Lead Technical Architect

As a Lead Technical Architect, you will drive the design and implementation of enterprise-wide technical solutions that shape our future business capabilities. Leading cross-functional teams, you’ll ensure alignment with broader government strategies while guiding solutions around modern technologies like cloud, AI, IoT and more.

With a focus on security, agility, and innovation, you’ll oversee multiple projects, mentor fellow architects, and collaborate with senior stakeholders. This is a pivotal role for an experienced leader passionate about delivering impactful solutions that support both user needs and organisational goals.

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 Lead Technical Architect, you will proactively shape and deliver designs for application and infrastructure solutions across multiple projects or teams.

You will ensure solutions align with the wider enterprise architecture and strategic goals, leveraging modern technologies to drive innovative outcomes, particularly focussed on using cloud solutions.

Collaborating with a range of stakeholders including senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and external partners, you will balance near-term delivery with long-term scalability, security, and maintainability.

You will define and evolve technical roadmaps, advise on strategic technology investments, and identify opportunities for continual improvement.

Through clear, concise communication, you will secure buy-in for architectural initiatives and mentor junior architects to foster a high-performing architecture community.

By evaluating emerging trends, incorporating lessons learned, and championing best practices, you will keep the technical estate flexible and future-proof, positioning the organisation for ongoing success.

The roles under this campaign cover a number of Home Office Digital portfolios including: Police & Public Protection Technology (PPPT); Migration and Borders Technology Portfolio (MBTP); the Automation Centre and Enablers (corporate back office) Portfolio., * Define and maintain enterprise-wide technical strategies, roadmaps, and architectures aligned with broader business objectives.

• Oversee design reviews, incorporating “Secure by Design” principles and compliance with architectural governance.
• Coordinate with cross-government teams and external partners to ensure cohesive, integrated solutions.
• Drive digital innovation by evaluating emerging technologies, embracing best practices, and championing continuous improvement.
• Mentor and coach architects, fostering a culture of collaboration and technical excellence.
• Facilitate the design and delivery of complex systems, ensuring performance, reliability, and security requirements are met.
• Manage multiple projects, collaborating with stakeholders to address risks, budgets, and timelines.
• Evaluate outcomes and integrate lessons learned into future strategies, enabling sustainable, long-term solutions., 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: £62,109 - £68,320 and London: £66,229 - £72,852. 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 .

See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks., * 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)
• 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

Do you have experience in Presentation skills?, * Significant experience of designing architecture with AWS products, particularly microservice and serverless architectures deployed at scale.

• Proven ability to lead complex technical architectures, championing innovation and best practices particularly in cloud applications.
• Experience working across multiple domains or projects, coordinating with third-party suppliers and cross-government teams.
• Aptitude for anticipating future technologies and aligning solutions with broader strategies and business outcomes.
• Expertise in delivering secure, reliable, and scalable systems within defined time and quality constraints.
• Strong grasp of agile methodologies, DevOps principles, and design patterns, paired with enterprise architecture frameworks (e.g., TOGAF).
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, translating complex technical topics for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated leadership in mentoring or guiding other architects or technical professionals.

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

• Innovation (INOV) – Level 3
• Enterprise and Business Architecture (STPL) – Level 3
• Strategic Planning (ITSP) – Level 3
• Solution Architecture (ARCH) – Level 5

• Advice & Guidance

• Consultancy (CNSL) – Level 4
• Specialist Advice (TECH) – Level 4

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Innovation (INOV) – Level 3
• Enterprise and Business Architecture (STPL) – Level 3
• Strategic Planning (ITSP) – Level 3
• Solution Architecture (ARCH) – Level 5
• Consultancy (CNSL) – Level 4
• Specialist Advice (TECH) – Level 4, At the beginning of the interview, you will be required to deliver a presentation. The presentation topic will be provided prior to your interview., 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.

£62,109 New entrants to the Civil Service will start their role on the salary band minimum £62,109 for National Roles or £66,229 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 £18,291. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP, Alongside your salary of £62,109, Home Office contributes £17,992 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.