Lead Technical Architect

Matchtech Group; Greater London; Remote; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Part time

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced Lead Technical Architect for a major AI transformation within a central government environment. The role is hands-on, shaping the technical vision and delivering AI-enabled, secure cloud solutions from concept through delivery and assurance.

The candidate will combine cloud expertise with AI platforms, governance, and security controls across multi-cloud environments to ensure compliant, production-ready architecture and ongoing stewardship.

Qualifications

• Strong cloud architecture with AI platforms and governance
• Experience delivering enterprise-scale AI/cloud solutions
• Security-by-design and regulatory compliance focus

Responsibilities

• Define AI-driven architecture strategy for enterprise platforms.
• Lead end-to-end delivery from concept to delivery and assurance.
• Govern AI guardrails, privacy protections and security baselines.

Skills

AI platform architecture

Cloud architecture

Security & governance

Stakeholder engagement

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

GCP

AWS

Kubernetes

Job description

Location: Remote
Contract: Inside IR35, 6 Months Initially
Clearance: Candidates should be eligible to work within a secure government environment with current SC

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Technical Architect to play a pivotal role in a major AI transformation programme within a central government environment. This is a highly strategic and hands‑on position, responsible for identifying, designing and delivering AI‑driven solutions that enable the transition towards AI‑assisted and agentic workflows.

The successful candidate will combine deep cloud architecture expertise with a strong understanding of AI platforms, security controls and governance frameworks. You will be expected to identify AI opportunities, shape the technical vision, and lead the end‑to‑end execution of solutions from concept through to delivery and assurance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural strategy and technical direction for AI platform development and adoption.
• Identify high‑value AI opportunities and translate them into scalable, secure, production‑ready solutions.
• Design and implement cloud‑native architectures that support complex AI workflows and services.
• Establish secure Cloud Landing Zones and technology‑agnostic integration frameworks.
• Develop modular architectures and AI platforms that integrate enterprise software with custom‑built applications.
• Define and implement AI guardrails, human‑in‑the‑loop controls, privacy protections and security baselines.
• Lead architectural governance, ensuring solutions meet security, compliance and assurance requirements.
• Guide systems through technical design reviews, security assessments and approval processes.
• Provide technical leadership across architecture, engineering and delivery teams.
• Communicate architectural decisions, risks and trade‑offs to both technical and senior business stakeholders.
• Drive alignment with wider enterprise technology strategies and roadmaps.

Cloud Architecture

• Proven track record delivering enterprise‑scale cloud architecture solutions.
• Strong multi‑cloud architecture experience, particularly across:
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Expertise in designing secure cloud landing zones and enterprise cloud environments.
• Strong understanding of cloud networking, identity management and security best practices.

Google Cloud Security

• Hands‑on experience configuring and managing:
  • VPC Service Controls
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Workload Identity Federation (WIF)
  • Security perimeter controls
• Experience implementing secure‑by‑design cloud architectures within regulated environments.

AI Architecture & Delivery

• Demonstrable experience identifying AI opportunities and delivering practical AI solutions.
• Experience designing architectures for AI‑assisted workflows, automation and agentic capabilities.
• Knowledge of AI governance, model risk management, prompt protection and data privacy controls.
• Strong understanding of AI integration patterns and API‑led architecture.

Enterprise Architecture

• Expertise designing:
  • Microservices architectures
  • Event‑driven platforms
  • API‑driven integration layers
  • Modular and vendor‑neutral systems
• Ability to design solutions that integrate seamlessly across large enterprise environments.

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Experience navigating complex governance and assurance processes.
• Ability to present technical strategy, risks and architectural decisions to senior stakeholders and governance boards.
• Strong leadership skills with experience mentoring architects, engineers and delivery teams.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a strategic thinker who can operate comfortably at both enterprise and technical depth. You'll have a proven ability to define architecture roadmaps while remaining capable of making detailed technical decisions and guiding delivery teams through implementation.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• A security‑first mindset.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• Strong leadership and influencing abilities.
• The confidence to challenge, innovate and drive AI adoption in a complex environment.
• A proven record of delivering large‑scale cloud transformation programmes.

Desirable Experience

• Central Government or public sector experience.
• Experience working within highly regulated or security‑conscious environments.
• Familiarity with AI governance frameworks and emerging AI technologies.
• Experience supporting architectural approval boards and security assurance processes.

Keywords: AI Architect, Lead Architect, Enterprise Architect, Cloud Architect, Google Cloud, GCP, AWS, Multi‑Cloud, AI Platforms, AI Governance, VPC Service Controls, Cloud Security, Enterprise Integration, Government, Digital Transformation, Technical Architecture.