Contract Lead Network Architect - Active UK Government Security Clearance

We’re hiring a Lead Technical Architect to join Appvia on a new secure public sector engagement, providing technical leadership across a major Cisco SD-WAN and network transition programme.

This is an architecture-led role for someone who can lead complex technical architecture decisions, translate complex requirements into practical network solutions, and provide assurance across design and delivery. You’ll support a Principal Technical Architect in shaping technical strategy and roadmaps, and will directly support - and on occasion deputise for - the Principal Technical Architect in presenting technical designs to formal Design Authority and Security Board governance.

You’ll work across enterprise networking, wide area network design, and modern technologies, coordinating with third-party suppliers and cross-government teams to deliver cohesive, integrated solutions. You’ll also mentor and coach other architects, championing innovation and best practice as the programme evolves.

While the initial engagement has a strong Cisco networking and SD-WAN focus, you’ll also sit within Appvia’s wider cloud and platform engineering capability, with opportunities to broaden into cloud, AI, and IoT architecture across future programmes.

Interview Process - 3 Stage

1. Discovery conversation with Talent Acquisition
2. Technical & Architecture Interview with Engineering Team
3. Final Interview with Leadership

Important

As a condition of employment, all successful candidates are required to complete Appvia’s standard pre-employment checks, including right-to-work verification and reference checks, and to agree to Appvia’s confidentiality and data handling policies as part of their employment terms. Screening for this role is carried out in line with UK Government vetting standards and Appvia’s Information Security Management System.

You must hold active UK Security Clearance (SC)., * Lead technical architecture decisions across complex customer environments, championing innovation and best practice

• Support the definition and maintenance of enterprise-wide technical strategies, roadmaps, and architectures
• Oversee design reviews, incorporating Secure by Design principles and compliance with architectural governance
• Coordinate with cross-government teams and third-party suppliers to ensure cohesive, integrated solutions
• Directly support the development of presentation packs for Technical Design Authority and Security Board governance, deputising for the Principal Technical Architect where required
• Drive digital innovation by evaluating emerging technologies and championing continuous improvement
• Mentor and coach other architects, fostering a culture of collaboration and technical excellence
• Facilitate the design and delivery of complex systems, ensuring performance, reliability, and security requirements are met
• Lead multiple projects, collaborating with stakeholders to address risks, budgets, and timelines
• Evaluate outcomes and integrate lessons learned into future strategies
• Provide architectural leadership across routing, connectivity, segmentation, security, and resilience
• Work closely with network engineers, platform engineers, security teams, service management, and customer architects
• Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior customer stakeholders

You are a senior technical architect with strong Cisco networking fundamentals, a track record of leading (not just contributing to) complex technical architectures, and the credibility to operate within formal design governance., * CCNP certification, or demonstrable equivalent knowledge of networking concepts, switching, routing, firewalling, and load balancing

• Cisco SD-WAN experience, including the use of BGP
• A consistent track record of leading complex technical architectures, championing innovation and best practice
• Experience working across multiple domains or projects, coordinating with third-party suppliers and cross-government teams
• Aptitude for anticipating future technologies and aligning solutions with broader strategy and business outcomes
• Expertise in delivering secure, reliable, and scalable systems within defined time and quality constraints
• Experience producing and reviewing architecture documentation and technical designs, incorporating Secure by Design principles
• Confidence operating within Technical Design Authority or architectural governance processes, including direct support for Design Authority and Security Board presentations
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, translating complex technical topics for diverse audiences
• Demonstrated leadership in mentoring or coaching other architects or senior technical professionals
• Experience working in regulated, enterprise, or public sector environments
• Active UK SC clearance, * Cisco SD-WAN
• CCNP or equivalent demonstrable knowledge of networking concepts, switching, routing, and firewalling
• BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)
• Load balancing
• Enterprise routing and network architecture
• Network segmentation and security
• Architecture governance and assurance
• Technical Design Authority / Security Board experience
• Secure by Design principles
• High availability and disaster recovery

Nice to have:

• AWS or Azure cloud networking (e.g. VPC architecture, Transit Gateway, Direct Connect, Route 53, hybrid connectivity, secure landing zones, multi-account architecture)
• Multi-cloud networking experience
• Cloud security architecture
• Enterprise and application integration architecture
• Infrastructure-as-code and network automation exposure
• TOGAF Foundation or BCS Enterprise and Solution Architecture certification
• Exposure to large-scale technology change programmes or complex system integrations
• NPPV3 clearance

Why Join Appvia?

We are a self-funded, London based startup; providing businesses with a fast and secure way to deploy containerised applications into the cloud.

We are on a mission to enable organisations to make cloud-based software delivery simple and efficient, whilst having the insights into costs, security and cadence. As a company that holds customers at the heart of everything we do, we are looking for candidates that want to make a real change to how Dev and Ops is working in the industry. With us our customers, like the UK’s Home Office & Bank of England, are harnessing cloud-native technologies, limiting the challenges of infrastructure management and rapidly delivering digital products.

• Short, focused engagement with clear deliverables
• Opportunity to work on modern cloud platforms
• Fully remote and flexible
• Fast interview process and quick start

Appvia is a specialist cloud, platform, and solutions engineering consultancy, helping organisations modernise infrastructure, improve reliability, and adopt cloud-native practices that enable long-term, sustainable delivery.

Our engineering capability spans AWS, Azure, platform engineering, networking, software, data, AI, delivery, and managed services.

We work across complex, high-impact environments in both the public and private sector, delivering solutions where security, resilience, scalability, and operational excellence are critical.