Lead Technical Architect

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On behalf of the Cabinet Office, we are looking for a Technical Architect Lead (Inside IR35) for a 6 Months contract based REMOTELY .

The Cabinet Office supports the Prime Minister and ensures the effective running of government. The Cabinet Office is also the corporate headquarters for the government, in partnership with HM Treasury, and takes the lead in certain critical policy areas. More information about the Cabinet Office can be found on its website at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office

As a Technical Architect Lead , your main responsibilities will be:

- AI Architecture Strategy & Vision: Define architectural roadmaps and principles for the Cabinet Office AI buildout, establishing secure Cloud Landing Zones and technology-agnostic integration layers that bridge enterprise AI software with custom-built tools.
- Technical Design throughout the Lifecycle: Create modular, scalable cloud and microservice architectures capable of supporting complex AI workflows, setting technical design standards across the project lifecycle.
- Architectural Decisions & AI Guardrails: Make high-impact design decisions to manage architectural risk, designing mandatory human-in-the-loop approval gates, identity federation, and AI safety baselines (such as prompt protection and PII masking).
- Cabinet Office Governance & Assurance: Lead architectural governance for AI systems, steering solutions through formal Cabinet Office Technical Design Authority (TDA), Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), and cyber security checkpoints.
- Architecture Communication & Strategic Leadership : Articulate complex architectural trade-offs, security postures, and risk models to Cabinet Office senior leadership (CDIO, TDA Board) while coaching delivery teams and aligning delivery partners.

Essential:

- Enterprise Cloud Architecture: Significant experience leading cloud platform architecture (GCP/AWS), secure Cloud Landing Zones, Identity and Access Management (IAM) hierarchies , and microservices design for complex enterprise environments.
- AI Guardrails & Perimeter Defence: Hands-on experience designing deterministic AI safety controls , including human-in-the-loop approval gates, VPC Service Controls , identity federation (WIF, Entra ID), and privacy/PII masking baselines.
- Strategic & Technical Design Leadership : Expertise in both strategic and technical design, with a proven track record of designing modular components and services and defining how they interoperate seamlessly to deliver intended end-to-end service
- outcomes.
- Technology-Agnostic Systems Integration: Proven ability to architect modular, vendor-neutral software systems and API layers that seamlessly connect core enterprise platforms into central AI and workflow backbones.
- Architectural Assurance & Governance: Strong understanding of central government architectural governance, with proven experience navigating Technical Design Authority (TDA) sign-offs, DPIA assessments, and cyber security/NCSC standards.
- Architecture Communication & Leadership : Ability to communicate complex technical designs and risk models to stakeholders, mediate difficult architectural decisions , and provide coaching to engineers and architects.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, the Cabinet Office encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates . Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, the Cabinet Office welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".