Job Description

AI Lead Solutions Architect

Location: Flexible across UK

Contract Type: Inside IR35

Are you passionate about designing secure, scalable, and sustainable AI systems that can make a real-world impact?

We’re recruiting for a Lead AI Solutions Architect to drive the design and delivery of innovative AI-enabled services across our portfolio. This is a senior, hands-on architectural leadership role at the intersection of AI, digital transformation, and public service. You'll be responsible for technical design and strategic direction of complex AI systems, spanning real-time data pipelines, automation, machine learning models, and legacy system integration.

This role is mapped to the Government Digital and Data Profession: Lead Technical Architect and will help us build out our capability to design, deliver and govern AI systems that are impactful, safe, and aligned to cross-government standards.

What You’ll Be Doing

Lead end-to-end architectural design for AI solutions across multiple programmes and services.

Bridge technical and non-technical communities, helping stakeholders understand and engage with complex AI systems.

Make architectural decisions and assure technical quality across design, build and operate phases.

Collaborate with policy, digital delivery, data science and engineering teams to align AI solutions with user needs and departmental goals.

Embed robust security, ethical and governance practices into AI systems by design.

Mentor other architects and support capability building across digital teams.

Contribute to cross-government architectural alignment on emerging AI technologies.

Essential Skills and Experience

You’ll be expected to operate at or above practitioner or expert level across the following skill areas, as defined by the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Profession Capability Framework:

Architecture throughout the technical lifecycle – Expert

Design and assure solutions from prototype through to production.

Strategy design – Practitioner

Align architecture with digital and organisational strategy.

Architecture for the whole context – Practitioner

Consider organisational, social and technical factors when designing solutions.

Architecture communication – Practitioner

Communicate design decisions clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.

Making architectural decisions – Practitioner

Make and justify evidence-based architectural decisions.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

We’re looking for candidates with hands-on experience in:

Information Security – Expert

Designing secure-by-default AI systems with embedded risk mitigations.

Modern Standards and Practices – Expert

Championing reusable, modular, and standards-aligned designs.

Prototyping – Expert

Rapid validation of concepts using appropriate techniques and tools.

Systems Design – Expert

Leading design for high-risk, high-complexity systems in an enterprise context.

Software Engineering – Practitioner

Working knowledge of modern programming practices, CI/CD, and AI/ML deployment patterns.

Service Support – Practitioner

Designing operable, maintainable, and observable AI services.