Senior Enterprise Architect (Borders & Trade)

  • HMRC
  • Birmingham, Staffordshire
  • 06/08/2026
Full time Information Technology Telecommunications Management

Job Description

About the job

Job summary

Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you're seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it's really like to work at HMRC.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.

We are undergoing a major transformation to modernise and future-proof our IT estate, supporting one of the largest and most complex operational environments in the public sector.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a forward-thinking group at the forefront of digital innovation, where your expertise will help drive the delivery of robust, scalable, and secure technology solutions that have a profound impact on both HMRC's customers and colleagues.

Job description

As a Senior Enterprise Architect, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how HMRC delivers technology at enterprise scale. Operating at the intersection of business strategy, policy and technology, you will define and evolve architectural direction that enables secure, scalable and sustainable services across the Borders & Trade estate.

Your work will directly influence how HMRC invests in technology, adopts new capabilities, and manages complexity across imports, exports, transit, excise and environmental taxes. By setting clear architectural strategy and standards, you will help ensure technology decisions deliver maximum value for customers, colleagues and the wider UK economy.

Person specification

You will bring a strong professional architecture mindset, informed by recognised enterprise architecture practices and continuous learning. This may include experience with commercial and sourcing considerations, cloud platforms (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), and working towards or holding relevant professional architecture qualifications.

This professional grounding supports effective architectural governance, credible engagement with commercial and policy colleagues, and confident leadership of enterprise scale change.

What You'll Do
  • Own and evolve the enterprise architecture strategy for the Borders & Trade domain, ensuring alignment with HMRC's wider organisational objectives and policy intent.
  • Develop, maintain and govern architectural principles, standards, roadmaps and reference architectures that guide technology investment and solution design.
  • Provide enterprise level assurance and decision support, ensuring proposed solutions and investments deliver value, manage risk and align with long term architectural direction.
  • Influence policy and set technical direction across the Enterprise Operations estate, shaping how technology supports regulatory, operational and customer outcomes.
  • Carry out horizon scanning, identifying emerging technologies, industry trends and sourcing models, and assessing their potential impact and opportunity for HMRC.
  • Guide architectural decision making, clearly articulating trade-offs, risks and benefits, and recommending options based on enterprise wide considerations.
  • Collaborate with senior stakeholders across business, technology and commercial functions to align architecture with strategic priorities and delivery plans.
  • Promote continuous improvement and innovation, helping HMRC reduce complexity and improve resilience, security and scalability across its IT landscape.
  • Contribute to the development of architectural capability, supporting colleagues and strengthening enterprise architecture practice across HMRC.
Essential Criteria:
  • Enterprise Architecture Strategy & Leadership - Proven experience operating as an Enterprise Architect (or equivalent), shaping and leading architecture strategy, roadmaps and direction for enterprise scale platforms or capabilities.
  • Architectural Principles, Standards & Governance - Strong experience developing and governing architectural principles, policies, standards and reference architectures to guide technology decision making.
  • Whole Enterprise Thinking & Impact Analysis - Ability to look beyond immediate problems to understand enterprise wide implications, dependencies and opportunities across systems, services and portfolios.
  • Decision Support & Trade off Analysis - Demonstrable ability to guide complex decision making, explain trade-offs, and make evidence based recommendations that balance risk, value and long term sustainability.
  • Strategic Stakeholder Engagement - Experience influencing and engaging senior business and technology stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language.
  • Horizon Scanning & Innovation - Experience identifying emerging technologies, trends or sourcing approaches and assessing their relevance and impact within a large, complex organisation.
Further Location Information

Please ensure that you only apply for a location that you are willing and able to work from, as we will only make one offer of employment. Any additional notes included in a 'Further Location Preferences (optional)' field within the application form, will not be considered. Please be aware that you cannot change your location preference after submitting your application.

Office Closures

If your location preference is for one of the following sites, it's important to note that these are not long-term sites for HMRC and we will require you to move to a new building in the future, subject to our location strategy and the applicable employee policies at that time.

For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window)

These sites are:
  • Benton Park View, Newcastle - moving to Pilgrims Quarter, Newcastle
  • Telford Plaza, Telford - moving to Parkside Court, Telford
You will be given more information about what this means at the job offer stage.

Leeds Location

Moves Adjustment Payment will be available for this role, provided the successful applicant is a current HMRC colleague in Bradford and meets the eligibility requirements outlined in the HMRC's Moves Adjustment Payment guidance.

Capability Allowance

The advertised role is part of the Government Digital and Data Profession and has access to a Capability-Based Allowance. Any allowance awarded will be based on an assessment, at interview, of your capability against the skills advertised for this role. Please see the attached candidate pack for more information.

The allowance values are set by HMRC, subject to remaining in a qualifying role, and are non-pensionable. This allowance is non-contractual, subject to an annual review and could be withdrawn at any time.

For both new entrants and existing civil servants, the total reward compensation offer is a combination of base salary and, if applicable, a capability-based allowance. New entrants to the Civil Service will start on the pay range minimum. For existing civil servants, our policies on level transfer and promotion will apply.

For more information please visit the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (opens in a new window).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,541, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £16,959 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).

HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.

We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
  • Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues' Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
  • Family friendly policies.
  • Personal support.
  • Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it's really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service

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

How to Apply

As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
  • A name-blind CV including your job history, qualifications and previous experiences. Please attach your CV as a separate additional document in either PDF or word format no bigger than 5MB.
  • A 750-word Personal Statement. Your personal statement should be used to describe how your skills and experience would be suitable for the advertised role, making reference to the essential criteria and person specification outlined in the advert.
Sift

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