Technical Architect - MoD

Government Digital & Data; England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department is seeking a Principal Architect to lead the development of digital technology architecture, shaping the future of Defence's digital landscape. This role involves setting technical direction, managing a team, and influencing large-scale projects. Ideal candidates will have expertise in architectural frameworks, strong stakeholder management skills, and experience leading end-to-end architectural projects. This position offers a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £18,000 per annum.

Benefits

Digital Skills Allowance up to £18,000

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading large-scale architectural projects.
• Experience in building relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Ability to manage shifting priorities effectively.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction for digital technologies.
• Lead a team of Technical Architects.
• Evaluate services for compliance with standards.

Skills

Technical direction setting

Stakeholder management

Architectural tools expertise

Adaptability and resilience

Broad technical knowledge

Education

TOGAF 9.1 Certification or ArchiMate proficiency

Job description

Overview

As Principal Architect, you will:

• Set technical direction and make enterprise‑level decisions on digital technologies and product selections that drive integration and alignment with the architectural vision and business requirements.
• Plan and deliver a prioritized schedule of work, securing agreement from stakeholders and ensuring all technical architecture artefacts are captured and maintained within relevant repositories.
• Serve as a Service Assessor, evaluating internal and cross‑government services to ensure compliance with the service standard and alignment with architectural principles.
• Promote reuse and scalability across Defence, driving integration by default and reducing duplicate technologies to support sustainability and value for money.
• Lead and inspire a team of Technical Architects to deliver high‑quality outputs aligned with strategic priorities.

Qualifications and Skills

• Expertise in architectural tools and frameworks, such as design patterns, modelling languages, and component building blocks, to support complex design, governance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong stakeholder management, building trusted relationships across diverse groups, influencing decisions, and aligning outcomes with strategic goals.
• Adaptability and resilience, thriving in uncertainty, managing shifting priorities, and guiding others through ambiguity to deliver at pace.
• Breadth of technical knowledge, enabling you to advise and challenge teams to find the best solutions for Defence.
• Hold a recognised certification in TOGAF 9.1 or higher, or be proficient in the ArchiMate Notation Language, with the ability to clearly demonstrate its practical application. These frameworks are critical to delivering architectural consistency and strategic alignment across Defence.

How to be Considered

• When submitting your CV, highlight your career history and experience relevant to this role.
• Refer to the "Things You Need to Know" section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max. 1250 words) demonstrating the Essential Criteria listed below.
• Please describe your experience using tools, methods, or frameworks to support architectural design, planning, and decision‑making, including how you’ve used these in projects to help create clear, effective, and scalable solutions.
• Please describe your experience of leading and delivering large‑scale end‑to‑end architectural projects, including the development and implementation of enterprise‑wide strategies.
• Please describe your experience in building strong, collaborative relationships across a diverse range of stakeholder groups, including how you’ve demonstrated the ability to understand and balance multiple perspectives.

Behaviours

• Working Together
• Leadership

Role Context

We’re seeking a visionary individual to lead at the strategic level, shaping the future of Defence’s digital landscape. This is a unique opportunity to influence technical direction across complex, large‑scale programmes that have real‑world impact. You’ll lead the development of the Pan‑Defence digital technology architecture at the domain level, owning the vision, strategy, taxonomy, standards, patterns, and roadmaps, including mapping the current, future, and transitional states across logical and physical layers.

Defence Digital ensures our Armed Forces remain among the most technologically advanced in the world. We do this by putting innovative and effective technology into the hands of over 200,000 users, from the boardroom to the front line. We lead on cutting‑edge data science, automation, and cybersecurity at scale. Our mission goes beyond the battlefield by leading humanitarian efforts and driving digital innovation that impacts lives across the globe.

Note: This post is eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £18,000 per annum. Eligibility for this allowance will be assessed at interview and reviewed annually in line with departmental policy.