Job title:Solutions Architect

Apply promptly! A high volume of applicants is expected for the role as detailed below, do not wait to send your CV. Location: Cheltenham Salary: £69,611 to £77,801, comprising a basic salary of £66,581 and a concessionary payment of £3,030. The exact salary offered within this range will depend on your skills and experience. An additional Skills Payment is available once your skills level is confirmed, £3,822 for Level 1 or £8,190 for Level 2. Flexible working: We offer a range of working patterns, including full-time, part-time, and compressed hours, with flexible start and finish times to support a work-life balance. While most of our work is carried out on-site due to its sensitive nature, occasional home working may be possible depending on business needs. GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners, MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ, youll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork. As a Solutions Architect, youll help deliver technology solutions that support GCHQs mission, drawing on your experience to lead design work, manage a team, and make strategic architectural decisions. The nature of our work requires advanced, innovative technology, offering you the chance to apply your skills to unique and meaningful challenges. Working across a range of complex projects, youll shape solution designs, produce clear documentation and models, and ensure alignment with established architectural standards. Youll work closely with stakeholders, balancing technical, business, cost, and risk considerations to deliver scalable and resilient solutions. Day-to-day, youll collaborate with delivery teams, engineers, and business colleagues to clarify requirements, adapt designs and guide their implementation. Youll produce and maintain artefacts, provide clarity and direction, and mentor less-senior colleagues. Occasional travel across the UK will also be required so you can work closely with colleagues from all areas of the organisation. To apply, youll bring experience in solutions architecture, including leading the design of end-to-end digital or technology solutions. Youll have familiarity with frameworks such as TOGAF, NIST, and ITIL, along with experience managing or line-managing a team.Youll be skilled at producing artefacts that guide delivery teams and at explaining design decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Effective stakeholder management, collaboration and negotiation skills will also help you align differing user needs with organisational priorities. Adaptability, time management, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving will support you in delivering well-rounded solutions to complex challenges. When you join us, youll have a full induction to GCHQ so you can understand who we are and what we do. Once in your role, youll receive formal and on-the-job training, along with all the support you need to thrive. Were committed to continuous professional development and to providing the space for you to grow, innovate and experiment. Typically, around 20% of your time is dedicated to developing yourself and supporting others. We know development looks different for everyone, so well tailor our support to your learning style, whether thats through books, courses, conferences or stretch assignments. Well cover the cost of professional qualifications and give you the time and support to achieve them. From day one, youll have access to mentors and subject-matter experts, and well work with you to build a structured development plan aligned with your goals. At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. You can find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website. To find out more and apply, please visit our website. To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will still be considered. Candidates must normally have been resident in the UK for seven out of the last ten years. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK. We welcome applications from candidates of all ages, and there is no upper age limit. You can apply at 17; if successful, you will not be offered a start date prior to your 18th birthday. xehkeey Full eligibility details can be found on our website.