Do you want to lead on the modernisation of systems that deliver billions of pounds in payments every week to citizens who rely on our support? As a Lead Technical Architect in DWP Payments, you’ll operate at one of the highest levels of architectural leadership within DWP Digital. Payments is one of the most critical service areas in government, responsible for ensuring accurate, reliable and timely payments to millions of people. We are one of the biggest payers in the UK, across benefits and pensions and we’re modernising our payments estate. We are moving away from legacy systems and designing future‑proofed, event‑driven, API‑led architectures that are resilient, scalable and secure. You’ll guide the technical strategy for major transformation initiatives, shaping how our next‑generation payments platform will work. You’ll provide expert architectural leadership across cloud, on‑premise and hybrid environments, and work with multidisciplinary teams to design and govern high‑risk, high‑impact solutions. You’ll collaborate closely with delivery teams and senior stakeholders, offering clear options and recommendations that influence technology decisions at scale. This is an exciting time to join us. The scale is huge, the challenge is real, and the opportunities for impact are significant. You’ll help transform the backbone of one of the UK’s largest public services.
Responsibilities
You as a Lead Technical Architect will guide architectural direction, set standards, and ensure solutions meet both technical and business needs. You’ll inspire, mentor and support the architecture community, helping others grow and ensuring consistent and high‑quality design across the organisation. Leadership in this role means influencing strategy, supporting communities, guiding decisions and creating clarity in complex environments. You’ll solve some of the biggest and most important challenges in government technology: modernising legacy payment systems, improving resilience, handling huge volumes of data, and ensuring that millions of people get the right payment at the right time.
Qualifications
* You know how to design microservice and API‑led architectures, and you understand the tools, techniques and best practices behind them.
* You have hands‑on experience with event‑based architectures, including pub/sub models, data streaming and modern integration patterns.
* You can design architectures that span cloud, on‑prem and hybrid environments, and understand networking, security, middleware, databases and integration.
* You use architecture principles, standards and patterns to guide design, making sure solutions align with strategy.
* You’ve shaped or supported delivery across agile, waterfall and hybrid environments, from initial concept all the way to go‑live.
* You can take complex business needs and turn them into clear, traceable technical solutions that stakeholders can understand.
* You use architecture modelling techniques and tools to represent designs in a way that supports decision‑making.
Benefits & Remuneration
Pay: Competitive salary up to £99,836, plus up to £24,810 Government Digital and Data Allowance (subject to assessment). Pension: 28.97% employer contribution, worth up to £21,735 per year. Holidays: 26 days rising to 31 days over time, plus all public holidays. Hybrid working model with flexible hours and fully remote options.
* Flexible working including flexible hours and flex‑friendly policies
* Time off volunteering and charitable giving
* Bring your authentic self to work with ‘I Can Be Me in DWP’
* Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
* Interest‑free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket
* Sports and social activities
* Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities
* DWP recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
* Recognised as Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024
* Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025
* Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Tech Employer Awards
Equality and Inclusion
Disability Confident. A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant who declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr