Lead Technical Architect Infrastructure (£57,515 - £82,430)

Do you have an understanding and experience working with infrastructure and cloud technologies?, We are looking for a Lead Technical Architect to join our dynamic and innovative workforce at an exciting and challenging time. The role holder will need to demonstrate the appetite and commitment to help drive the organisation through significant transformation programmes.

You will work with several teams across the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) IT Services (ITS) Directorate as well as across the DVLA’s business directorates to develop architectural patterns and solution designs. You will work collaboratively with ITS Engineering squads to deliver new solutions and help transition these into operational service.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Be responsible for leading the technical design of systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions.
• Assure other services and system quality, ensuring the technical work fits into the broader strategy for government.
• Explore the benefits of cross-government alignment.
• Provide mentoring within teams.
• Provide leadership to other architects.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public., * Experience of creating and maintaining solution designs in an iterative and collaborative manner

• Excellent technical skills with the experience to be held accountable for technical aspects of delivering complex solutions, including end-to-end solution design, delivery, and support for Engineers and Delivery Managers
• Experience with architectural governance processes and practices

The sift will take place week commencing 16th March 2026.

Stage 2: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Leadership
• Technical – Architecture Communication (Expert), Making Architectural decisions (Practitioner), Technical design throughout the lifecycle (Expert)

The interviews will take place week commencing 30th March 2026.

This interview will be conducted in person at our DVLA office (Longview Road, Morriston, Swansea). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site .

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

Feedback on your application can only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes., All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public.

Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture.

If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Vetting

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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 WAN?, You will have a solid Architectural and technical background having worked in an architectural or technical lead role to deliver enterprise-scale solutions., * Experience of UC and omni-channel contact centre solutions.

• Experience of networking concepts, LAN/WAN/WLAN.
• Experience of ENTRA active directory and O365.
• Experience of hybrid Active directory and ENTRA active directory.
• Knowledge of the key principles outlined in Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Adoption Framework.
• Experience with data security principles and systems designed to protect sensitive data.
• Desire to create and maintain solution designs in an iterative and collaborative manner.
• Ability to think strategically about business, product and technical challenges.
• Excellent technical skills with the experience to be held accountable for technical aspects of delivering complex solutions, including end-to-end solution design, delivery governance, assurance and support for Engineers and Delivery Managers.
• Great interpersonal skills allowing you to work with technical and non-technical stakeholders alike.
• You will be able to drive discussions with senior leaders across the agency as well as having the technical background that will enable you to easily interact and give guidance to software developers, testers and engineers., This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Applications will be accepted from full time/part time/job sharers. Full time roles at DVLA consist of 37 hours per week. Part time and/or flexible working may also be available subject to the needs of the business. If you have a flexible or part time working requirement, you should contact the vacancy holder in advance of making an application to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your desired working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role. To contact the vacancy holder, please use the job contact details listed under ‘Contact point for applicants’.

Visa Sponsorship

Please take note that DVLA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Security Check

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check. To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, candidates will be required to have at least 5 years continuous residency in the UK. All applicants for this role must ensure that they meet this minimum residency requirement - if you do not, your application will be withdrawn., * Architecture Communication (Expert)

• Making Architectural decisions (Practitioner)
• Technical design throughout the lifecycle (Expert), This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - Department for Transport Careers., Alongside your salary of £57,515, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency contributes £16,662 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Passionate, reliable and always willing to push yourself and those around you, you’ll continue to seek improvement in your own role and challenge us too. Because we pride ourselves on how we approach your development. From training courses to specialist skills workshops and opportunities to grow your expertise, we thrive when you thrive. You can find out more about all of the above here alongside a full list of our benefits:

• Best in class learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues
• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• Digital communities with clear career frameworks
• On-site gym plus personal training available (membership applies)
• On-site nursery, restaurant and coffee bar
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Free parking

There are many more opportunities and great benefits of working at DVLA, visit our Careers website for further information.

This role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance. The base pay is £57,515. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £24,915. The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process. Here are more details on the pay framework. Working for the DVLA Digital Team At DVLA, licensing is just the start. Every project you implement, touch and deliver has a ripple effect that’ll wash across the nation. Here the work you’re doing has the capacity to change the way 53 million people interact with our services. As we aim to keep our roads some of the safest in the world, our innovative, transformative digital-led services help optimise a nation of individuals and business every single day. To see how our people are transforming our digital services, head over to our DVLA Digital Services Blog and, to understand more about the great opportunities and benefits of working at DVLA read our Inside DVLA blog.