Senior Technical Architect- Cloud Services and Infrastructure

Job summary

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and 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 a 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 have circa 3,500 staff who are based in 20 offices across the UK.

As a senior technical architect for MHCLG you’ll sit within the heart of the technology team in our digital directorate. The technology team is responsible for delivering various modern technology services to a user base. We work flexibly to deliver excellent user centred services within Microsoft Azure, AWS, Microsoft 365 and other SaaS and Desktop apps.

We’re now looking to build internal capability and skills so that we can take forward cloud-based services for the department. We’re looking for a "Senior Technical Architect” who will sit within solution architecture space. Your work will include the creation of new capabilities and services that span digital services and other organisational teams. The team works in a fast-paced environment with a high degree of autonomy.

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 a Senior Technical Architect, you’ll;

• Lead a small team that assesses requests from the organisation relating to new and existing services, understanding the actual requirement and identifying an overall solution that will meet the needs
• Work closely with dedicated Azure, AWS and Cyber Security teams to ensure the necessary work is then taken forward
• Be responsible for day to day management of some core services such as DNS, New Requirements, Data, Mail and systems/services migrations/integrations and Zscaler Administration
• Identify changes to infrastructure and solutions in Azure, AWS or other services that allow introduction of new services to meet business needs whilst ensuring alignment of solutions to our target architecture and broader technical strategy
• Evaluate the impact of change of your proposed solutions on our current technical cloud estate and core IT services such as M365
• Line manage engineers, educate, mentor and coach them and other teams in applying architectural techniques and improving capabilities or skills to meet changing needs
• Articulate key technologies’ impact on cost, capacity, transformation, risk, business enablement and transformation objectives
• Manage migration of systems, services and/or data whilst leading on your own set of services to develop, maintain, automate, monitor, audit, and de-provision using Infrastructure-as-Code or other tools
• Ensure your solutions or services are secure and compliant, working with cyber-security and other areas to design well, remediate issues and ensure that solution designs achieve sign off at relevant checkpoints
• Triage new requirements, translating business requirements and non-functional requirements into solution designs, working across multiple technologies and subject matter experts to integrate components into an overall service

Person specification

As a Senior Technical Architect, you’ll have:

• Experience within an enterprise environment of integrating various technical elements to provide an overall solution within Azure, AWS or SaaS based services
• Prior experience as an architect in an enterprise setting, with hands-on experience architecting and implementing secure, reliable & resilient solutions and/or applications at a broad level to meet business needs
• Experience of being able to work with business and technology stakeholders to articulate and translate business problems into technical designs for systems characterised by levels of risk, impact and business or technical complexity
• Experience working with the enterprise and AWS/Azure architects to develop strategies and roadmaps from a business and technology perspective, including ‘as-is’, ‘to-be’ and transitional states
• Experience working under broad direction in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment, using Agile and waterfall
• Prior use of Terraform as Code for deployment and maintenance of cloud infrastructure and resources
• Experience in modern authentication, authorisation, and Identity Management systems, particularly in using them to provide a seamless user experience with SaaS applications and cloud hosted services.
• Experiences or knowledge in network security best practices, including Zero Trust (Zscaler), IAM/Entra, and encryption standards
• Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert Certification or AWS Solutions Architect Professional Certification

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,374, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £17,780 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.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 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Experience , Strengths , 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.

Important: Your CV and Cover Letter must be merged into a single document before uploading.

Stage 1: Sift (CV & Cover Letter)

Experience: Your covering letter should be no more than 1 pages referencing how you meet the essential skills and criteria required, including relevant technical abilities you have that are not already covered in your CV. At sift, through your CV (and covering letter) we will be assessing: Experience and Technical Ability.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: "Making Effective Decisions", "Changing and Improving"
• 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.
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

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

Interviews are envisaged to take place the week commencing 23rd February 2026 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 7 Group 1 Digital and Data salary

• The basic pay for this role will be between £66,929 - £81,112 (London), £61,374 - £75,581 (National). Candidates will usually be recruited to the median of the payscale.
• A digital allowance 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 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