AWS Solution Architect - SC MOD Clearance Required

International Business Machines Corporation; Manchester; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Maternity returners scheme

25 days holiday

Job summary

IBM is seeking an experienced AWS Solutions Architect to design and implement secure, scalable cloud solutions for UK public sector clients. You will translate complex requirements into robust AWS designs aligned with UK government security standards and MOD requirements.

Ideal candidates bring deep AWS expertise, security-first mindset, and experience with IaC, migrations and Well-Architected frameworks. UK SC security clearance is required for this engagement.

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing secure, scalable AWS cloud architectures.
• Experience in UK public sector or defence cloud projects.
• Strong cloud security knowledge and secure-by-design principles.
• Ability to translate requirements into robust technical designs and manage risks.
• Must hold UK SC Security Clearance and fulfill MOD security requirements.

Responsibilities

• Design secure, scalable AWS cloud architectures for government and defence.
• Translate complex requirements into robust AWS solutions.
• Collaborate with technical teams, security specialists and stakeholders.
• Implement Infrastructure as Code and support cloud migrations.
• Adhere to UK government security standards and governance.

Skills

AWS architectures

Public sector

Cloud security

Infrastructure as Code

DevSecOps

Multi-account AWS

VPC networking

Disaster recovery

Security clearance

Terraform

CloudFormation

CI/CD pipelines

Hybrid cloud

Container services

Tools

Terraform

CloudFormation

CI/CD

AWS Control Tower

AWS Organizations

Transit Gateway

Direct Connect

Job description

IBM is seeking an experienced AWS Solutions Architect to support its UK Public Sector account, delivering secure, scalable and resilient cloud solutions across government and defence environments. The role will play a key part in designing and implementing cloud architectures that support digital transformation, application modernisation and the delivery of mission-critical services. Working closely with public sector clients, technical teams, security specialists and delivery stakeholders, the successful candidate will translate complex business and technical requirements into robust AWS solutions that align with UK government security standards, MOD requirements and established cloud architecture best practices.

The ideal candidate will bring strong AWS technical expertise, a security‑first approach to architecture, and an understanding of the governance, compliance and assurance requirements associated with sensitive public sector workloads. Experience designing secure cloud environments, implementing Infrastructure as Code, supporting cloud migrations and applying the AWS Well‑Architected Framework will be essential. Candidates must hold valid UK SC Security Clearance and be able to meet any additional security requirements applicable to the engagement.

Required technical and professional expertise

• Proven experience designing secure, scalable AWS cloud architectures, with strong knowledge of core services including EC2, S3, VPC, IAM and RDS.
• Experience delivering cloud solutions within UK public sector or defence environments, aligned with government security, governance and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of cloud security, including encryption, access controls, network security and secure‑by‑design principles.
• Knowledge of cloud migration, Infrastructure as Code, DevSecOps, high availability and disaster recovery.
• Ability to translate public sector requirements into robust technical designs, manage architectural risks and collaborate with technical teams, security specialists and client stakeholders.
• Must hold valid UK SC Security Clearance and meet applicable MOD security requirements.

This role is subject to pre‑employment screening in line with the UK Government's Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). An additional range of Personal Security Controls referred to as National Security Vetting (NVS) may apply, this could include meeting the eligibility requirements for The Security Check (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV).

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Advanced knowledge of AWS architecture, multi-account environments and the AWS Well‑Architected Framework.
• Experience with AWS security services, including IAM, KMS, GuardDuty, Security Hub and AWS Config.
• Hands‑on experience with Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, CI/CD pipelines and automated infrastructure deployment.
• Knowledge of hybrid‑cloud connectivity, VPC networking, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect and private connectivity.
• Experience designing resilient, highly available and disaster‑recovery solutions for enterprise and public sector workloads.
• Familiarity with AWS Control Tower, AWS Organizations, governance guardrails and cloud cost optimisation.
• Experience with containers and cloud-native services, including Amazon ECS, EKS and Lambda.

Desirable Certifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
• AWS Certified Security - Specialty
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
• AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional
• AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty

At IBM Consulting UK FutureNow, you'll build a career at the forefront of hybrid cloud and AI, working with leading clients across the public and private sectors.

You'll collaborate with top industry professionals, gain hands on experience with cutting edge technologies, and deliver solutions that create real business impact. From day one, you'll work on meaningful, high profile programmes that stretch your skills and accelerate your growth. We invest heavily in you--supporting continuous learning, in demand skills development, and long term career progression. You'll thrive in a flexible, inclusive environment that values curiosity, encourages reinvention, and recognises what makes you unique.

Benefits

• Tools and policies to support your work‑life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programs, paid paternity leave, maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday (in addition to public holidays), private medical, dental & optical cover, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Program, life assurance and a group pension plan through salary sacrifice.