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# Lead Enterprise Architect

- **Company:** Ministry of Justice
- **Location:** UK
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** £58,511.0 - £65,329.0
- **Contract:** Temporary contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Architectural Patterns, Digital Architecture, Service Design
- **Published:** September 10, 2026
- **Apply:** https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/ApplicationMethods?jobId=22037&record=22037

## About the Role

Experience operating in an enterprise architecture or senior architecture leadership role within a complex organisation.

 * Strong understanding of enterprise architecture across business, data, application, technology, security and operational domains.
 * Experience in strategy design, including developing enterprise strategies, target architectures, architectural principles, standards and transformation roadmaps.
 * Ability to frame complex problems, assess options and guide architectural decision-making across programmes, products and services.
 * Strong architecture communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
 * Experience providing governance, assurance and architectural oversight across complex or high-risk delivery portfolios.
 * Understanding of commercial and supplier considerations, including sourcing options, procurement, whole-life value, interoperability, supportability and lock-in risk.
 * Experience of applying modern enterprise architecture approaches, including cloud and platform strategy, integration, data, AI, automation, sustainability, reuse and common capabilities.
 * Ability to balance strategic direction with practical delivery constraints, user needs and organisational priorities., Communicating and Influencing
Leadership

## Description

We are looking for an experienced Lead Enterprise Architect to provide strategic architectural leadership across HMCTS. You will be working to a Principal Enterprise Architect, as part of the Digital Architecture, Strategy and Innovation function (DASI). As a Lead Enterprise Architect, you will help to shape the future direction of digital services, technology and organisational transformation across HMCTS.

Working across a diverse portfolio of programmes, products and services, you will provide strategic architectural leadership, ensuring that business, data, application, technology and security decisions align with organisational priorities and long-term objectives. You will work with senior leaders, delivery teams and architects to guide complex decision-making, provide governance and assurance, and help develop sustainable solutions that deliver lasting value.

You will be a trusted adviser, able to communicate complex ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences, influence senior stakeholders and help teams understand how their work contributes to wider organisational goals. You will play a key role in developing enterprise strategies, target architectures and roadmaps, while identifying opportunities for simplification, reuse and continuous improvement.

In this role you will:

Your role as Lead Enterprise Architect will encompass several key responsibilities listed below (but not limited to):

 * Provide enterprise architecture leadership, governance and assurance for significant, complex or high-risk business and technology initiatives.
 * Develop and maintain enterprise architecture strategies, principles, standards, target architectures and roadmaps.
 * Guide architectural decision-making across programmes, products and services, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy and long-term objectives.
 * Identify strategic risks, dependencies and opportunities, advising senior stakeholders on appropriate actions.
 * Drive adoption of common platforms, shared capabilities, reusable architectural patterns and strategic technology choices.
 * Ensure architectural advice and assurance aligns with HMCTS, MoJ and wider government standards relating to security, privacy, accessibility, interoperability, service design and reuse.
 * Provide architectural input to commercial and supplier decisions, including sourcing strategy, procurement, build-versus-buy assessment, whole-life value and vendor lock-in risk.
 * Collaborate with business, technical, security, data and solution architects to ensure joined-up decision-making.
 * Represent HMCTS in cross-government and Ministry of Justice architecture communities and forums.
 * Build capability through mentoring, coaching and supporting the wider architecture profession., The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.

Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised role: all successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) - See Map. All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).

For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location's respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).

Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.

All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ's Flexible Working policy.


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