Senior Technical Architect - Tell Us Once (Bereavement Service)

Location: Newcastle
Work Pattern: Hybrid
Duration: ASAP start - 12 months
Rate: £625 per day
IR35 Status: Inside IR35
Clearance: BPSS

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Technical Architect to support the Tell Us Once (Reporting a Bereavement Centrally) service as it enters a period of discovery. This SFIA Level 5 role will examine the overall bereavement system, assessing the feasibility of receiving early death notifications from third parties and defining the changes needed to share data beyond government departments with private sector organisations. You will lead technical discovery activities, map the existing technology landscape, and shape solution options while identifying risks and dependencies. Target architectures will be defined in line with DWP Digital and Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and wider strategic business outcomes, requiring strong stakeholder engagement, systems integration expertise, and confident presentation of recommendations to governance forums.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead technical discovery activities across the Tell Us Once bereavement service
• Understand and document the existing technology landscape
• Shape and evaluate solution options for receiving early death notifications from third-party sources
• Identify risks and dependencies associated with proposed changes
• Define target architectures aligned with DWP Digital and GDS standards
• Assess the feasibility and implications of sharing bereavement data with private sector organisations
• Engage extensively with stakeholders across government and delivery teams
• Present architectural recommendations and findings to governance forums

Essential Skills

• Strong commercial experience as a Senior Technical Architect operating at SFIA Level 5
• Proven experience leading technical discovery and solution shaping
• Strong systems integration expertise, ideally spanning cross-organisational data sharing
• Sound understanding of DWP Digital and GDS architecture standards
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
• Experience presenting architectural recommendations to technical governance forums
• Comfortable working on a hybrid basis based in Newcastle

Nice To Have

• Previous experience within DWP or the wider UK public sector (highly desirable)
• Experience with bereavement, benefits or citizen data-sharing services
• Familiarity with data-sharing arrangements between government and private sector organisations