Senior Technical Architect

Job Description

Senior Technical Architect

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time
Salary: Up to £78,000 per annum, plus benefits
Security Clearance: SC cleared, active SC or SC eligible
Start Date: ASAP

The Role

You'll provide technical direction across two product teams: a digital and cyber playbook for councils, which is being rebuilt in-house, and a tech analysis product that collects data from councils about the technology they use. The playbook runs on WordPress and the requirements for re-platforming haven't been drafted, so you'll help the team choose the right platform before shaping the architecture. You'll make sure both products are secure, assured and consistent with government standards, and leave the permanent team with a sound foundation.

Key Responsibilities

• Help draft the technical requirements for re-platforming the playbook, and run an options appraisal of the target platform (for example staying on WordPress or moving), setting out costs, risks and trade-offs.

• Define and own the architecture for the playbook rebuild, including hosting, content and contribution model, authentication, and integration with services such as GOV.UK where relevant.

• Set the architecture for how the tech analysis product collects, stores and secures data from local authorities, keeping that data accurate and protected.

• Run threat modelling and security design, and act as the technical contact for assurance, security review and penetration testing.

• Make and record architecture decisions, and make sure choices meet the Technology Code of Practice and Service Standard.

• Guide the developer and data analyst on patterns, standards and tooling, and review the technical quality of what is built.

• Make sure the two products can share components and data patterns where that helps, and line up with the wider programme workstreams.

• Produce architecture documentation and a handover pack for the permanent team.

What We're Looking For

Essential:

• SC cleared, active SC or SC eligible.

• Substantial experience as a technical or solution architect on web-based digital services.

• Strong experience architecting and hosting WordPress-based services, including security, performance, plugin governance and release management.

• Experience running options appraisals and making platform decisions, including migration planning.

• Experience designing secure services, including identity and access, data protection, logging and secrets handling.

• Experience working through assurance processes and security reviews.

• Experience designing data collection and storage with appropriate controls for sensitive information.

• Able to explain technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders and work across two teams at once.

• Experience documenting architecture decisions.

Desirable:

• Experience in UK central or local government and its standards, including the Technology Code of Practice.

• Familiarity with GOV.UK platform services, the GOV.UK Design System and common components.

• Knowledge of cloud hosting patterns and infrastructure as code.

• Awareness of local government technology landscapes and cyber risks.