Solutions Architect Ref. 3726

Salary: £80,875 - £89,475, dependent on skills and experience. This full salary range reflects the London pay level for roles aligned to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDDPCF), formerly the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Capability Framework, and includes the consolidated skills-related payments available within this framework. Additional allowances may also be available once in role.

Flexible Working: We support full-time, part time, compressed, and flexible working hours. We're committed to offering remote working across our organisation; however, our ability to do so depends on role requirements and business needs. Home working is not possible.

We're MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.

Architecture and technology are core to MI6's successful operations and intelligence delivery. There is a constant need to develop and maintain capabilities that provide us with mission advantage in a rapidly changing, technology- and data-driven world. We use agile and lean methodologies to innovate, deliver, and upgrade products. Whether you work on data analytics, knowledge systems, operational communications, or technical operations capabilities, the nature of our work presents unique and fascinating architecture challenges that you are unlikely to have encountered before.

We develop products that provide capability across MI6. Our multi-disciplinary teams are made up of architects & engineers who work alongside product owners, business analysts, and delivery colleagues to ensure MI6 gets what it needs by balancing tactical and strategic goals. As a Solution Architect, you'll lead the design and systems-engineering approach for a specific area of our organisation-creating new products and continually improving the capabilities of our existing ones.

You'll be part of a community responsible for design authority. Working with the Product Manager and Business Lead, you'll help to deliver a plan that considers user experience, cost, risk, time, and quality, while balancing product evolution with the immediacy of business need. In this role, you'll also deliver the architecture and systems-engineering elements of the product plan throughout its whole life cycle.

This will include:

• Understanding the business problem and shaping the solution, while tailoring systems-engineering and architecture processes to address product risks in the context of scale and complexity.
• Developing, maintaining and communicating the product's vision, architecture, and technology roadmap, including producing high-level designs, solution outlines, and key design decisions.
• Managing technology risk and overseeing design evolution as the product develops, ensuring decisions remain aligned to business needs.
• Supporting integration with other products and overseeing release to service, ensuring coherence across the wider product ecosystem.

Ideally, you'll have led significant elements of product and system delivery and change. Experience as a technical domain subject matter expert is important, as is having worked as a Solution Architect or as part of a solution architecture team on complex solutions. A solid background in applying enterprise and domain architecture, influencing stakeholders, and conducting trade offs across requirements and solution spaces is essential. Knowledge of multiple architecture and delivery frameworks, along with experience of embedding these tools and techniques, is also expected.

Well developed soft skills are key to supporting communication and decision making, including curiosity, teamwork, and problem solving. Being an effective communicator and influencer, with experience negotiating trade offs across requirements and solution spaces, is important. The role involves line managing junior solution architects and contractors, so confidence in leading and working within multi disciplinary teams is essential. A commitment to continual learning and development is also important.

At MI6, we're proud to offer an inclusive and supportive working environment. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we are committed to helping you fulfil your potential. We're dedicated to developing our staff and recognise this will look different for everyone, so we'll work with you to build your skills and help you plan your future career path within the architecture profession and across the organisation.

When you join, you'll receive an induction to help you settle in and gain a full understanding of how your work contributes to our mission. Following this, there will be ongoing opportunities for tailored training, coaching, and mentoring. Throughout your career with us, you will have access to a wide range of online and classroom learning, as well as external accredited training options. These include industry recognised qualifications such as CEng (Chartered Engineer), professional certifications in Solution Architecture, and related disciplines such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP ), or similar.

Our Training and Development pathway is underpinned by the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (GDDPCF). Through this framework, you'll be able to benefit from personalised development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring, alongside access to specialist development routes such as Agile Delivery. You'll also have opportunities to pursue professional qualifications and accredited learning that support your professional growth. More information about the framework can be found here.

You'll receive a starting salary of £80,875 to £89,475, dependent on skills and experience. Most new starters can expect to join at the midpoint of the pay range, depending on core competency and DDaT skills and experience assessment. This assessment is conducted throughout the application and interview process, as outlined below.

• 25 days' annual leave, rising automatically to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
• opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
• an interest free season ticket loan
• a cycle to work scheme
• facilities such as an on site gym at some locations
• paid parental and adoption leave.

At MI6, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups that are under represented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities and individuals from low socio economic backgrounds.

Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity on our website :