Solutions Architect Ref. 3877

MI5; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days leave rising to 30

Travel loan

Pension scheme

Cycle to work

Gym on-site

Restaurant on-site

Parental leave

Job summary

MI6 is seeking experienced Architects to lead systems-engineering across data analytics, knowledge systems and operational capabilities. You will balance tactical delivery with strategic goals, and guide architecture decisions to create new capabilities while improving existing ones.

Join a multi-disciplinary team, drive roadmaps, manage risks, and collaborate with partners while maintaining DV-level security standards. London-based, office-focused with strict UK prerequisites.

Qualifications

• Experience as a technical domain subject‑matter expert is important.
• Solid background in applying enterprise and domain architecture, influencing stakeholders, and trade‑offs across requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the systems-engineering approach for specific product areas across data analytics, knowledge systems, and operational capabilities.
• Shape technology roadmaps and key design decisions; manage technology risk through the product lifecycle.

Skills

Solutions architecture

Enterprise architecture

Stakeholder influence

Agile methodologies

Job description

We support full time, part time, compressed, job share and other flexible working patterns. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, this role is fully office-based with no option for remote or home working.

You need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. You should also only apply when you’re in the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK.

We’re MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. You’ll provide vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

MI6 Tech

We are looking for experienced professionals to collaborate on some of the biggest challenges facing the UK.

Operating at the heart of the mission, you’ll use your technical skills to protect the UK, disrupt the activities of hostile states, and exploit opportunities in the digital space.

Almost all of MI6’s operational work is underpinned by technology; from keeping our officers safe overseas, to the secure platforms that connect our global partnerships. The challenges we face are complex, varied, and vast.

You will share our vision and values, and will work on seemingly impossible puzzles, to make the country safer and more prosperous.

This is what we do, every day, at MI6.

The role

Our architects are critical to MI6’s success. They work directly with operational teams on some of the biggest challenges to national security. There is a constant need to develop and maintain capabilities that provide us with mission advantage in a rapidly changing, technology- and data-driven world. Using agile and lean methodologies to innovate, deliver, and upgrade products, our architects tackle unique and fascinating challenges across data analytics, knowledge systems, operational communications, and technical operations capabilities - problems you are unlikely to have encountered before.

Working in multi-disciplinary teams alongside engineers, product owners, and business analysts, our architects provide design authority across the organisation. They lead the systems-engineering approach for specific product areas, balancing tactical delivery with strategic goals to create new capabilities and continually improve existing ones. This involves shaping solutions by tailoring architecture processes to address product risks at scale, developing and communicating technology roadmaps and key design decisions, managing technology risk throughout the product lifecycle, and ensuring coherence across the wider product ecosystem through integration and release oversight.

Many of our architects are deployed directly into mission teams, working closely alongside operational officers to develop deep subject matter expertise in specific geographical areas. This may involve opportunities to travel and work with our overseas intelligence partners.

You will also find opportunities in enterprise roles - building shared capabilities, collaborating with partners on data and technology sharing, and creating the platforms that allow us to rapidly onboard new capabilities. You will generally move between different teams throughout your career in line with your aspirations and organisational priorities.

You will be given the time to explore, prototype, and test emerging technologies, and to develop new skills. You will build a solid background in applying enterprise and domain architecture, influencing stakeholders, and conducting trade-offs across requirements and solution spaces - developing the well‑honed soft skills of curiosity, teamwork, and problem‑solving essential for leading multi-disciplinary teams.

About you

Ideally, you’ll have led significant elements of product and system delivery and change. Experience as a technical domain subject‑matter expert is important, and you should have worked as a Solutions Architect or as part of a solutions architecture team on complex solutions. A solid background in applying enterprise and domain architecture, influencing stakeholders, and conducting trade‑offs across requirements and solution spaces is essential. Knowledge of multiple architecture and delivery frameworks, along with experience of embedding these tools and techniques, is also expected.

Well‑developed soft skills are key to supporting communication and decision‑making, including curiosity, teamwork, and problem‑solving. Being an effective communicator and influencer, with experience negotiating trade‑offs across requirements and solution spaces, is important. A commitment to continual learning and development is also important.

Training and development

You’ll be joining a community that invests in helping people to grow their skills.

When you join, you’ll receive an induction, then ongoing opportunities for tailored training, coaching, and mentoring. You will have access to a wide range of online and classroom learning, as well as external accredited training options.

Our Training and Development pathway is underpinned by the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. You’ll be able to benefit from personalised development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring, alongside access to specialist development routes such as Agile Delivery. You’ll also have opportunities to pursue professional qualifications.

Rewards and benefits

The benefits include:

• 25 days annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service
• an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• interest‑free season ticket loan (travel and parking)
• pension scheme with employer contributions of at least 28.97%
• cycle to work scheme
• a subsidised gym and an on‑site restaurant/coffee shop
• paid parental and adoption leave

Equal opportunities

At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergence. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under‑represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from lower socio‑economic backgrounds.

We are committed to providing equitable opportunities throughout the recruitment process to support candidates with disabilities. As part of this, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants, who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as the ‘Offer of Interview’.)

To secure a first‑stage telephone interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• Reaching the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (SJT), which looks at your ability to problem solve.
• Achieving the minimum pass mark in the question about your motivation for the organisation and role. To be assessed at sift.
• Demonstrating the ability to apply solution architecture, systems engineering, or related architecture disciplines to the design and delivery of complex technology solutions. To be assessed at sift.
• Demonstrating technical leadership and influencing decision‑making within multidisciplinary teams, balancing business needs, technical requirements, risks and delivery outcomes. To be assessed at application sift.
• Expertise in shaping technology roadmaps, architecture strategies, or significant technology‑enabled change initiatives, including the application of architecture principles to solve complex challenges. To be assessed at sift.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). Find out more about the vetting process.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in person interviews or assessments during the recruitment and vetting process.

The role is based in London so you’ll need to live within a commutable distance.