Senior Enterprise Architect - £57,028 p.a. + benefits

Job summary

We are currently looking for a Senior Enterprise Architect to join our Strategy and Architecture Function within the Digital and Technology Group.

This is a full-time opportunity, on a permanent basis. The role will be based in 7/8 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP.

Government departments and agencies are working towards implementing a minimum 60% attendance in office sites.

We are currently implementing a flexible, hybrid way of working, with a minimum of 8 days per month working on site to enable the collaboration and contact with partners and stakeholders needed to deliver MHRA business. Attendance on site is driven by business needs so depending on the nature of the role, this can flex up to 12 days a month, with the remainder of time worked either remotely or in the office. Some roles will need to be on site more regularly. Please discuss this with the recruiting manager before accepting an appointment.

Who are we?

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency enhance and improve the health of millions of people every day through the effective regulation of medicines and medical devices, underpinned by science and research.

The MHRA Digital and Technology Group (DTG) exists to help protect and improve public health by enabling the Agency to become a modern, intelligence-led regulator.

We bring together digital, data, technology, cyber security and artificial intelligence expertise to deliver services, platforms and insights that support the regulation of medicines, medical devices and healthcare technologies across the UK.

Our work goes beyond traditional IT. We design and deliver user-centred services, harness trusted data, apply advanced analytics and responsible AI, and build secure, resilient digital foundations that help the MHRA make better decisions, work more effectively and respond to a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.

By joining DTG, you'll help shape the future of regulation while delivering technology that makes a real difference to public health.

Job description

Role Purpose

The Senior Enterprise Architect operates at a strategic and tactical level to support the development and delivery of enterprise architecture across the organisation.

Working closely with business and digital stakeholders, the role focuses on the translation of business strategy into architectural designs, supporting the evolution from current to future states. The post holder will contribute to shaping technology and business change, ensuring solutions are aligned to organisational priorities, standards and government policies.

The role acts as a trusted advisor within programmes and portfolios, applying practices from all enterprise architecture domains to inform decision-making, improve service design, and maximise value from technology investments.

The role requires a strategic thinker with technical knowledge, an understanding of emerging threats, and the ability to work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities and Results Areas

Enterprise Architecture and Design

• Support the development and implementation of enterprise architecture strategies, roadmaps and transition states (as-is, interim, to-be).

• Define organisational capabilities within the Business Reference Model and apply business architecture techniques to assess gaps and recommend improvements.

• Contribute to shaping investment decisions by identifying opportunities, dependencies, risks and impacts.

Design and Assurance

• Provide architectural input and assurance across programmes and projects to ensure alignment with enterprise standards and strategy.

• Support governance by reviewing designs to ensure compliance with organisational policies and reference architecture.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

• Build effective relationships across business and technology functions.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams – including Solution, Information, Security and Technical Architect colleagues – to ensure architecture is integrated into all aspects of the Agency’s digital initiatives and designs are coherent.

• Use architecture communication approaches​ to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Mediate between people in difficult architectural discussions, improving decision-making by the provision of clear, evidence-based architectural advice.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Contribute to the development and adoption of architectural standards, patterns, and guardrails.

• Maintain awareness of trends and best practices relating to technology and the business, assessing their potential impact on the organisation.

• Support the growth of the architecture practice and community via process improvements, enhancing documentation and regular knowledge sharing.

Person specification

• Good technical skills across multiple architecture domains, including infrastructure design, application architecture, data architectures, and cybersecurity principles

• Familiarity with UK public sector regulations, standards and frameworks, such as the Government Digital Service (GDS) and the Technology Code of Practice (TCoP).

• Good knowledge of architecture methodologies and frameworks, such as TOGAF.

• Knowledge of operational and management tools used across IT and architecture teams (such as Jira, Confluence, OrbusInfinity, Lean IX or ServiceNow) is essential.

• Broad experience across technology architectural roles, conducting architectural assessments, creating roadmaps and defining target states.

• Developing business architecture within organisations and using it to facilitate improved business outcomes.

• Engaging stakeholders at all levels and playing a key role in setting organisational objectives and leading business change. Strong communication skills are essential.

