Technical Architect (Development and Adoption Technologist)

Job summary

Whilst GDS are recruiting for this role, The National Security Digital Centre sits centrally within DSIT

The National Security Digital Centre (NSDC) is a new, ambitious team within DSIT, created to drive digital, data and technology transformation across the national security community. Our purpose is simple but high impact: to help departments use digital, data and technology more effectively to deliver their missions, and ultimately keep the country safe.

We are a small but growing team, based in the Digital Foundations Directorate under the Director of the Government Cyber Unit. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape how this work develops and make a tangible contribution from day one.

We care deeply about the environment we create. Diversity and inclusion are central to how we work, and you’ll be joining a team with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Together, we are building a culture where everyone can do their best work and feel they belong.

If you are motivated by meaningful work, enjoy solving complex challenges, and want to play a role in shaping the future of national security digital, we would love to hear from you.

Job description

As a Technical Architect (Development and adoptions Technologist) in the NSDC you’ll:

• Drive successful adoption and sustained use of national security platforms across government, growing them into widely used, high‑value, and policy-aligned services

• Shape platform development and evolution to meet cross-government user needs, ensuring services are usable, scalable, and deliver measurable outcomes for departments

• Build a deep understanding of the challenges of platform integration in national security to cohere and shape the architecture of technology at SECRET and TOP SECRET

• Identify, develop, and promote principles, standards, and best practice, or lead cross UK public sector technologists to create them, supporting better national security platform development.

• Provide a proactive, informed and goal-oriented secretariat function for key NSDC delivery and governance groups such as the Technical Design Council and Technical Expert Advisory Group

• Build a network of peers across the National Security Community and UK Public Sector to regularly engage with

• Help upskill others across GDS and the National Security Community in your specialist area

Person specification

We’re interested in people who have experience in:

• working in digital roles that are National Security-aligned within the UK. This may be in any organisation, but you should understand the wider National Security systems of the UK (i.e. outside your own organisation).

• driving digital transformation and adoption at scale, including onboarding users, services, or organisations into shared platforms, using feedback to optimise and refine standards for technical designs throughout the life cycle

• setting a vision and leading digital and data change that aligns with organisational objectives

• engaging with suppliers and vendors to ensure platform capabilities align with user needs and adoption goals

• translating complex technical platforms into clear value propositions and adoption strategies for senior stakeholders using architecture communication techniques

• embedding learning in the way you approach your working week, and are keen to share your learning with those around you through coaching and mentoring

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at NSDC, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for the King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service 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 at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

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

The standard selection process for roles at NSDC consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and answer 2 application questions
• a 60 minute video interview

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:Describe a significant piece of work where you led or influenced the adoption of a digital platform, service or capability across multiple teams, organisations or user groups.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• changing and improving
• leadership
• communicating and influencing
• managing a quality service

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Technical Architect role:

• Architect for the whole context
• Architecture communication
• Making architectural decisions
• Strategy design

Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: 17th July 2026

Panel interviews: 23rd July 2026

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

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

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

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 meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk
• Email : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk

Further information

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 gds-complaints@dsit.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission by email: info@csc.gov.uk Or in writing: Civil Service Commission, Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.