Overview

Principal Technical Architect role at UK Home Office. You will serve as a senior design authority, responsible for setting and governing the technical strategy across complex, high-impact programs. You will lead the architectural vision, identify opportunities for digital transformation, and optimise solutions to address organisational and cross-government needs. You will collaborate with senior stakeholders to balance risk, complexity, and outcomes, and mentor other architects to align technology choices with broader strategies and emerging best practices. You will drive innovation, security, and scalability to shape the future of public services on an enterprise scale.

This role defines and executes 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 leverage emerging technologies, such as cloud, AI, and IoT, and ensure that technical solutions are secure, user-focused, and capable of adapting to evolving business needs. You will lead design and review processes for complex systems and infrastructure, champion architectural best practices and governance, and resolve high-risk issues to drive transformation. You will guide and inspire other architects and foster an environment where innovative thinking thrives.

What You’ll Do:

• 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.

Essential skills

The essential skills are used to assess your demonstrable passion for Technical Architecture. The following skills or demonstrated experience are expected to be highlighted in your CV and personal statement:

• Shown leadership in delivering complex, innovative technical architectures at scale, inspiring technical excellence and forward-thinking design.
• 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.
• Ownership of technical roadmaps and strategies, ensuring solutions align with enterprise objectives and evolving user needs.

Benefits

• Meaningful Work: Contribute to critical national security and public service initiatives.
• Career Growth: Benefit from tailored development frameworks and professional communities.
• Flexible Working: Hybrid work options to balance professional and personal life.
• Diversity and Inclusion: A workplace where your background and talents are celebrated.
• Additional Benefits: Learn more about our broader benefits program and policies.

Additional Information

• This role requires SC clearance. To meet national security vetting requirements, you must typically have been resident in the UK for at least five years. Visa sponsorship is not available.