Enterprise Architect

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people's lives.

Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we're all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda. We have ambitious and far-reaching outcomes to achieve this year and, if you're thinking of joining us, there's never been a more exciting time.

We are looking for an experienced Enterprise Architect to drive the strategic technology direction of our organisation and support internal teams and suppliers to design and build excellent services. This role is pivotal in establishing a robust enterprise architecture approach, ensuring alignment across our Azure cloud services, platforms, digital products and our growing use of artificial intelligence (AI).

The successful candidate will play a key role in governing technical decisions that apply across the organisation, setting technology roadmaps, leading on strategy and guiding teams in designing and delivering cloud-native and AI-enabled solutions within our Microsoft Azure environment. You will work with multiple projects and architects to deliver secure digital services both small and large.

Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog. Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment.

Job description

As an Enterprise Architect, you'll:

• Work in a small team of enterprise architects to develop and implement an enterprise architecture framework that enables seamless alignment between business objectives and technical capabilities

• Provide expert input into and at points lead the Technical Design Board, ensuring informed and strategic decision-making

• Define and oversee technology governance and be a leader within the Community of Practice, encouraging innovation, ensuring compliance with relevant frameworks, security policies, and regulatory requirements that is endorsed and influenced by peers across the organisation

• Lead the creation and maintenance of an organisation-wide technology strategy and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals and digital strategies, and drive the "build once, reuse many" approach across the Azure estate

• Shape the organisation's EA approach to AI, defining reference architectures, patterns and guardrails for the safe, ethical and effective adoption of AI and generative AI services on Azure, in line with the AI Playbook for the UK Government

• Act as a technical advisor, guiding product teams, architects, engineers, and developers in designing and building resilient, secure, and scalable Azure-hosted services, including AI-enabled products

• Establish and drive adoption of modern digital ways of working and innovative technologies, cloud-native architecture, DevSecOps, and automation

• Ensure that platform teams and application teams collaborate effectively, creating a cohesive technology ecosystem

• Identify and develop necessary documentation and guidance to support a mature, enterprise-level digital organisation, advocating for best practices in Azure cloud governance, security, compliance and responsible AI

• Engage with senior stakeholders and third parties to ensure technology and AI decisions align with broader strategic outcomes and organisational priorities

Provide line management, coaching and mentoring, helping teams develop architecture capability and decision-making skills

Person specification

As an Enterprise Architect, you'll have:

• Experience operating in an Enterprise Architect role or comparable senior architecture position within a cloud-first enterprise organisation

• Strong understanding of Microsoft Azure, including cloud governance, security, landing zones and architecture best practices that support common service consumption across the organisation

• Demonstrable experience of designing, governing and supporting AI solutions, including Azure AI services and generative AI, with a sound understanding of responsible AI, data protection, model risk and AI assurance

• Strong understanding of GitHub, Terraform, Microsoft 365 and Zero Trust in enterprise environments, leveraging these as common services within digital products

• Proven ability to develop and implement enterprise architecture frameworks and governance models

• Experience influencing and guiding Technical Design Boards and senior decision-making forums

• Strong understanding of modern digital delivery methodologies, including Agile, DevOps and CI/CD using IaC

• Ability to align technology decisions with strategic outcomes, ensuring compliance with relevant frameworks and regulations whilst enabling innovation

• Significant experience of working with product teams, architects, engineers, and developers to deliver scalable and secure cloud and AI solutions

• Well-established stakeholder management, leadership, and communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences at the working and strategic level

• Experience defining and delivering technology roadmaps in complex digital environments

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,840, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £22,260 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Childcare Voucher and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

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

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 3 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Experience , Technical

Please ensure your CV does not contain any personally identifiable information.

Note: We do not consider direct CV applications. All applications must be submitted via the provided application link.

Stage 1: Sift (CV)

Experience & Technical: We will assess your CV on experience and technical according to the essential criteria in the job description.

Stage 2: Technical Assessment

Technical: Candidates who pass the sifting stage will be invited to complete a technical assessment. Those who are successful in the technical assessment will be invited to interview.

Stage 3: Interview

• Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
• Technical: Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 9th November 2026.

Interviews are envisaged to take place shortly after and are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Group 1 Digital & Data Roles

MHCLG has implemented the Digital and Data capability framework for Group 1 roles. Applicants that are successful and have been offered a position will be required to complete a capability assessment after the interview.

MHCLG will honour completed capability assessments for this role from other Government Departments for existing civil servants on level transfer only.Please provide a copy of your capability assessment to the Hiring Manager when applying. If you have any queries on pay, please contact the Hiring Manager.

Each experience or technical skill is assessed between 1-3, representing working towards, at or above the job level requirements. You are awarded a proficiency level accordingly, and you will be given opportunity to annually re assess your capability and potentially increase your overall remuneration, through payment of allowances, depending on level of assessed capability.

Candidates moving from another government department have the option to retain their current basic pay if this is within our pay band for the relevant grade.

Grade 6 Group 1 Digital and Data salary

• The basic pay for this role will be between £84,032 (London), £76,840(National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale.
• A digital allowance of up to £15,919 (National) or £15,765 (London) may also be payable depending on the level of assessed capability, in order to meet the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating.
• For applicants in receipt of existing allowances, we will assess each case individually, but we would seek not to exceed the MHCLG overall targeted remuneration rate for the specific grade, location and capability rating for existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply, subject to the statements above.

How We Recruit

Find out everything you need to know before applying here..

• Applying
• Sifting
• Interview
• Interview Results & Feedback
• Reserve List
• Near Miss
• Civil Service Grades
• We are a DCS, RIS & GPTWV employer
• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

What you need to know before applying.

• Security Clearance Requirements
• Civil Service Nationality Requirements
• Right to Work
• Artificial Intelligence
• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
• CV Declaration
• Sponsorships
• Salary and Grade
• Existing Civil Servants
• Conflict of Interest
• Location and Flexible Working
• Fixed Term Contracts
• Internal Fraud Database - Internal Fraud Register
• Appeals and Complaints
• Conflict of Interest

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: + SC

London Office: + SC

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (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

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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 : Digital Data Jobs
• Email : digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : digitaldatajobs@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - Recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:
•a procedural irregularity
•an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy
•exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.
It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG Resourcing Hub at Recruitment@communities.gov.uk.
If the MHCLG Resourcing Hub is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk