Senior Enterprise Architect

Details
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Reference number

463561

Salary

£59,877 \- £66,869
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28\.97%
GBP

Job grade

Grade 7
Band 5### Contract type

Permanent### Type of role

Architecture and Data

Digital### Working pattern

Flexible working, Full\-time, Job share, Part\-time, Compressed hours### Number of jobs available

1
Contents
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• Location


• About the job


• Benefits


• Things you need to know


• Apply and further information

Birmingham, Liverpool, Newport (Gwent), NorwichAbout the job
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Job summary

This role is being recruiting via Public Sector Resourcing, please ensure you contact them with any questions.

You can apply for this role here

Ready to move beyond system design and drive a strategic roadmap that delivers true value for the nation? We are seeking a Senior Enterprise Architect to translate high\-level strategy into a resilient, scalable digital estate for the public good.

If you’re prepared to own the architectural governance for products impacting millions of citizens, we want to hear from you. In this role, you will navigate the critical trade\-offs between speed, cost, and quality—ensuring that every technical decision maximises efficiency and delivers public value across the organisation.

Job Summary

We are seeking a visionary Senior Enterprise Architect to act as the defining authority for our enterprise\-wide DDaT strategy and architecture. In this high\-impact role, you will translate high\-level strategic goals into coherent, resilient technical roadmaps, leading critical governance on investments and technical debt to ensure secure, scalable public service delivery.

You will lead, mentor, and grow a unified team of Enterprise and Technical Architects (up to 5 team members), establishing the technical guardrails and maintaining strict strategic control while steering our complex digital transformation journey and managing preferred delivery partners.

Job description

1\. Strategic Vision \& Roadmap Delivery

Convert the annual business plan into a clear, step\-by\-step blueprint for the future technology environment (Target State Architecture or TSA). You will manage the plans for moving from the current system to the future one, specifically for major initiatives, to make sure all projects are connected and support the overall business strategy.

2\. Governance \& Assurance Leadership

You will be the top technical voice on the Architecture Review Board (ARB). Your role is to manage the 'Front Door' review process, making sure every single new project is checked for architectural soundness and fit before it can be approved for budget.

3\. Investment \& Technical Debt Management

You will ensure that every strategic bid includes a ring\-fenced "remediation budget" (typically 15\-20%) to prevent the long\-term erosion of the estate.

4\. Senior Leadership Communication ("Level 0")

Produce and maintain the "Level Zero" Architecture Map—a simplified, one\-page executive view of the CCS technology estate used for ExCo and Board\-level decision\-making.

5\. Blueprinting \& Business Alignment

Partner with Business Architecture to create Enterprise Blueprints. You will take high\-level strategic goals (e.g., "Improve SME Spend") and map them to specific technical capabilities and data flows required to deliver that outcome.

6\. Technical Standards \& Principles

You will establish and enforce the Secure by Design and Data First architectural principles. You will set the non\-negotiable Guardrails (rules) that product teams must follow to ensure technical consistency, interoperability, and security across the organization.

7\. Strategic Consultancy \& Mentorship

Provide Architecture\-as\-a\-Service to senior stakeholders, moving from "activity\-based" updates to "outcome\-based" advice. You will mentor a team of up to 5 architects, establishing a formal competency framework to elevate the team’s strategic influence.

8\.Architectural Steering \& High\-Level Design (HLD)

Responsible for documenting the Architecture Steer papers that drive cross\-functional alignment on multi\-million pound investments. While product teams handle standard designs, you will personally author the High\-Level Designs (HLDs) for the most complex, business\-critical projects to ensure they remain resilient and strategically aligned. You will act as the "bridge" between the executive vision and the engineering squads, translating high\-level goals into actionable technical blueprints.

Person specification

• Enterprise Architecture \& Roadmap Delivery: Proven experience converting abstract business strategies into Target State Architecture (TSA) blueprints and managing transition roadmaps for complex digital estates.


• Strategic Governance \& Assurance: Experience leading technical assurance (e.g., an Architecture Review Board) and defining architectural principles, such as Secure by Design and Data First.


• Risk \& Technical Debt Management: Proven track record of identifying architectural risks and successfully articulating, managing, and securing investment to remediate technical debt.


• Executive Stakeholder Communication: Ability to translate complex technical problems into simplified executive views (like a "Level Zero" map) to influence Board and ExCo\-level decision\-making.


• Leadership \& Technical Mentorship: Experience leading, mentoring, and developing the strategic capabilities of architecture teams while managing the technical guardrails for external delivery partners.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership


• Making Effective Decisions


• Seeing the Big Picture


• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Enterprise architecture \- Enterprise Architecture presentation that clearly outlines strategic impacts across People, Process, Data, and Technology (PPDT). (presentation sent 24 hours in advance)

Alongside your salary of £59,877, Government Commercial Agency contributes £17,346 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Valuing our people:

• Competitive salary


• Generous pension scheme


• A discretionary non\-contractual performance related bonus


• Working remotely in addition to working in advertised office location


• Flexi time scheme (available for B1\-B6\) \-


• Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding bank holidays

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D\&I Strategy.

We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk

Working flexibly, delivering outcomes

GCA operates a smarter working model that balances flexibility with collaboration. Successful candidates are expected to spend at least 26 days per quarter (approximately 2 days per week, pro\-rata) at their contracted office, another GCA site, or off\-site for meetings. For the remainder of the time, you may work from home or another suitable location that meets business needs.

Things you need to know
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Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.### Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours and Technical skills.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitably similar vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview. Should you be placed on a reserve list and want to be removed please contact recruitment@gca.gov.uk.

Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at the interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.### Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.### Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals


• nationals of the Republic of Ireland


• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre\-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)


• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled

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