Principal Technical Architect, Networks & Infrastructure

As a Principal Technical Architect, you will serve as a senior design authority, responsible for setting and governing the technical strategy across complex, high-impact programs. Your role will involve leading the architectural vision, proactively identifying opportunities for digital transformation, and optimising solutions to address both organisational and cross-government needs. You will collaborate with senior stakeholders, both technical and non-technical, to facilitate discussions that balance risk, complexity, and outcomes. Additionally, you will mentor other architects in this leadership position, ensuring that technology choices align with broader strategies and emerging best practices. With a genuine passion for next-generation technologies, you will drive innovation, security, and scalability, helping to shape the future of public services on an enterprise scale. Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. Applicants can raise any queries to the email address at the bottom of the advert. Watch this short video to hear from members of Home Office Digital talking about the projects they work on and their experience of working here: Working for Home Office Digital., As a Principal Technical Architect, you will define and execute the technical strategy for your responsibility, collaborating with senior leadership and diverse teams to ensure alignment with organisational, cross-departmental, and government-wide objectives. You will proactively seek opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, such as cloud, AI, and IoT, and ensure that technical solutions are secure, user-focused, and capable of adapting to evolving business needs. You will lead the design and review processes for complex systems and infrastructure, championing architectural best practices and governance. By bridging technical and business perspectives, you will resolve high-risk issues and shape initiatives that drive transformation. Your role includes guiding and inspiring other architects, facilitating professional growth, and establishing an environment where innovative thinking thrives., + Own and deliver the overarching technical strategy, guiding architectural decisions that balance risk, complexity, and delivery timelines.

• Lead governance and assurance processes, ensuring solutions remain secure, robust, and aligned with enterprise architecture principles.

• Collaborate with senior stakeholders to advocate for digital transformation initiatives, influencing decisions through clear, data-driven insights.

• Mentor and guide architects and engineering teams, nurturing a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous learning.

• Oversee integration of new systems, developing detailed plans that align with broader organisational and cross-government strategies.

• Assess current systems to identify areas for improvement, analyse potential risks, and promote emerging best practices in the field.

• Facilitate stakeholder discussions, serving as the key escalation point for complex or high-risk design challenges.

• Drive continuous improvement, incorporating lessons learned into future strategies and ensuring consistency in architecture across multiple domains. Essential Skills:

• Shown leadership in delivering complex, innovative technical architectures at scale, inspiring technical excellence and forward-thinking design.

• Strategic foresight to anticipate future technologies and identify opportunities for transformation or optimisation.

• Experience managing diverse technology landscapes, including third-party suppliers, cloud environments, and cross-departmental teams.

• Deep knowledge of engineering principles, agile methods, DevOps, and secure-by-design approaches, ensuring robust, resilient solutions.

• Track record of delivering solutions on time and within scope, balancing budget, security, and quality considerations.

• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights.

• Ownership of technical roadmaps and strategies, ensuring solutions align with enterprise objectives and evolving user needs. SFIA capability framework Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) is the technical framework that sets the standard capability and development of all levels in the Home Office. This is a link to the capability framework: All skills A - Z English (sfia-online.org). We use set SFIA technical skills to form our interview questions and we will assess you against these technical skills during the selection process. The essential skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession Career Framework (based on the industry standard SFIA framework). Use the SFIA Levels of responsibility to understand what would be expected for each technical skills listed below. SFIA Technical skills: Strategy & Architecture:

• Strategy and Planning o Strategic Planning (ITSP) - Level 4 o Innovation (INOV) - Level 4 o Enterprise and Business Architecture (STPL) - Level 4 o Solution Architecture (ARCH) - Level 5

• Advice & Guidance o Consultancy (CNSL) - Level 5 o Specialist Advice (TECH) - Level 4, The advertised role is part of the Home Office Government Digital and Data Profession. This role has access to a digital capability-based allowance. Applicants who are successful at interview will be invited to complete a Capability and Skills Assessment post-interview. Any allowance awarded will be based on the assessment of your capability against the six skills advertised for this role. Please see the Home Office Pay Framework Allowance Careers page for more information. The allowance values are set by the Home Office, subject to remaining in a qualifying role and are non-pensionable. This allowance is non-contractual, subject to an annual review and could be withdrawn at any time. For both new entrants and existing civil servants, the total compensation offer is a combination of base salary and, if applicable, a capability-based allowance. The pay ranges for this role are National: £76,117 - £83,729 and London: £80,237 - £88,261. New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the pay range minimum. For existing civil servants, our policies on level transfer and promotion will apply. Working at the Home Office Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people can bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best. We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer. New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band. Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant's details held on the IFD will be refused employment. For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application. Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate's responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details. Transfer Terms: Voluntary. You will need to meet the nationality requirements for this role and obtain the necessary security clearance to take it up. Any move to the Home Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. Reasonable Adjustments If a person with disabilities is at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

• Complete the "Assistance Required" section in the "Additional Requirements" page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you are deaf, a language service professional. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section. Feedback Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

• Strategic Planning (ITSP) - Level 4
• Innovation (INOV) - Level 4
• Enterprise and Business Architecture (STPL) - Level 4
• Solution Architecture (ARCH) - Level 5
• Consultancy (CNSL) - Level 5
• Specialist Advice (TECH) - Level 4, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills., For meaningful security checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. Learn more on our website. Security Checks - Home Office Careers. Please note that this role requires Security Check (SC) clearance, which would normally need 5 years' UK residency in the past 5 years. However, in exceptional circumstances security clearance applications for candidates who have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years may be considered. Failure to meet this residency requirement will result in your security clearance application being rejected., We are unable to sponsor any individuals via Skilled Worker Sponsorship / Tier 2 (General) work visas as we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License.

£76,117 New entrants to the Civil Service will start their role on the salary band minimum £76,117 for National Roles or £80,237 for London Roles. You may be eligible for an additional non-pensionable allowance, pending a Capability and Skills assessment, with a value of up to £19,483. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £76,117, Home Office contributes £22,051 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Why work for us... Find out more information at: Benefits - Home Office Careers, but some of the primary ones are:

• A competitive starting salary.
• A Civil Service Pension with employer contribution rates of at least 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• The ability to potentially adopt flexible working options that suit your work/life balance, plus the opportunity in future to take a career break.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
• Eight days public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• 26 weeks maternity, adoption or shared parental leave at full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, after qualifying service.
• Maternity and adoption support leave (also known as paternity leave) of two weeks full pay, after qualifying service.
• Paid leave for fostering approval processes, support when a child is substantively placed with you plus a foster to adopt policy.
• Support for Guardians and Kinship carers.
• Corporate membership of 'Employers for Carers' providing additional information and advice for carers, plus a 'Carer's Passport' to discuss workplace needs and underpin supportive conversations.
• Time off to deal with emergencies and certain other unplanned special circumstances., As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV only. Please note your CV should include all relevant experience that relates to our essential skills criteria listed in the advert and role description. Remove information that identifies you (for example your name, age or place of education) so that you will be judged on merit alone and not your personal background, circumstances, race or gender. Do NOT include e-mail addresses or links to online profiles, resumés, or prior work, either personal or business. Active links or e-mail addresses will result in your application being rejected. Watch our three short videos on how to apply for our roles: Applying - Home Office Careers. Sift Stage The sift will be held on the CV only. Please read the essential skills for this position carefully. We will only consider those who meet the listed requirements. Interview Stage Candidates reaching the required standard will then be invited to attend an interview. The interview will assess your Technical Skills (SFIA Framework) using technical-based questions. If you are invited to an interview, you will be required to bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks. Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents. Sift and Interview dates