14799 - Lead Technical Architect

We are recruiting a Lead Technical Architect to provide technical leadership for the CJS Spine across the Ministry of Justice and the wider Criminal Justice System.

This is a senior, high-impact role working across organisational boundaries, technologies and teams. You will set direction, shape and assure technical approaches, and help turn complex, cross-system problems into clear, credible solutions.

You will work closely with policy, operational, data and digital leaders, acting as the technical authority for the CJS Spine, and ensuring that technical decisions support both strategic goals and real operational needs.

You'll be part of Justice Digital and Data. We pride ourselves on being a collaborative, multidisciplinary place to work where user needs, operational reality and technical quality all matter. We support flexible and part-time working wherever possible and value diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

To help picture your life at MoJ please take a look at our blog and our Digital and Technology strategy 2025.

This role aligns to the Lead Technical Architect role from the Government Digital and Data Framework.

About the CJS Spine

The CJS Spine is a shared set of capabilities that will enable secure, efficient and trusted flows of data across the CJS. It provides the foundations that allow organisations to work together effectively and deliver a seamless end-to-end service.

The CJS Spine will provide:

• A single view of a person, enabling us to reliably identify the same individual, whether they are a defendant, offender, victim or witness, so the right information follows them through the system.
• Connected systems across policing, courts, prisons, probation and victim services that can exchange information quickly and securely so it's available at the point of need.
• High-quality, trusted data that stays that way, supported by clear standards, governance and provenance so confidence is maintained as data flows across organisations and over time.

Together, these foundations support faster, fairer and more joined-up justice. They enable better decision-making, reduce unnecessary duplication, and create the conditions for transformation through digital, data and AI.

The CJS Spine will play a critical role in enabling the Ministry of Justice's strategic priorities, including protecting the public, reducing reoffending and ensuring swifter justice for defendants and victims through a modern and efficient criminal courts system.

This is an opportunity to work on a major, cross-system capability that will have a lasting impact on how the criminal justice system operates.

Key Responsibilities

Technical leadership

• Set and own the technical direction for the CJS Spine across the Ministry of Justice and partner organisations.
• Act as the technical authority for the programme, accountable for the quality, coherence and integrity of technical work.

Architecture and strategy

• Define and maintain the end-to-end architecture for the CJS Spine, balancing long-term ambition with practical, incremental progress.
• Ensure technical approaches align with the national Digital ID programme and wider government standards, while meeting the specific operational, legal and ethical requirements of the justice system.

Cross-system working

• Work with technical leaders across the Criminal Justice System to build shared understanding, alignment and agreement on technical approaches.
• Influence decisions beyond formal authority, clearly explaining trade-offs and implications to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Interoperability and data foundations

• Lead the technical approach to interoperability and person data improvement, ensuring systems can work together effectively and consistently.
• Provide direction on how identifiers, data standards and integration approaches support a single, joined-up view across services.

Assurance and governance

• Provide architectural assurance and constructive challenge, ensuring designs are robust, secure and fit for purpose.
• Support and contribute to cross-system technical governance and decision-making.

Enabling delivery

• Guide delivery teams on technical choices, sequencing and dependencies to support effective and sustainable delivery.
• Identify risks, constraints and opportunities early, supporting informed planning and decision-making.

People and capability

• Mentor and support other architects and engineers, contributing to a strong technical community.
• Support recruitment and capability development across architecture and engineering roles.

• Significant experience as a technical architect or similar, providing technical leadership on large and complex projects.
• A strong track record of defining and communicating technical strategy and architecture.
• Experience working across multiple teams or organisations on shared technical problems and influencing beyond formal authority.
• The ability to assess options and trade-offs and clearly justify decisions.
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders, both technical and non-technical.
• A broad understanding of modern digital technologies and architectures.

Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for SC clearance.