Solutions Architect

Public Service Ombudsman (formerly PHSO); Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working and 40% office-based

Civil Service Pension scheme

Learning & development programme

Employee assistance programme

Season ticket loan

Bicycle loan

Volunteering leave

Staff discount scheme

Paid professional memberships

Job summary

Public Service Ombudsman invites applications for a Solutions Architect to design secure, practical digital solutions for our public-facing services. You will turn business needs into clear technical designs and partner with delivery teams to realise them across cloud, data, and infrastructure.

The role covers a wide range of technologies, including applications, data, cloud services, and integrations. Join us to help shape modern public sector digital services in a hybrid working model from

Qualifications

• Designing complex digital solutions across cloud and SaaS environments.
• Able to communicate architecture clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical design and shape secure, maintainable solutions for public services.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to translate business needs into technical designs.

Skills

Complex digital solutions

Cloud & SaaS platforms

Security & resilience

Technical leadership

Education

Degree in Computer Science / IT / Engineering

Tools

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Security standards (ISO 27001, NIST)

Job description

Welcome to the Public Service Ombudsman careers page (formerly the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman). If you are an internal applicant, you will need to log into your MyHR employee self service to apply for the role.

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Interview dates: (in person) 01 December 2026

About us

At the Public Service Ombudsman, we are a modern, vibrant organisation full of passionate, committed people. We make final decisions on complaints that have not been resolved by UK Government departments and the NHS in England. We work closely with people to understand where, how and why public services sometimes fall short and fail to put people first. And we find ways to put it right.

Based in the centre of Manchester, we employ over 600 people who are passionate about making a difference through public service. Together, we work to make sure people's voices are heard and used to drive improvements in public services. We are proud of our inclusive culture, where different perspectives are valued, colleagues are supported to develop, and everyone can contribute to meaningful change.

Please note that we were formerly known as The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

About the role

Join our Digital team as a Solutions Architect and help shape the technology behind our digital services. You will design secure, practical solutions that meet the needs of our users and support the way we work.

Join our Digital team as a Solutions Architect and help shape the technology behind our digital services. Design secure, practical solutions that meet the needs of our users and support the way we work.

The role covers a wide range of technology, including applications, data, cloud services, integrations and infrastructure. Turn business needs into clear technical designs and work closely with delivery teams to bring them to life.

Get involved from the early stages of an idea through to delivery and live operation. If you enjoy solving complex problems, making thoughtful technology choices and seeing your designs become working services, we would love to hear from you.

What we are looking for

• experienced in designing complex, integrated digital solutions across cloud and SaaS platforms.
• skilled at creating secure, resilient and maintainable solutions that work effectively in live service.
• confident leading technical design, influencing delivery teams and making pragmatic architectural decisions.
• able to communicate complex architecture clearly, balancing technical needs, business priorities and long-term value.

We recognise the value of lived experience. If you have experience of complaining about any public body, we strongly encourage you to apply.

• Civil Service Pension scheme
• 32.5 days annual leave (plus bank holidays on top)
• hybrid working, 40% office based
• access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Programme offering 24/7 advice and support from professionals and counsellors
• comprehensive learning and development programme
• employee discount scheme across hundreds of retailers
• one day paid volunteering leave per year
• bicycle loan scheme
• season ticket loan
• paid for professional memberships

Equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing are vital to the way we work and our culture. We want our colleagues feel included, valued, and supported at work. It is essential that we are representative and accessible for the people who work here and those who use our service.

Actions we take to embed this include:

• an anonymised shortlisting process to make sure it is fair and unbiased
• monitoring the demographic trends in our workforce and making measured, sustained efforts to improve our diversity at all levels
• providing wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development for all colleagues
• creating spaces for connection and engagement through our employee network groups and social clubs
• part of the disability confident scheme
• providing reasonable adjustments
• engaging in regular inclusion learning to enhance the cultural competency of our organisation.

We know the value of having diverse, representative teams across our organisation. Which is why we particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented within the team. These include people who are:

• Asian, Black, Mixed Ethnicity or another ethnic background
• Feedback: we do not offer feedback at application stage
• Right to work: we can only consider candidates with the right to work in the UK.
• Sponsorship: we are unable to offer sponsorship (we do not have a licence).
• Agencies: no agencies; applications from individuals only.
• Early closure: we may close the advert early if we receive a high volume of applications.