Associate Enterprise Architect

Job summary

As one of our Associate Enterprise Architects, you’ll work with support from senior architects to develop and deliver GCHQ’s enterprise architecture. By translating organisational goals into actionable architectural strategies, you’ll lead design initiatives, proactively identify risks and constraints, and optimise environments across technology, data, and processes to deliver impactful solutions. The nature of our work means our technology must be cutting edge and is often unique to our one-of-a-kind mission. So, the opportunity for learning in this role is extensive, with lots of interesting challenges and plenty of development opportunities on offer.

Job description

Mentored by one of our Enterprise Architects, you’ll collaborate with delivery teams and stakeholders throughout the organisation, applying best practice and emerging approaches while growing your own skills. Every day, you’ll play an important part in helping teams deliver mission-critical work as you contribute to designs and documentation and provide analysis. Working with technical and business teams, you’ll then collaborate to align solutions to their needs and our organisational strategies.

You’ll work with other architects, engineers, project managers and delivery leads across GCHQ. And sometimes, with support, you’ll liaise with external suppliers and partners. Please note that occasional travel will be required to sites across the UK to enable you to work closely with colleagues from all areas of the organisation.

Person specification

You don’t need a degree or any specific qualifications to apply for this role. We’re most interested in your support for our shared mission, and how you’ve contributed to architectural work across technology, data, digital or business change initiatives. Whether that’s supporting designs, analysing impacts or documenting architectures, you’ll have gained practical experience in the field.

Your working knowledge of enterprise architecture comes from real delivery environments, where decisions are shaped by organisational goals, constraints and trade-offs. Working with or deputising for senior architects in these environments has helped you build confidence in forming and explaining architectural viewpoints. And your curiosity means you’re eager to learn more.

Architectural standards, principles and governance are familiar territory for you, and you've worked with at least one modern architecture framework (like TOGAF, Zachman or MODAF) to guide your work.

Sound communication and problem-solving skills are vital in this role. You can analyse requirements, shape solutions at the right level of detail, and clearly articulate risks and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences. You can also collaborate well, adapt as priorities shift, and manage your time effectively.

Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £55,758 to £63,948, including a concessionary payment of £2,658. The final amount depends on your skills and experience, plus other benefits including:

• 25 days’ annual leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• an interest-free season ticket loan (travel and parking)
• an excellent pension scheme
• a cycle to work scheme
• facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
• paid parental and adoption leave

Things you need to know

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 (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to offer a fair and proportionate number of person-to-person interviews to any candidate who self-identifies as disabled and meets the essential criteria for the role. This is our ‘Offer of Interview’ (OOI). To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential criteria (in order of application process) are:

• meet the eligibility criteria: complete an initial application form, including pre-screening questions, to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria.
• experience contributing to the development and maintenance of architecture designs and artifacts by interpreting business and user needs and applying enterprise architecture standards and direction with guidance.
• experience supporting architectural decision‑making by identifying risks, constraints, and trade‑offs (for example cost, scalability, or maintainability), and working within agreed governance and standards to enable delivery.
• ability to work collaboratively with technical and non‑technical stakeholders across teams, clearly communicating architectural concepts and supporting alignment with agreed solutions.

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, visit our How to Apply page for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.

What to expect

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

1. application sift
2. virtual interview (assessing your technical skills and the organisational competencies)
3. if successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

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 developed vetting (opens in a new window).

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

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : careers@recruitmentoffice.org.uk
• Email : careers@recruitmentoffice.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : careers@recruitmentoffice.org.uk

Further information

www.gchq-careers.co.uk