Job Title: Senior Technical Architect Band: 5 Salary: £59,877 - £66,896 (plus allowance up to £9,000 per annum depending on technical assessment) Location: Liverpool/Newport/Norwich/Birmingham Terms: Permanent Hours: Full Time/ Compressed Hours Closing Date: 26/01/2026 Ready to step up from merely managing systems to designing the future of our entire technology ecosystem? We're seeking X2 Senior Technical Architect to be the driving force behind our next generation of scalable, resilient, and innovative solutions, directly translating business strategy into technical reality. Do you possess the deep technical mastery to mentor a high-performing engineering team while navigating the complex trade-offs between speed, cost, and quality ? Job Summa ryWe are seeking a visionary Senior Technical Architect ready to own and evolve our enterprise-wide DDaT technical strategy and architecture. You will be the defining authority, responsible for architecting highly scalable, secure, and resilient solutions that directly impact public service delivery. Lead technical governance, mentor high-performing engineering teams, and drive our complex digital transformation journey by translating national strategy into robust technical reality. Directorate Overv iew The Digital & Data Services (DDS) directorate is at the heart of CCS's digital transformation journey, responsible for delivering modern, efficient, and user-centred digital services that support over £30bn of public sector procurement annually. We're building a world-class digital capability that will revolutionise how the public sector buys common goods and servi ces. Team Su m mary The team operates as a single, unified unit of 6 (and growing to 10), combining both Enterprise Architecture (EA) and Senior Technical Architecture expertise. While we leverage supplemental support from preferred partners, we always maintain control, with our architects establishing the guardrails and managing the strategic direction of their w ork. Key Accountabi litiesOwn the Technical Vi sion: Define the 'how' for all strategic change, ensuring solutions align with the long-term enterprise archite cture.Lead Technical Govern ance: Champion and implement architectural standards, including Secure by Design, across high-impact pro jects.Mentor and Guide Teams: Provide technical leadership and guidance to engineering and architecture teams on complex design deci sions.Manage Architectural Risk: Identify and clearly articulate technical debt and architectural risks early in the investment pr ocess.Ensure System Integ rity: Verify that new High-Level Designs (HLDs) are scalable, secure, and fit within the broader CCS technology ecos ystem.Drive Strategic Align ment: Collaborate with Business Architecture to translate strategic goals into practical, resilient technical bluep rints.Review Supplier Capab ility: Assess the technical viability and integration methods of solutions proposed by market suppliers (e.g., for the Self-Serve progr amme).Document Archite cture: Lead the creation of clear, concise architectural documentation suitable for senior leade rship. Essential Criteria (to be assessed at application stage):Enterprise Architecture Gover nance: Proven experience in defining and enforcing architectural standards (e.g., through an Architecture Review Board or similar forum) to manage technical debt and ensure system int egrity.Secure & Scalable D esign: Deep expertise in designing and leading the implementation of highly scalable, resilient, and secure solutions, including applying Secure by Design principles to large-scale platforms (e.g., IDAM or high-volume transactional ser vices).Strategic Technical Ali gnment: Ability to translate abstract business or policy strategy into concrete, actionable technical blueprints, and effectively articulate risks to senior stakeholders (e.g., GCF architecture presentation at 'level zero').Complex Integration & Trad e-offs: Demonstrated experience navigating and making complex technical trade-offs (e.g., speed vs. cost vs. quality) and defining integration strategy for major enterprise s ystems. Leade rship: Experience in providing technical mentorship and coaching to technical teams. Success Profiles (to be assessed at int erview):You will be assessed against the f ollowing Beh aviours:Seeing the bigger pictureCommunicating and inf luencingMaking effective d ecisionsYou will be assessed against the f ollowing Technical Skills (Some of the below technical skills will be tested via a presentation at in terview)Architecture commu nicationArchitect for the whole context(A link to the Civil Service Success Profiles Framework is provide d below)Success Profiles F ramework A ssessment You will also be required to complete a presentation within the final interview stage with more information to follow on this should you be successful Please note that as part of this recruitment process, if you are unsuccessful at interview stage but are close to the benchmark score you may be considered for and offered a role at a lower pay band within the same job family. What we will offer you, here are some of the benefits you can expect:Compet itive salaryGenerous pe nsion schemeA discretionary non-contractual performance r elated bonusWorking remotely in addition to working in advertised off ice locationFlexi time scheme (availabl e for B1-B6)Minimum 25 days annual leave to a maximum service related 30 days excluding b ank holidays Explore full y how we will rewa rd your work. Want to make a difference? Find out more about the rewarding work that we do in our c andidate pack. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Serv ice Peopl e Plan and the Civil ServiceD& a mp;I Strategy. We want to make our recruitment process accessible to everyone, so if there is any way that we can support you, please contact recruitment@crownco mmercial.gov.uk Working flexibly, del ivering outcomesCCS is a flexible business with a smarter working model where our colleagues benefit from a mix of home and office working. Successful candidates are expected to work from one of the office locations listed. Our current office attendance approach requires a minimum of 26 days per quarter (approx 2 days per week, which may be subject to change) in CCS office locations or off site meetings with suppliers, customers, partners, networking / industry events. This is pro rata for those who work part time. Our smarter working principles mean that our people have the advantage of both office and offsite based collaboration and learning, as well as working from home. This way of working allows us to honour our commitment to being a responsible business, offer flexibility and better work life balance as well as ensuring we deliver our business with confidence and in accordance with our CCS values. Selection ProcessCandidates who are successful at sift will be contacted as soon as possible following the closing date and advised of the interview process in more detail. The sift will commence WC 26th January and interviews will be held WC 9th February either at one of our offices or via video with interview times and dates to be confirmed. (S ubject to change) To find out more about our recruitment pr ocess please click here Please note: 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 acti on. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Complaints procedureOur recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles details of w hich can be found at http://civilservicecommissio n.independent.gov.uk 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 recruitment@crowncommercial.gov.uk i n the first instance. If you remain unsatisfied with the response you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commiss ion at info@csc.gov.uk