the adoption of innovative solutions, ensuring compliance with regulations, and fostering collaboration across IT teams, government departments, and external partners. They will also contribute to and “bake-into” each design, risk management, identifying and mitigating potential risks associated with new and existing technology initiatives.

As an experienced technologist within Government, The Chief Architect will facilitate conversations and events to make sure the wider government technical community has good visibility of technological advancements across the organization, promoting CSD’s expertise and technical services to provide solutions for Government organisations. Additionally, the Chief Architect will contribute to defining, developing, and delivering an effective "pan-government" Technology strategy through Technical Roadmaps to meet the government's evolving vision.

The Incumbent will Lead as a technical authority in delivery of solutions across Government that meet the business, technical and security requirements, defining and establishing valid and viable technical products. Additionally, the Chief Architect will manage the successful implementation and operation of a “fit-for-purpose” Architecture Review Board ensuring all new or enhanced Technologies align to the vision and are both efficient and reliable for all government ministries and departments.

Information Technology is at the core of most Government services, and CSD plays a mission-critical role. The Department is a major administrative arm of the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure (CPI), it provides ICT services to 85 government departments and agencies. It provides a government-wide information strategic planning and policy service, it is a technology resource for the Deputy Governor, legislative decision-makers, and to all public sector agencies.

The Department has approximately 95 staff with a total operating budget of approximately CI$16.3 million. The current capital budget is CI$2.7 million with a value of fixed assets controlled by the department of CI$16 million. The department currently supports approximately 3000 desktop users, 50-60 bespoke inhouse applications, and 52 commercial programs.

The post-holder must be a mature, highly experienced, and capable Information Systems (IS) professional who is fully accountable for collaborating with several other IS leaders. The individual must be skilled in project management able to manage multiple tasks effectively and possess the background knowledge and experience of IS to make informed and responsible decisions that are both technically sound and take the needs of the organization fully into account.

As a knowledgeable IT professional, the post-holder is often consulted on the procurement of IT-related solutions and services on behalf of other Government Departments. In the absence of the Deputy Director, the post-holder will be required to act as lead for the Architecture and Governance Unit as needed.

CSD’s Chief Architect is accountable for developing and maintaining a cohesive IT architectural strategy, ensuring alignment with governmental objectives, and managing risks. Major risks associated with this role include operational inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities, compliance issues, innovation stagnation, stakeholder dissatisfaction, project failures, inconsistent standards, and resource mismanagement. Effective leadership and strategic oversight in this role are essential to mitigate these risks, ensuring robust, secure, and efficient IT systems that support the government's goals and public trust.

Significant Risks Associated with this Role:

Fragmented IT Strategy: Without a cohesive IT architectural vision, the IT strategy becomes fragmented leading to disjointed systems and processes

Operational Inefficiencies: Lack of standardized practices and oversight resulting in higher maintenance costs, increased downtime, and slower service delivery.

Security Vulnerabilities: No central figure to enforce robust cybersecurity measures resulting in increased risk of data breaches, cyberattacks, and loss of sensitive information.

Non-compliance: Inadequate adherence to regulations and standards leading to legal penalties, fines, and reputational damage due to non-compliance with governmental and industry regulations.

Poor Resource Management: Inefficient allocation and utilization of IT resources leading to budget overruns, underutilization of technology, and staff inefficiencies.

Innovation Stagnation: Lack of drive for innovation and adoption of new technologies leading to IT systems becoming outdated and less competitiveness and inefficiencies.

Project Failures: Inadequate oversight and guidance for IT projects resulting in delays, cost overruns, and failures to meet objectives.

Stakeholder Misalignment: Ineffective communication with stakeholders resulting in misaligned expectations, lack of support for IT initiatives, and potential conflicts.

Inconsistent IT Standards: Lack of established IT standards and best practices resulting in inconsistent and incompatible IT systems, increased complexity, and higher costs for integration and maintenance.

Risk Management Failures: Inadequate identification and mitigation of IT-related risks increasing the likelihood of unforeseen disruptions, financial losses, and compromised service delivery.