Lead Technical Architect (Azure) Public sector in Manchester

Location: Remote with once a month in Manchester

The Company

At Amber Labs, we are a cutting-edge UK and European technology consultancy that prioritises autonomy, experimentation, and rapid learning to deliver exceptional value to our clients. Our company culture is highly collaborative—whether you're a consultant or part of our internal team, everyone contributes to reducing risk and accelerating delivery. We work extensively within the UK public sector, supporting Central Government departments through digital transformation and user-centred design practices.

Role Overview

Amber Labs is a cutting‑edge digital consultancy specialising in data, cloud, and emerging technology. We partner with major government departments to deliver modern, scalable, user‑centred services that make a real impact. As we continue to grow, we’re looking for a Lead Technical Architect to shape complex solutions and guide delivery teams across high‑profile public sector programmes.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading the technical architecture for large‑scale government digital services
• Defining end‑to‑end technical designs across Azure cloud, integrations, APIs, and COTS platforms
• Providing clear, confident communication to senior stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into meaningful business language
• Working closely with delivery teams to ensure solutions are secure, scalable, and aligned to government standards
• Setting architectural direction, patterns, and guardrails across multi‑disciplinary teams
• Ensuring integration approaches are robust, maintainable, and aligned with enterprise architecture
• Supporting the evaluation and implementation of COTS packages within complex legacy and modern environments
• Championing engineering excellence, DevOps practices, and cloud‑native design

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience as a Technical Architect or Lead Architect within the UK public sector
• Strong background in Azure architecture, including cloud‑native services, networking, identity, and security
• Deep experience designing integrations, APIs, event‑driven patterns, and data flows
• Hands‑on knowledge of COTS packages, configuration, and integration into enterprise ecosystems
• Excellent communication skills — able to influence, challenge, and guide both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Understanding of GDS, government security standards, and large‑scale digital transformation
• Ability to lead architecture across multiple teams and suppliers in a complex environment

Join a rapidly expanding consultancy where personal growth is part of our DNA.

• Flexible hybrid working focused on deliverable outcomes.
• Private medical insurance (Aviva) and pension plan (Nest).
• 25 days of annual leave plus UK bank holidays.
• Access to Perkbox, our employee rewards platform offering discounts, perks, and wellbeing resources.
• Generous employee referral programme.
• Choose your preferred device – PC or Mac.
• Be encouraged to take bold steps and embrace experimentation.

Diversity & Inclusion

Amber Labs is proud to be building a workplace that reflects and celebrates the diversity of our teams and communities. We are committed to:

• Creating an inclusive environment where all employees are welcomed, respected, and supported.
• Providing a culture of dignity and respect free from harassment and discrimination.
• Ensuring all hires are trained and aware of their role in creating a safe, equitable workplace.

What Happens Next?

Our Talent Acquisition team will be in touch to advise you on the next steps. We typically run a two-stage interview process, with a third and final stage with our Partners only if necessary.