Lead IT Technology Architect

• Job Category Information Technology and Digital Services
• Posting Date 07/08/2026, 09:43 AM
• Locations Three Snow Hill Lateral Brunel House Piccadilly Gate Cathedral Square
• Apply Before 07/22/2026, 10:59 PM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Working Hours 37
• Part Time/Job Share Considered Yes

About the role.

As part of the development of our Digital Services function, we are recruiting to strengthen internal digital capability within the Digital Technical Competence team. These roles are central to building sustainable in house expertise that supports the design, development, and delivery of digital solutions across the transport network. This is a pivotal role in shaping, designing and assuring technical solutions for one of the UK's most complex and nationally important operational environments. You will lead the architecture for substantial, high value and multifaceted solutions, setting architectural standards, providing clear technical direction, and guiding delivery teams through pragmatic, well informed decision making. This role drives enterprise wide architecture, promoting reuse and interoperability, while ensuring digital services are operationally sustainable, cyber resilient and deliver value for money.

This is a hybrid role, requiring two days per week in the office, based at any National Highways office location.

• Translate organisational strategy into actionable technical architectures, guiding delivery teams and influencing senior stakeholders to drive digital transformation across public services.
• Architect solutions across the whole business context and communicate those decisions effectively.
• Provide strategic technical leadership across complex digital programmes ensuring technology solutions are robust, scalable, secure and aligned with government standards and business objectives.
• Develop best practice for IT Technology architecture to meet our need for continuous improvement.
• Create technical designs for solutions of high complexity and risk.
• Lead teams of more junior architects in designing solutions for National Highways, building relationships with senior stakeholders across different business or technical areas in the organisation to correctly direct solutions and meet business needs.

About you.

• You demonstrate a strong understanding of public sector strategy, policy, and service delivery models.
• You have proven experience leading architecture across complex digital programmes, with familiarity in Agile and hybrid delivery models and managing legacy to modern transitions.
• You bring deep expertise in cloud, infrastructure, and emerging technologies within regulated environments.
• You are highly skilled in stakeholder engagement, influencing senior leaders, and enabling effective cross government collaboration.
• You have experience in architectural governance, technical assurance, and aligning technical solutions to clear business outcomes.
• You show strong commercial awareness of public sector procurement, cost optimisation, and value delivery.

• Basic salary and performance related bonus.
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution up to 10%.
• Annual leave starting at 26 days plus bank holidays, increasing by 1 day each year to 31 days plus bank holidays.
• Flexible hours and hybrid working.
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary.
• Health and wellbeing support, including employee assistance programme, mental health first aiders, wellbeing app, occupational health service and flu vaccines.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Investment in career development - learning, talent management, coaching, mentoring, on job experience.

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.