Lead Technical Architect (Solutions)

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is responsible for delivering a compensation scheme that has been long awaited by the infected blood community to provide financial compensation to victims of infected blood on a UK-wide basis. We are looking for an experienced Lead Technical Architect who can blend knowledge of Data Platforms with data security, governance and strategic thinking. You will be confident at working in a complex and pressured data delivery environment across products where you’ll be supporting the strategic objective of IBCA to pay compensation to those impacted by the infected blood scandal seamlessly.

You will collaborate across the architecture function in data and digital to support the delivery of solutions, creating options and recommendations, and providing expert advice to drive technology choices. Working at IBCA gives you a huge opportunity to make an impact on those who deserve compensation, and this role will shape and support the development of safe and secure data solutions that provide a single source of truth for those going through their compensation journey.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

Job description

As a Lead Technical Architect (Solutions) you will work on multiple projects across the data delivery programme on problems that require broad architectural thinking.

This post is within a data delivery setting, especially one focussed on AWS, Quantexa and Databricks.

You will:

• Be responsible for leading the technical solution design of data systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions;
• Assure data services and system quality, ensuring the technical work fits into the data platform and wider IBCA technology strategy;
• Drive continuous improvement in system reliability, performance, and security;
• Regularly collaborate and find agreement with senior stakeholders, providing direction and challenge;
• Be proactive in working with Product Managers and Engineers to identify problems and translating these into scalable technical solutions;
• Participate in architecture reviews, and technical workshops.

Responsibilities

• Secure Cloud & Platform Architecture (AWS Focus): You will lead and optimise the design of resilient, high-availability AWS environments, ensuring that every infrastructure component is built with a "security-by-design" approach to protect against evolving threats;
• Architecture Patterns & Standards: You will establish and uphold the technical standards for the organisation, creating reusable patterns and governance frameworks that ensure consistency and quality across all engineering squads;
• Comprehensive Data Management Design: This involves architecting the end-to-end lifecycle of data systems and services, ensuring the underlying infrastructure supports high-performance analytics and robust data sovereignty;
• Digital Service Integration & API Management: You will oversee the connectivity of modern digital services by designing scalable API layers and integration strategies that allow internal and external systems to communicate securely and efficiently;
• Agile Delivery & Stakeholder Translation: You will bridge the gap between complex technical roadmaps and strategic business goals, communicating technical trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders to ensure smooth, iterative delivery.

Person specification

Essential

• Architecture design of highly scalable and secure Data Platforms hosted on AWS. This includes expertise in configuring and integrating data management systems like Databricks and Quantexa;
• Architecture design informed through use of principles, patterns, technical radars, practices and standards;
• Data Storage Design & Management – expertise across diverse storage technologies including SQL, NoSQL and Data Lakehouse;
• Data Architecture Design - Data Modelling (conceptual to physical), Master Data Management (MDM), Metadata Management, Data Lineage and Data Governance;
• API Management - designing and implementing robust integration patterns (including end-to-end secure API management and gateways) that reliably connect Data Platforms to wider digital services and consuming tech systems;
• Service Architecture Design – monitoring, logging and observability including patching, business continuity and disaster recovery;
• Experience of working within and across product teams within Agile environments throughout the full delivery lifecycle of inception to go-live;
• Translating business requirements into tangible, compliant, technical solutions with traceability to the user value that can be demonstrated to stakeholders.

Desirable

• You will have experience of working on architecture design for the Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform;
• Security Architecture Design – Data Security, Identity & Access Management, Cloud Security, Network Security and DevSecOps;
• Strong knowledge of DevOps practices and Infrastructure-as-Code.

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Architect for the whole context (Practitioner)
• Architecture communication (Expert)
• Technical design throughout the life cycle (Expert)
• Making architectural decisions (Practitioner)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,655, Infected Blood Compensation Authority contributes £16,992 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Premium allowance paid monthly after probation
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
• 32.5 days of paid annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Family friendly policies to support you and your everyday responsibilities
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave, up to 12 months shared parental leave

Recent changes in skilled worker visa eligibility mean that a Skilled Worker must have a job offer in an eligible skilled occupation from a Home Office-approved sponsor. From 22 July 2025, the job must normally be skilled to level 6 (graduate level) on the Regulated Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland, or the equivalent level in Wales or Scotland, or be included on either the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List. Please be aware that if the role is not eligible for a skilled worker visa that we will be unable to provide sponsorship.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of your application you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history, qualifications and previous skills and experience highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role.

You will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (750 words max.)

Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.

Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the 'Person Specification' section of the job advert.

Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview where you will be assessed on behaviours and technical skills

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – 08/02/2026
Expected interview date/s – 15/02/2026
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to IBCA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website)

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service or Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to
the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the IBCA if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

PLEASE NOTE: IBCA employees are public servants, therefore the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNR) do not apply. Candidates who do not meet the CSNR are welcome to apply and applications will not be rejected: successful candidates however will be subject to a Right to Work check to work within the UK.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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

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.

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 : IBCA Recruitment Team
• Email : ibcadatadirector@ibca.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment on the basis of merit by a fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing Team at IBCA.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1851kB)