• Experience of working across organisational boundaries with changing and challenging priorities.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• Good technical skills across multiple architecture domains, including infrastructure design, application architecture, data architectures, and cybersecurity principles.
• Familiarity with UK public sector regulations, standards and frameworks, such as the Government Digital Service (GDS) and the Technology Code of Practice (TCoP).
• Good knowledge of architecture methodologies and frameworks, such as TOGAF.
• Knowledge of operational and management tools used across IT and architecture teams (such as Jira, Confluence, OrbusInfinity, Lean IX or ServiceNow) is essential.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,028, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency contributes £16,521 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).

• Annual Leave: 25 days annual leave on entry, rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff. PLUS 8 bank holidays

• Privilege Leave: 1 day

• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff

• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): One month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of six months full pay and six months half pay after five years’ service.

• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allowing staff to be mobile across the Civil Service

• Civil Service Pension Scheme. Please see the link for further information http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/ For enquiries relating to the Civil Service Pension Schemes please contact MyCSP's Pension Service Centre directly on 0300 123 6666

• Flexible working to ensure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance

• Interest free season ticket loan or bike loan

• Employee Assistance Services and access to the Civil Service Benevolent Fund

• Eligibility to join Motoring , Boundless by CSMA

• Variety of staff and Civil Service clubs

• On-going learning and development

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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Key dates

• Closing date – 1 November 2026 at 23:55
• Sifting – from 6 November 2026
• Main panel interviews – from 16 November 2026

Communications will be electronic via email therefore it is important that you check your Civil Service Jobs account regularly, as well as your spam/junk email folder.

We’re committed to being diverse and inclusive, so please make your application anonymous by removing all identifying personal information (such as names and dates) from your employment history and personal statement.

What will the process look like?

1. Sift Stage

The main sift, where we'll read and score your application. This may involve a large number of applications, please bear with us as this can take some time.

• Anonymised CV which sets out your career history, previous experience and skills, highlighting specific responsibilities that are relevant for this role.
• Personal statement: Write a 250 word personal statement where you demonstrate how you meet the skills required for this role, providing examples to evidence your level of skill. In your personal statement we are looking for evidence of how you meet the role criteria and person specification. Your personal statement should aim to make use of the full wordcount and show how you meet the above criteria. Please give clear and specific examples of what you have done personally and the impact it has had.

The panel will look at your application and are looking for evidence of the stated points. We may raise the benchmark score required if we receive a high number of applications.

2. Main Panel Interview

Successful candidates from the sift stage will be invited to attend an interview. We use a blended interview technique, allowing us to find out more about you. We use the Success Profile framework and at interview we will be assessing Behaviours and Experience.

Your interview will include:

• Presentation, to be prepared as part of your interview, with further information being supplied when you reach this stage.

At interview, we will be asking questions relating to the following:

• Behaviours, as listed in the person specification
• Experience, as listed in the person specification
• Strengths

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

If you require any disability related adjustments at any point during the process, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk as soon as possible.

Candidates will be subject to UK immigration requirements as well as Civil Service nationality rules. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check as well as animal rights and pro-life activism checks. People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks.

Certain roles within the MHRA will require post holders to have vaccinations, and in some circumstances, routine health surveillance. These roles include:

• Laboratory-based roles working directly with known pathogens
• Maintenance roles, particularly those required to work in laboratory settings
• Roles that involve visiting other establishments where vaccination is required
• Roles required to travel overseas where specific vaccination may be required.

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 Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Any move to the MHRA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility here.

Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary and are responsible for ensuring they fully understand the financial implications of any potential move and the impact (if any) on their terms. If an individual is in any doubt, they should seek clarification before accepting a job offer.

Staff joining on promotion will receive up to a 10% increase of their current basic salary, or the pay band minimum, whichever is the greater.

The individual will not retain any allowances paid by the former department/Agency, unless there are special circumstances, such as a reserved right to those allowances on transfer.

Successful candidates may be subject to annual Occupational Health reviews dependent on role requirements. If you have any queries, please contact careers@mhra.gov.uk.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.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 : The Resourcing Team
• Email : Careers@mhra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Careers@mhra.gov.uk

Further information

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles 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 the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Resourcing team at Careers@mhra.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk - info@csc.gov.uk - Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ

Attachments

2013 Senior Enterprise Architect - JD Opens in new window (pdf, 255kB)