IT Solution Architect – Public Sector Impact

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited.; England; Remote; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Automatic membership of the Local Gov.

Enhanced Annual Leave entitlement

Annual Salary increase – 1 scale point

Blue Light Card discount scheme

CSSC Card

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Family friendly policies

Internal clubs and colleague forums

Health and wellbeing services and gym

Free parking

Job summary

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is seeking an IT Solution Architect on a fixed-term 18-month contract. You will shape technology strategy across the Service, providing practical architectural guidance for new systems and digital initiatives, while ensuring solutions align with the broader technology landscape and strategic direction.

You will work with stakeholders, project teams and suppliers, emphasising long-term sustainability, security, and effective adoption within the existing IT operating

Qualifications

• Relevant technical qualification, professional qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience in IT, solution architecture, software engineering, infrastructure or a related discipline.
• Proven experience designing, reviewing or assuring technology solutions within a complex organisational environment, supported by a practical and pragmatic approach to architecture.
• Experience implementing and integrating commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions, ensuring alignment with existing technology platforms, services and architectural standards.
• Strong knowledge of system integration, technical dependencies and architectural risk management, with the ability to identify challenges, assess impacts and recommend appropriate solutions.
• Experience working collaboratively with project and procurement teams throughout the delivery lifecycle, from requirements gathering and solution design through to implementation and transition into service.
• The ability to provide credible technical challenge and architectural assurance, balancing business objectives with operational readiness, resilience, security, lifecycle management, cost, risk and delivery timescales.

Responsibilities

• Act as a self-sustaining technical adviser and constructive challenger, balancing business requirements, user needs, cost, timescales, security and long-term sustainability to support informed decision‑making.
• Engage with stakeholders at an early stage to understand desired business outcomes, challenge proposals where appropriate, and translate requirements into practical technology solutions and architectural considerations.
• Assess the suitability of proposed technologies within the existing technology landscape, identifying integration requirements, dependencies, duplication risks and potential impacts, while providing proportionate assurance around security, resilience, supportability and operational readiness.
• Identify technical risks, constraints and dependencies early in the delivery lifecycle, ensuring they are visible to decision-makers and providing pragmatic recommendations where trade‑offs are required.
• Produce clear, proportionate solution designs and effectively communicate technical options, risks, dependencies and architectural decisions to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams, suppliers, project teams and business stakeholders, particularly across infrastructure, applications, cyber security and operations
• Ensure operational sustainability by ensuring support arrangements, service ownership, monitoring, resilience, documentation and lifecycle management requirements are addressed prior to implementation and throughout live operation.

Job description

Kent Fire and Rescue Service is seeking an IT Solution Architect on a fixed-term 18-month contract. You will shape technology strategy across the Service, providing practical architectural guidance for new systems and digital initiatives, while ensuring solutions align with the broader technology landscape and strategic direction.

You will work with stakeholders, project teams and suppliers, emphasising long-term sustainability, security, and effective adoption within the existing IT operating