Principal Technical Architect, Networks & Infrastructure

This role is part of the Networks & Infrastructure (N&I) team within the Home Office, which is responsible for delivering and maintaining the organisation?s core infrastructure.

The team handles a diverse range of systems, concepts, and technologies. This includes public cloud infrastructure deployment and management and Windows & Linux server technologies.

They also manage server and service monitoring, infrastructure as code, immutable infrastructure, automation and serverless compute as well as public cloud provided services across several major public cloud vendors.

The team collaborates extensively with other traditional infrastructure teams for connectivity and services as well as application teams to move legacy workloads to the cloud.

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. You will 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. Person specification

Main Responsibilities

• 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.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available., The allowance values are set by the Home Office, subject to remaining in a qualifying role. 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.

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 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. 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)
• 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

• 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.
• Strong knowledge of PKI and identity systems and processes

Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) version 8 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.

• 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

Technical skills

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

• 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, 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.

Candidates must also hold or be prepared to undergo NPPV3 clearance.

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.

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 Job grade Grade 6 Contract type Permanent Business area HO - Home Office Digital Type of role Digital Information Technology Working pattern Full-time, Compressed hours Number of jobs available 1 Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information, Benefits 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 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.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service.
• 8 days of public holidays, plus 1 additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.