Systems Engineer/Architect - SC Cleared
(Systems / Software / Infrastructure)
End-to-End Technical Leadership Role
Key Details
Location: 2-3 days per week onsite, MOD Corsham
Contract: 6 months
Day Rate: £480 - £520 per day (Inside IR35)
Clearance: Active SC Clearance requiredWe are seeking a Systems Engineer/Architect to take ownership of the end-to-end technical integrity, coherence, and long-term sustainability of a major digital service or programme.
This is a pivotal leadership role at the centre of complex, multi-layered delivery. You will act as the senior technical conscience of the programme - ensuring engineering decisions are robust, joined-up, and capable of standing up in live operation, not just delivery.
You will balance delivery pressure with engineering quality, ensuring the solution is secure, resilient, maintainable, and fit for long-term operational use.
About the Role
As the Senior Technical Authority, you will define and own the technical architecture and engineering direction across systems, software, infrastructure, and integration domains.
You will ensure that the end-to-end solution is designed and delivered as a coherent whole system, not a set of disconnected components optimised in isolation.
Your accountability spans the full lifecycle:
concept → design → build → integration → transition → live service → continuous improvement
You will be accountable for ensuring the system works in reality - at scale, under load, and in operational conditions.
Key Accountabilities
Own and govern the overall technical architecture and engineering direction
Ensure end-to-end coherence across systems, software, infrastructure, and integrations
Identify, manage, and escalate technical risks across the lifecycle
Ensure solutions are secure, resilient, operable, and supportable in live service
Act as the senior technical authority, balancing delivery demands with engineering integrity
Key Responsibilities
Technical Strategy & Architecture
Define and maintain the technical vision and engineering strategy. Ensure all architectural decisions align with operational needs, security requirements, scalability, resilience, and long-term maintainability. Maintain strong alignment between user needs, delivery constraints, and sustainable engineering outcomes.
Systems Engineering & Integration
Act as the system-level integrator across all domains. Oversee dependencies and interfaces across applications, infrastructure, identity, networks, and external services. Prevent siloed decision-making that could compromise overall system performance or resilience.
Engineering Assurance Across the Lifecycle
Provide independent technical assurance from early design through to live operations. Ensure architectural decisions are evidence-based, proportionate to risk, and consistently applied. Collaborate closely with assurance and quality teams without duplicating their function.
Supplier & Delivery Oversight
Set clear technical expectations for suppliers and delivery partners. Review and assure technical designs and engineering outputs. Challenge poor engineering practice where it introduces risk, while maintaining strong, constructive working relationships.
Live Service & Operability
Ensure solutions are designed for real-world operation. Champion non-functional requirements including resilience, availability, security, performance, usability, and recoverability. Use live service insight to continuously improve engineering decisions.
Skills & Experience
Essential
Senior experience across systems, software, and infrastructure engineering
Proven ability to operate as a technical authority at enterprise scale
Strong understanding of system-of-systems design, integration, and failure modes
Deep knowledge of architectural trade-offs and risk-based decision making
Experience working across multiple suppliers and delivery models
Desirable
Experience in large-scale, mission-critical or safety-critical environments
Background in government, defence, or regulated industries
Familiarity with secure-by-design and defence-in-depth principles
Experience in hybrid Agile / Waterfall delivery environments