Enterprise Architect (AI)

We're creating dedicated teams focused on bringing AI into some of our most mission critical areas, helping develop technologies that enhance how MI6 operates today and prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. This Enterprise Architect (AI) role sits at the centre of that transformation. It's a rare opportunity to shape how AI is embedded across the organisation, in a role that offers influence, variety and the chance to work at national security scale.

As an Enterprise Architect (AI), you'll help ensure our technology landscape is coherent, future ready and able to support complex operational needs. You'll work closely with delivery teams while also shaping strategy from the centre, advising on how AI can be used to augment, accelerate or automate existing capabilities.

Much of your work will be in environments where ambiguity is the norm. You'll help senior leaders understand what AI can deliver, where it can create meaningful mission advantage and how to prioritise opportunities as the technology evolves. Your judgement, curiosity and critical thinking will help to guide the organisation through rapid technological change.

Day to day, you'll work closely with architects, engineers, product owners, analysts and delivery colleagues to map capabilities, evaluate architectural options and integrate AI safely and effectively across systems. You'll develop business and technology architecture artefacts, maintain our Enterprise Technology Roadmap and ensure that AI driven capabilities align with strategic goals. You'll also oversee end to end capability integration, monitor architecture risks and help maintain strong governance, assurance and interoperability as teams experiment, iterate and deliver at pace.

This role offers the chance to work on architecture challenges you won't encounter elsewhere. You may embed AI into long standing operational tools, identify where automation and intelligent augmentation can free our people to focus on what matters most or help introduce AI in ways that are ethical, secure and compliant. Throughout, you'll ensure AI is applied where it genuinely enhances mission outcomes. As we continue to evolve into a more digitally driven organisation, your expertise will play a key part in shaping our future and ensuring our systems remain resilient, effective and ready for the next wave of innovation.

About you

You have experience working in modern enterprise architecture or systems engineering roles, ideally within data rich or technology led environments. Your background has given you a strong understanding of how to shape business and technology architectures, and you're confident supporting delivery teams working at pace across multiple domains. You've had exposure to AI - through architectural work, transformation programmes or hands on collaboration with AI/ML teams - and you're motivated to continue developing your AI expertise.

You bring structure and clarity to complex environments, translating business needs into coherent architectural direction. You're comfortable developing models, assessing architectural options and managing risks that come with significant technical decisions. You know how to balance innovation with governance, ensuring that AI is adopted safely, effectively and in line with regulatory and organisational standards.

Communication is one of your strengths. You can explain technical concepts clearly for non technical colleagues, build trusted relationships across disciplines and give senior stakeholders the insight they need to make well informed decisions. You're credible and collaborative, and confident working with engineers, product teams and policy specialists alike.

Above all, you thrive in environments shaped by complexity and change. You care about designing systems that are resilient, scalable and aligned to mission needs. Curiosity and adaptability are core to how you work, and you're motivated to help MI6 use AI to enhance operations, improve efficiency and support colleagues across the organisation.

Training and development

We invest heavily in helping our people broaden and deepen their skills. You'll have access to a wide variety of classroom and online learning, specialist technical courses and tailored professional development pathways. This includes support to build your AI, data, cloud and architectural capability, as well as broader leadership and strategy skills.

We're committed to developing you and recognise this will look different for everyone. We'll use the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (formerly known as DDaT) as a compass to provide guidance and tools to support you. You can find out more about the framework here: Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. You'll also have the chance to work with external bodies such as the Institute for Engineering and Technology and the British Computer Society. They support and fund professional accreditation, whether in a specific technical area or through broader routes such as Chartered Engineer status. Alongside this, you'll benefit from mentoring, community support and the chance to rotate across different architecture domains as you develop. As you progress, you'll have the space to explore new areas, expand your expertise and play an active role in shaping and strengthening MI6's architecture practice.

• you will be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the Online Situational Judgement Test which looks at your ability to problem solve.
• demonstrate a working knowledge of modern enterprise architecture or systems engineering roles to be assessed at application sift
• demonstrate an understanding of AI concepts through architectural work, transformation programmes or hands on collaboration with teams to be assessed at application sift
• able to explain technical concepts clearly for non technical colleagues to be assessed at application sift

Salary: £89,191 and recruitment and retention allowance of £11,380, with an opportunity to qualify for additional allowances and a skills-related payment under the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability (GDDPC) Framework - formerly known as DDaT.

Flexible working : we support full time, part time, compressed, job share and other flexible working patterns. Due to the sensitive nature of our work this is an office based role; remote or home working is not possible., You'll receive a starting salary of £89,191and a recruitment and retention allowance of £11,380, plus other benefits including:

• 25 Days Annual Leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• interest-free season ticket loan (travel and parking)
• excellent pension scheme
• cycle to work scheme
• facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• paid parental and adoption leave, * Online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) rating the appropriateness of your responses to a series of short scenarios. The SJT tests criteria important for all roles in our organisation
• Application sift looking at your skills and motivation for the role and organisation
• An online HR interview focusing on motivation and competencies important to the role.
• If successful at the HR interview, you will be invited to a face to face technical assessment based around the GDDPC (DDaT) framework.
• If successful you will receive a conditional offer of employment

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

Before you apply

To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria.

This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process.

Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can't take any recreational drugs and you'll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practise and will help you manage your application with us more discretely.

The role is based in central London so you'll need to live within a commutable distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before submitting an application, as we do not offer relocation costs.

We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in person interviews or assessments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation.

Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hardcopy receipts for reimbursement.

We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.