The Role:

We are looking for experienced Enterprise Architects with a proven track record in data-centric projects to join our consultancy team, deployed directly into high-profile public sector departments. You will act as a trusted advisor, helping our clients navigate complex digital landscapes and ensuring their multi-year technology investments deliver maximum strategic value.

In this role, you will champion a data-first approach to enterprise design, ensuring that data is treated as a high-value strategic asset across the department. You will be responsible for defining the overarching data architecture patterns that enable seamless interoperability, advanced analytics and evidence-based policy making. Your expertise will be critical in breaking down Legacy data silos, establishing robust data governance frameworks, and ensuring that the client’s data infrastructure is scalable, secure and compliant with both ethical standards and public sector regulations.

The role involves embedding yourself within the client’s organisation, working closely with senior civil servants, executive stakeholders and department heads to define the overarching business capabilities and technology roadmaps that govern their digital transformation.

As an Enterprise Architect on site, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, using your expertise to bridge the gap between departmental policy and large-scale technology execution. You will proactively manage the client’s architectural portfolio, identifying opportunities for platform consolidation, cost optimisation and the strategic decommissioning of Legacy systems across the department.

You will provide technical assurance, lead design authority boards and mentor the client’s internal teams to foster long-term architectural coherence.

You must be an exceptional and influential communicator, capable of navigating the unique political and operational challenges of the public sector. You will be responsible for building consensus across diverse stakeholder groups and driving the adoption of shared services and GDS-aligned standards.

Your role requires visionary yet pragmatic thinking, balancing the pursuit of modern innovation with the client’s need for stability, security and enterprise-wide interoperability.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities:

• Define the Client’s Target Architecture State and create transitional roadmaps that guide the department from Legacy constraints to future goals.
• Develop and embed Enterprise Standards and principles that govern technology selection and implementation across the client’s digital estate.
• Lead Architectural Governance for the department, chairing or participating in Design Authority boards to provide expert assurance on major spend.
• Conduct “Build vs. Buy” and Value-for-Money analyses, advising the client on the technical evaluation of third-party platforms and SaaS solutions.
• Align IT Strategy with Departmental Policy, ensuring that technology investments directly support public service outcomes and ministerial objectives.
• Manage the Client’s Application Portfolio, identifying functional overlaps and driving rationalisation to reduce complexity and spend.
• Define High-Level Integration Strategies that ensure data flows seamlessly and securely between departmental silos and external agencies.
• Collaborate with Security and Compliance (SRM) leads to ensure the department’s risk posture and data sovereignty are maintained.
• Produce and maintain Enterprise Artefacts, including business capability maps and service catalogues, using industry-standard notation.

Key Experience:

• Extensive experience in strategic consultancy and senior stakeholder engagement within large, complex government or public sector bodies.
• Extensive experience in data-centric projects
• Proven track record in leading digital transformation at a departmental level, managing multi-year technology roadmaps.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within the “grey areas” of client organisations, balancing immediate project pressures with long-term strategic goals.
• Strong experience in Business Architecture, mapping government services and citizen journeys to underlying technical capabilities.
• Expertise in Enterprise Frameworks (eg, TOGAF, Zachman) and their practical application in a fast-paced delivery environment.
• Deep understanding of TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) and the financial constraints specific to public sector budgeting and business cases (eg, Green Book).
• Ability to manage organisational change, influencing client culture and technical mindsets toward modern, agile ways of working.
• Broad experience with GDS Service Standards, data privacy (GDPR), and the decommissioning of large-scale Legacy estates.

Enterprise Data Experience:

• Proven experience in leading large-scale data transformation initiatives, including the design of enterprise data hubs, lakes or warehouses within a complex regulatory environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement Data Strategies that align with the National Data Strategy, ensuring data is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).
• Strong track record in defining Master Data Management (MDM) and metadata strategies to ensure a “single version of truth” across disparate Legacy systems.
• Experience in architecting modern data platforms that support advanced analytics, machine learning and automated decision-making while maintaining ethical standards.
• Deep understanding of data security and privacy-by-design, specifically in handling sensitive citizen data and navigating the complexities of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act.
• Familiarity with data integration at scale, including the use of streaming architectures (eg, Kafka), ETL/ELT pipelines and cross-departmental data-sharing agreements.

Key Skills:

• Mastery of Architecture Frameworks (eg, TOGAF 9.x/10, ArchiMate) and their tailoring for public sector use.
• Strategic Planning and Roadmapping tools to visualise multi-year departmental shifts.
• Business Capability Modeling and Value Stream mapping for complex public services.
• Advanced Portfolio Management, including application rationalization and technical debt mapping.
• Cloud Strategy Governance across hybrid-cloud environments, specifically within the context of the “Cloud First” government mandate.
• Deep knowledge of Regulatory Compliance, including the Technology Code of Practice and accessibility standards.
• Proficiency in Enterprise Modeling Tools (eg, Orbus, Sparx EA, Bizzdesign, or similar).
• Financial Modelling for IT investment, specifically supporting the creation of robust Treasury-aligned business cases.