Lead Technical Architect

Pay up to £99,836, plus 28.97% employer pension contributions, hybrid working, flexible hours, and great work life balance.

Are you ready to shape how data architecture works at scale across services used by millions of people every day?

As a Lead Technical Architect, you'll join our Data & Analytics (D&A) function in DWP Digital - the team responsible for designing, delivering and evolving the platforms and services that unlock the value of data across the organisation.

We're undergoing significant transformation, moving towards cloud-native data solutions while managing highly sensitive data, complex integrations, and live services. You'll lead architecture that ensures data is secure, scalable and works seamlessly end-to-end, helping deliver better outcomes for citizens across the UK.

We are recruiting into two Lead roles. One is a hands-on leadership role within Data Enablement, shaping solution design and leading technical teams. The other is a cross-cutting assurance role, responsible for ensuring all layers of the data architecture work together coherently and meet government-wide standards. Whichever role you join, your impact will be significant - shaping strategy, influencing senior stakeholders and driving architectural decisions at scale.

The scale of what we do is extraordinary, and our purpose is unique. We'd love you to join us.

What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?

• Experience bringing together data from lots of different systems, including real-time and batch processing
• Strong understanding of ETL/ELT tools and how data is extracted, transformed and loaded into platforms
• Knowledge of data warehousing, data lakes, reporting and analytics tools, and how they fit together
• Ability to design architecture across cloud, on-prem and hybrid environments, considering security, networking and integration
• Experience applying architecture principles, standards and reusable design patterns
• Experience working with delivery teams across the full lifecycle, from early design through to live running services
• Ability to turn business needs into clear, structured technical designs that stakeholders understand
• Experience using architecture models or diagrams to explain and shape solutions

You and your role

You'll operate at the highest level of technical leadership within Data & Analytics, helping shape how data is designed, integrated and delivered across DWP.

In one role, you'll work within our Data Enablement Layer, leading solution architecture for data products and services. You'll collaborate with engineers, product teams and other architects to design solutions that meet user needs and align with DWP standards. This is also a people leadership role, where you'll coach, guide and build capability across the team.

In the second role, you'll operate across the entire Data & Analytics architecture, focusing on assurance and coherence. Our data landscape can be thought of as layered - covering ingestion, storage, processing and consumption - but users experience seamless services end-to-end. Your role is to ensure those layers work together as a joined-up whole: driving consistency in technologies and patterns, identifying gaps, and making sure solutions are not designed in isolation. You'll also play a key role in aligning architecture with cross-government standards, ensuring solutions stand up to external scrutiny and assurance.

Across both roles, you'll engage with senior stakeholders, influence strategic direction, and solve complex architectural challenges. You'll support delivery teams to adopt best practice and emerging technologies, and ensure that everything we build is secure, scalable and designed with users in mind.

This is a role for someone who enjoys working at scale, thrives in complexity and wants to make a tangible impact on services that millions of people rely on.

Details. Wages. Perks.

Location: You'll join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Blackpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield, whichever is most convenient for you.

Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.

Pay: We offer pay up to £99,836. That's £75,026 salary plus a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810 subject to our assessment of your capability at interview.

Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth up to £16,786 per year.

Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time.

You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.

We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies
• Time off volunteering and charitable giving
• Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'
• Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
• Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it's even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
• Sports and social activities
• Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.

And we have an award-winning environment and culture:

• DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
• Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024
• Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025
• Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Tech Employer Awards

Process

We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just two stages:

Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There'll be full instructions when you click through.

Interview: a two stage interview online.

Click APPLY for more information and to start your application.