At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead architectural design for digital services in the Legal Aid Agency.
- Company: Ministry of Justice, committed to transparency and collaboration.
- Benefits: Inclusive work culture, diverse environment, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team focused on continuous learning and innovation.
- Why this job: Shape the future of legal aid services and make a real difference.
- Qualifications: Experience as a technical architect with strong software engineering skills.
The predicted salary is between 48000 - 72000 £ per year.
Ministry of Justice is seeking an experienced Senior Technical Architect to support Legal Aid Agency on a temporary consultancy engagement. The role provides architectural leadership across digital services that enable both citizens and legal professionals to access and manage legal aid services.
Role Purpose
The Senior Technical Architect will analyze the Legal Aid Agency's technology landscape, identify opportunities for improvement, and define architectures that support long‑term digital transformation. You will collaborate closely with developers, SRE and security specialists, product managers, user researchers, designers, and delivery managers to guide technical direction across multiple service lines.
Key Responsibilities
- Work with the Lead Technical Architect to define and maintain the long‑term architectural roadmap for the Legal Aid Agency's digital systems.
- Ensure product and delivery teams follow strategic architectural principles, integration patterns, and technology direction.
- Maintain a holistic view of the end‑to‑end service ecosystem, identifying technical dependencies, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
- Explain complex architectural concepts in clear terms to senior stakeholders, enabling informed decision‑making.
- Facilitate alignment between technical and business leaders, balancing strategic direction with delivery needs.
- Represent architecture in governance forums, supporting prioritization, risk discussions, and assurance reviews.
- Create high‑quality architectural artifacts including diagrams, data flows, integrations, future‑state designs, and migration pathways.
- Evaluate technology options and assess impacts across infrastructure, data, security, and operational areas.
- Contribute to architectural patterns, principles, and standards to support consistency across the digital directorate.
- Provide expert oversight to ensure services are robust, secure, scalable, and maintainable.
- Mentor and coach architects, tech leads, and senior engineers, supporting capability development.
- Assist with recruitment and community‑of‑practice initiatives within the architecture and engineering functions.
- Promote open dialogue, collaborative problem solving, and continuous learning within the Logical Aid Agency's technical community.
- Champion inclusive working practices and support efforts to grow diversity across engineering roles.
Candidate Requirements
Essential Skills & Experience
- Significant experience as a technical or solution architect in complex digital or enterprise environments.
- Strong software engineering foundation, with practical knowledge of modern application architectures (e.g., microservices, APIs, distributed systems).
- Proven ability to design and document architectures using visual modelling techniques such as C4, UML, and data flow diagrams.
- Hands‑on experience with at least one major cloud provider, ideally AWS, including Infrastructure as Code, platform services, networking, and security controls.
- Deep understanding of secure and resilient system design, including authentication patterns, threat modelling, performance considerations, and observability.
- Familiarity with Ruby, Python, or Java, and modern development practices such as CI/CD, TDD, and containerization.
- Experience guiding technology decisions, evaluating options, and influencing senior stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of data modelling, integration approaches, API design, messaging patterns, and interoperability challenges.
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex topics and build consensus across diverse groups.
- Ability to work across the full delivery lifecycle, from discovery through implementation and service transition.
Desirable Skills & Experience
- Experience with enterprise ERP platforms (e.g., Oracle E‑Business Suite).
- Knowledge of UK government digital service standards, architecture frameworks, and assurance processes.
- Understanding of Domain‑Driven Design or event‑driven architectural approaches.
- Exposure to SRE, platform engineering, or infrastructure architecture disciplines.
- Experience contributing to architectural communities of practice or governance forums.
- Prior consultancy experience working across multiple product teams or client environments.
Personal Attributes
- Strong systems thinking and analytical capability, with the ability to understand complex environments quickly.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguous or fast‑changing environments while maintaining architectural clarity.
- Collaborative, empathetic, and committed to building trust with stakeholders at all levels.
- Dedicated to continuous learning, technical curiosity, and staying current with emerging technologies.
- Pragmatic and outcome‑focused, balancing long‑term architectural quality with short‑term delivery constraints.
Technical Environment
The assignment covers a diverse mix of modern cloud‑native services and legacy enterprise platforms. Exposure to some of the following areas would be beneficial:
- Modern languages and frameworks including Ruby, Java, and Python
- AWS cloud services, Infrastructure as Code, platform as a service tooling
- Engineering practices such as DDD, TDD, CI/CD, automated testing and Git workflows
- Multi‑tier platform strategies including centralized data and business logic layers
- Enterprise Oracle software including ERP components
- Mac‑based development environments and public GitHub repositories
Our Values
We are committed to a culture built on purpose, transparency, collaboration, and respect. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and support an inclusive environment where people can thrive. Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer.
Senior Technical Architect employer: Cognizant Technology Solutions
Cognizant Technology Solutions is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration within the Retail and Consumer Goods sectors. Employees benefit from extensive growth opportunities through hands-on experience in digital transformation projects, while also enjoying a supportive environment that values stakeholder engagement and teamwork. With the chance to travel across the EU, this role not only enhances professional development but also enriches personal experiences, making it a truly rewarding place to work.
Contact Details:
Cognizant Technology Solutions Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Technical Architect
✨Network Like a Pro
Get out there and connect with folks in the industry! Attend meetups, webinars, or even just grab a coffee with someone who’s already in the role you want. Building relationships can open doors that applications alone can't.
✨Show Off Your Skills
When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, don’t hold back! Share your past projects and how you tackled challenges. Use real examples to demonstrate your expertise in modern application architectures and cloud services.
✨Ask Smart Questions
During interviews, come prepared with insightful questions about their tech stack and architectural practices. This shows you’re genuinely interested and helps you assess if the company aligns with your values and skills.
✨Apply Through Our Website
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Technical Architect
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the Senior Technical Architect role. Highlight your experience with modern application architectures and any relevant cloud provider expertise, especially if you’ve worked with AWS.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to tell us why you're the perfect fit for this role. Share specific examples of how you've led architectural projects or collaborated with diverse teams, and don’t forget to mention your passion for digital transformation in legal services.
Showcase Your Communication Skills:Since you'll need to explain complex concepts to senior stakeholders, make sure your application demonstrates your ability to communicate clearly. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon where possible to show us you can simplify complex topics.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about our values and culture!
How to prepare for a job interview at Cognizant Technology Solutions
✨Know Your Architecture Inside Out
As a Senior Technical Architect, you’ll need to demonstrate a deep understanding of architectural principles. Brush up on modern application architectures like microservices and APIs, and be ready to discuss how you've applied these in past projects. Prepare to explain complex concepts in simple terms, as you'll need to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
✨Showcase Your Collaboration Skills
This role involves working closely with various teams, so highlight your experience in collaborative environments. Be prepared to share examples of how you've facilitated alignment between technical and business leaders, and how you've mentored others in your previous roles. This will show that you can not only lead but also foster a positive team dynamic.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect to face technical questions that assess your knowledge of cloud services, security controls, and system design. Brush up on your hands-on experience with AWS and be ready to discuss Infrastructure as Code. You might also want to prepare some diagrams or visual models to illustrate your thought process during the interview.
✨Demonstrate Your Problem-Solving Approach
The ability to tackle complex problems is crucial for this role. Think of specific challenges you've faced in previous positions and how you approached them. Be ready to discuss your systems thinking and analytical capabilities, and how you maintain architectural clarity in fast-changing environments. This will showcase your pragmatic and outcome-focused mindset.
