Lead Technical Architect

Manchester Digital; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Civil service pension

Holidays 26–31 days

Flexi-time up to 3 extra days/month

Job summary

DWP Digital's Health Assessment Service (HAS) seeks a Lead Technical Architect to shape the technical strategy and governance of modern digital architecture that supports UK health and disability benefit assessments.

You'll lead across delivery teams, influence technology decisions, and ensure alignment with DWP's long-term architectural vision, delivering secure and scalable services for millions of users.

Qualifications

• Designing complex technical solutions across cloud, on-premises and hybrid environments.
• Using architectural principles, standards and patterns to guide technology decisions.
• Working closely with delivery teams throughout the full project lifecycle, from discovery to live service.
• Translating business needs into clear technical solutions for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Creating and communicating architecture designs using recognised modelling approaches.
• Designing event-driven solutions using patterns such as publish-subscribe and data streaming.
• Designing microservice and API-led architectures for scalable, maintainable services.

Responsibilities

• Set architectural direction for HAS platforms across the UK.
• Provide technical leadership across multiple delivery teams.
• Mentor architects and drive best practice across the organisation.

Skills

Architectural leadership

Cloud & on-prem design

Stakeholder communication

Job description

Do you want to define the technical architecture behind services that help millions of people access vital health and disability benefits?

We're looking for a Lead Technical Architect to join DWP Digital's Health Assessment Service (HAS), leading the design and governance of modern digital architecture that supports the assessment of eligibility for benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP). You'll play a critical role in one of DWP's most important transformation programmes, helping to create secure, resilient and user-centred digital services that make a real difference to people's lives.

As a senior leader within HAS, you'll work alongside product, engineering, delivery and design colleagues to shape technical strategy, influence technology decisions and ensure solutions align with DWP's long-term architectural vision. You'll provide technical leadership across multiple delivery teams, driving consistency, quality and innovation while supporting the delivery of complex services at scale.

This is an opportunity to lead architecture within one of the UK's largest digital estates. You'll solve complex technical challenges, mentor architects, influence senior stakeholders and help deliver services used by millions of citizens every day.

What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?

• Designing complex technical solutions across cloud, on-premises and hybrid environments, considering networking, security, integration, databases and application services.
• Using architectural principles, standards, patterns and best practice to guide technology decisions and solution design.
• Working closely with delivery teams throughout the full project lifecycle, from early discovery and design through to live service.
• Turning business needs into clear technical solutions and explaining design decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Creating and communicating architecture designs using recognised modelling approaches, tools and techniques.
• Designing event-driven solutions using patterns such as publish-subscribe and data streaming.
• Designing microservice and API-led architectures that enable scalable, maintainable and well-integrated digital services.

You and your role

As our Lead Technical Architect, you'll set the architectural direction and help shape the digital platforms that support health and disability benefit assessments across the UK. Working as part of the HAS senior leadership team, you'll ensure solutions are aligned to DWP's wider strategy while providing the technical leadership needed to deliver modern, secure and resilient services at scale.

You'll work across multiple delivery teams to design cohesive solutions and guide complex technology decisions. From cloud-based platforms and event-driven architectures to microservices and API-led integrations, you'll help teams build services that are consistent, scalable and capable of supporting millions of users while meeting demanding delivery timelines.

Just as importantly, you'll develop architecture capability across the organisation. You'll mentor architects, drive best practice, influence senior stakeholders and help teams navigate complex technical challenges.

Details. Wages. Perks.

Location: You'll join us in one of our brilliant digital hub in Manchester

Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.

Pay: We offer pay up to £96,683. That's £75,026 salary plus a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £21,667 subject to our assessment of your capability at interview.

Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth up to £21,735 per year.

Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time.

You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.