Service Architect - Central Govt - Secure Environment - 12 Months

Service Architect - Central Govt - Secure Environment - 12 Months

A central-government client is seeking a highly skilled Service Architect to design the end-to-end service model for a new, high-assurance digital platform. This role focuses on shaping a scalable, supportable and user-centred operating model across multiple government stakeholders and suppliers.

You will act as the service-design authority, defining service tiers, workflows, SLAs/OLAs, tooling integration, readiness criteria and operational processes. The environment includes multi-agency support responsibilities, supplier ecosystems, and staged onboarding phases.

Key Responsibilities

Service Architecture & Operating Model

• Define the full To-Be service design, including tiers, escalation flows, roles, boundaries and RACIs.
• Ensure alignment with operational, user, commercial and security requirements.

Process & Tooling Design

• Design ITIL-aligned processes for incident, problem, change, request fulfilment, configuration, service levels and knowledge management.
• Define tooling, monitoring, diagnostics and reporting needs.

Cross-Government & Supplier Engagement

• Engage with partner organisations to shape federated support responsibilities and service journeys.
• Integrate service design with supplier delivery models and contractual requirements.

Service Transition & Readiness

• Define transition pathways for early adopters, parallel operations and phased onboarding.
• Develop service readiness criteria, acceptance gates and Early Life Support (ELS).

Governance & Assurance

• Lead service-design reviews with operational, technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Maintain visibility of service-related risks, dependencies, capability gaps and operational constraints.

Ideal Candidate

Essential

• Strong experience designing services for secure, complex or high-assurance platforms.
• Deep ITIL expertise with demonstrable service-architecture and process-design capability.
• Experience with service transition, dual-run environments or staged go-lives.
• Ability to work across multi-department or multi-supplier ecosystems.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills across operational, commercial and senior stakeholder groups.

Desirable

• Experience aligning service models to commercial frameworks, SLAs and performance measures.
• Knowledge of secure cloud, monitoring, diagnostics or operational telemetry.

TL;DR

• Start: ASAP
• Location: London/Hybrid
• Duration: 12 months
• Rate: Negotiable
• IR35: Inside IR35
• Clearance: Active SC clearance required