Lead Technical Architect (SC Cleared)
36-Month Programme | Extension Reviews Every 6 Months
Hybrid Travel Required Across UK Delivery Locations
The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced Lead Technical Architect to take ownership of the technical strategy and architecture for a major national-scale data andanalytics transformation programme.This position represents the highest level of technical authority within the delivery organisation and will be responsible for shaping the long-term architectural direction of a modern cloud-based data platform. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership across architecture, engineering, infrastructure, platform operations, security, and governance, ensuring all solutions align with enterprise standards and future business objectives.Working closely with senior stakeholders, governance bodies, and technical leadership, you will define architectural principles, guide technical decision-making, oversee assurance activities, and establish the frameworks that will support the platform throughout itslifecycle.This is a long-term programme engagement offering an initial 36-month contract, with programme reviews and extension opportunities conducted on a rolling six-month basis.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Architecture Leadership
* Define and maintain the overarching technical architecture roadmap for a large-scale cloud-native data platform.
* Establish architectural standards, patterns, and governance frameworks across engineering, infrastructure, security, platform services, and DevOps capabilities.
* Ensure alignment between business objectives and technical delivery throughout the programme lifecycle.
Technical Governance & Assurance
* Act as the senior technical representative for architecture governance, design review boards, assurance forums, and technical approval processes.
* Produce, review, and defend architecture submissions, technical designs, and assurance responses.
* Provide authoritative guidance on architectural decisions, technical risk management, and solution direction.
Strategic Platform Design
* Lead architectural design activities for highly complex and business-critical platform components.
* Define approaches for enterprise-scale data governance, data sharing, multi-domain collaboration, capacity planning, tenancy architecture, and security controls.
* Guide the evolution of platform capabilities to support future organisational requirements.
Leadership & Mentoring
* Lead and mentor a team of architects operating across multiple workstreams.
* Conduct design reviews and ensure architectural consistency across all programme deliverables.
* Drive quality standards for architecture artefacts including High-Level Designs (HLDs), Low-Level Designs (LLDs), and technical standards documentation.
Stakeholder Engagement
* Build trusted relationships with senior technical leaders, enterprise architects, programme directors, and executive stakeholders.
* Present architectural recommendations and technical options to both technical and non-technical audiences.
* Influence long-term technology strategy and future platform investments.
Non-Functional Architecture
* Define and manage non-functional requirements including:
* Performance
* Scalability
* Security
* Resilience
* Availability
* Cost optimisation
* Disaster Recovery
* Ensure compliance with agreed standards throughout design, build, testing, and operational readiness phases.
Knowledge Transfer & Capability Development
* Establish architectural documentation standards and reusable design patterns.
* Support internal teams through coaching, mentoring, and knowledge transfer activities.
* Ensure architecture decisions and operational guidance are fully documented for long-term sustainability.
Essential Experience Applicants must demonstrate extensive experience operating at Lead Architect, Principal Architect, or Enterprise Architect level within large-scale cloud and data transformation programmes.You will possess:
* Significant experience defining enterprise architecture for cloud-native data platforms.
* Deep expertise across Microsoft Fabric including:
* Lakehouse architecture
* Data Warehousing
* OneLake
* Real-Time Analytics
* Fabric Networking
* Capacity Planning
* Multi-workspace governance
* Strong understanding of modern Azure data services, including:
* Azure Data Factory
* Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
* Azure Databricks
* Azure Synapse Analytics
* Delta Lake
* Extensive experience implementing enterprise data governance solutions and metadata management frameworks.
* Strong knowledge of architecture governance, design assurance processes, and enterprise architecture controls.
* Extensive experience designing secure cloud platforms using:
* Zero Trust principles
* Identity and Access Management
* Network segmentation
* Private networking strategies
* Security monitoring and threat protection services
* Proven experience producing and presenting architecture documentation for senior governance audiences.
* Strong understanding of Infrastructure-as-Code and modern delivery pipelines using technologies such as Terraform and Bicep.
* Experience supporting real-time data processing and event-driven architectures.
Desirable Experience The following would be advantageous:
* Leading migration programmes from legacy on-premise data environments to cloud-based platforms.
* Enterprise Architecture frameworks such as TOGAF.
* Experience working within highly regulated public sector or government environments.
* Knowledge of UK government security and compliance frameworks.
* Familiarity with large-scale data management, analytics, and digital transformation initiatives.
* Experience defining strategic technology roadmaps for multi-year delivery programmes.
Required Certifications
Essential
* Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
Desirable
* Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203)
* Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600)
* TOGAF Practitioner or Certified
* Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100)
Equivalent experience may be considered where appropriate.
Clearance Requirement Active Security Check (SC) Clearance is mandatory.
Candidates must hold live SC clearance at the point of application and be eligible to maintain clearance throughout the duration of the engagement.
