Technical Architect

Central Government Programme | Defence Environment Andover HQ (2 days onsite per week) £110,000 - £120,000 + package SC Clearance required

An opportunity has opened for a Technical Architect to join a high-security central government programme supporting a major defence-related capability. This is a hands-on architecture role where you will take ownership of complex system design across large-scale, secure environments, ensuring solutions are robust, compliant, and aligned to wider enterprise strategy.

You will operate across multi-disciplinary teams, providing technical leadership from early concept through to delivery, governance, and ongoing optimisation.

You will:

• Lead the end-to-end technical design of complex systems and services
• Define, review, and assure architectural solutions across the full delivery lifecycle
• Provide governance and technical oversight across development and integration activity
• Conduct impact assessments, design reviews, and risk evaluation of solution changes
• Translate business and technical requirements into scalable, secure architectures
• Ensure adherence to enterprise standards, security principles, and regulatory requirements
• Apply architectural principles across software, infrastructure, cloud, and integration layers
• Support secure solution design aligned to government and defence security standards
• Contribute to architecture boards, governance forums, and technical decision-making
• Provide mentoring, guidance, and architectural leadership to delivery teams
• Support pre-sales / bid activity including solution shaping, estimation, and client engagement
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements across platforms and services
• Lead or support proof of concepts and technical demonstrations

Strong experience required in:

• Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC)
• Cloud platforms (AWS or Azure)
• DevOps / CI/CD toolchains and practices
• Microservices and web services architecture
• REST, SOAP, JSON-based integrations
• Identity and access management (SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect, Active Directory, LDAP, ADFS)
• Secure application development (Java or .NET)
• Agile delivery environments
• API-driven architectures
• Security frameworks and principles (OWASP, NCSC guidance)
• Data protection and GDPR-compliant design

• Defence, central government or highly regulated environments
• SC cleared environments
• Data architecture and modern data platforms
• Real-time data integration, APIs, streaming or IoT
• AI or emerging technology solutions
• Public sector procurement / bid support exposure
• Industry certifications (AWS, Azure, Microsoft or equivalent)

• Has operated as a Technical Architect or Senior Solution Architect in complex environments
• Can operate across both hands-on technical design and stakeholder engagement
• Understands how to balance security, scalability, and delivery constraints
• Is confident working in governance-heavy, regulated environments
• Can influence senior stakeholders and translate complexity into clear decisions