Overview

Principal Technical Architect - MoD - G6 role at Manchester Digital. Location options in MOD sites: MOD Corsham (Westwells Road, Corsham, SN13 9NR), MOD Abbey Wood (Filton, Bristol, BS34 8JH), MOD Main Building (Whitehall, London, SW1A 2HB).

Defence Digital leads on cutting-edge data science, automation, and cybersecurity at scale, serving over 200,000 users and driving digital innovation that impacts lives globally.

Job Description

We’re seeking a visionary individual to lead at the strategic level, shaping the future of Defence’s digital landscape. This role defines and embeds architectural strategy, and leads the development of the Pan-Defence digital technology architecture at the domain level, owning the vision, strategy, taxonomy, standards, patterns, and roadmaps across logical and physical layers. You’ll design innovative, scalable solutions and make enterprise-wide technology decisions that influence national capability.

Responsibilities

• Set technical direction and make enterprise-level decisions on digital technologies and product selections to align with the architectural vision and business requirements.
• Plan and deliver a prioritized schedule of work, secure stakeholder agreement, and ensure all architectural artefacts are captured and maintained in relevant repositories.
• Serve as a Service Assessor, evaluating internal and cross-government services for compliance with the service standard and alignment with architectural principles.
• Promote reuse and scalability across Defence, drive integration by default, and reduce duplicate technologies to support sustainability and value for money.
• Lead and inspire a team of Technical Architects to deliver high-quality outputs aligned with strategic priorities.

Person specification / Qualifications

Role requirements include a blend of strategic vision, technical depth, and leadership experience. You should be able to demonstrate:

• Expertise in architectural tools and frameworks (design patterns, modelling languages, component building blocks) to support complex design, governance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong stakeholder management, building trusted relationships across diverse groups and aligning outcomes with strategic goals.
• Adaptability and resilience, thriving in uncertainty, managing shifting priorities, and guiding others through ambiguity to deliver at pace.
• Breadth of technical knowledge to advise and challenge teams for Defence.

Mandatory qualifications: Hold a recognised certification in TOGAF 9.1 or higher, or be proficient in the ArchiMate notation language with demonstrated practical application. These frameworks are critical to architectural consistency and strategic alignment across Defence.

When submitting your CV, highlight relevant career history and experience. Refer to the “Things You Need to Know” section of the advert and provide a personal statement (max. 1250 words) demonstrating the Essential Criteria listed below:

• Describe your experience using tools, methods, or frameworks to support architectural design, planning, and decision-making, including how you’ve used these in projects to create clear, scalable solutions.
• Describe your experience leading and delivering large-scale end-to-end architectural projects, including enterprise-wide strategies.
• Describe your experience building strong, collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, including balancing multiple perspectives.

Note: This post is eligible for a Digital Skills Allowance of up to £18,000 per annum. Eligibility will be assessed at interview and reviewed annually per departmental policy.

Behaviours and Technical Skills

Behaviours: Working Together; Leadership.

Technical skills: Technical Design Throughout the Life Cycle; Architect For The Whole Context; Making Architectural Decisions; Strategy Design.