At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and assure technical architectures for secure defence solutions.
- Company: Join a high-profile UK defence programme with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Hybrid work model, competitive contract, and potential for extension.
- Other info: Active SC clearance required; excellent opportunity for career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in the defence sector with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in technical architecture within the UK defence sector.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 £ per year.
Technical Architect (Defence) – SC Cleared
Location
Hybrid (UK) – travel to secure customer sites as required
Contract
Initial 11-month contract with potential extension
Security Clearance
- Active SC clearance required (DV eligibility desirable)
- Technical Architect – Defence
- We are seeking an experienced
Technical Architect to join a high-profile UK defence programme, supporting the delivery of secure, resilient and interoperable technical solutions across complex environments.
This role is ideal for an architect with a strong background in the
UK defence sector who has experience designing enterprise-scale technical architectures within secure or highly regulated environments.
Please note
Previous experience working on UK defence programmes is essential for this position.
The Role
Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will be responsible for designing and assuring technical architectures that support complex systems integration, digital transformation and secure technology adoption.
You will translate business and operational requirements into scalable, supportable technical solutions while ensuring alignment with security, governance and engineering standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Produce high-level and low-level technical architecture designs.
- Develop technical standards, reference architectures and reusable design patterns.
- Design secure and resilient architectures across enterprise defence environments.
- Define infrastructure, application, platform and integration architectures.
- Support interoperability between complex systems and platforms.
- Contribute to cloud, infrastructure and platform architecture across hybrid and private cloud environments.
- Participate in technical governance, architecture review boards and design authorities.
- Provide technical assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle.
- Work closely with architects, engineering teams, delivery managers and security specialists.
- Assess emerging technologies and support innovation, experimentation and capability development.
- Produce technical documentation including architecture artefacts, technical roadmaps, interface specifications and migration strategies.
Essential Experience
To be considered, you must have
Proven Technical Architecture experience within the UK defence sector (essential).
- Experience supporting MOD, defence industry or other secure government programmes.
- Experience designing complex enterprise-scale technical solutions.
- Experience delivering secure architectures across hybrid or classified environments.
- Strong systems integration and interoperability experience.
- Experience participating in architecture governance and technical assurance processes.
- Familiarity with defence engineering and acquisition frameworks.
- Technical Skills
You'll have expertise across a number of the following
- Architecture & Engineering
- Technical Architecture
- Infrastructure Architecture
- Integration Architecture
- Systems Engineering
- Solution Design
- Technical Governance
- Configuration Management
- Infrastructure & Cloud
- Hybrid and Private Cloud
- VMware
- Kubernetes
- Containerisation
- Virtualisation Technologies
- Infrastructure as Code
- Networking & Security
- Secure Network Design
- Zero Trust Architecture
- Identity & Access Management
- Encryption Technologies
- Security Monitoring
- Network Segmentation
- Cyber Security Architecture
- Data & Integration
- API Design
- Service-Oriented Architecture
- Event-Driven Architecture
- Data Platforms
- Data Integration
- Messaging Technologies
- Tooling
- Sparx Enterprise Architect
- Visio
- Jira
- Confluence
- Git
- Dev Ops
Desirable Experience
Experience in one or more of the following would be advantageous
- Defence R&D
- Secure cloud migration programmes
- Command and Control systems
- Operational Technology (OT)
- Digital Engineering
- AI-enabled capabilities
- Multi-domain integration
- Military communications and information systems
- Defence digital transformation initiatives
- Security Requirements
- Active UK
SC Clearance is mandatory.
- Eligibility for
DV Clearance is advantageous.
- Ability to work within secure environments and comply with government security policies and information assurance requirements.
Please note
Due to the nature of this work, applicants must hold active UK SC Clearance and have demonstrable experience delivering technical architecture within the UK defence sector.
Unfortunately, candidates without relevant defence experience cannot be considered for this position.
Technical Architect in England employer: Coltech
Coltech is an excellent employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration in the heart of Bristol. With a hybrid working model, employees enjoy flexibility while tackling complex engineering challenges in mobile security, alongside opportunities for professional growth and development within a supportive team environment. The company values diversity and encourages creative problem-solving, making it a rewarding place for those passionate about technology and security.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Technical Architect in England
✨Get Involved in Open-Source Projects
Diving into open-source projects is a brilliant way to showcase your skills and connect with other developers in the community. Not only will you beef up your GitHub profile but you might also catch the eye of someone at Coltech who values hands-on experience over just theory.
✨Attend Local Tech Meetups
Tech meetups are gold mines for networking and discovering job opportunities, especially in the fast-paced world of software engineering. Check out local listings for events in your area and don’t shy away from introducing yourself. This could lead directly to a temporary position at Coltech!
✨Showcase Your Work Online
With temporary roles, it’s all about standing out in a short space of time. Create a portfolio website where you highlight your projects and skills. Talk about your code, and provide links to your GitHub repositories. This will not only demonstrate your abilities but will also make it easier for recruiters at Coltech to see what you bring to the table.
✨Leverage Temporary Job Boards
Don’t forget to check specialised job boards for temporary software development roles. Websites like We Work Remotely or Remote OK often list short-term gigs that can be a perfect fit. Apply directly through our website as well, making sure your application is sharp—temporary roles can move fast!
We think you need these skills to ace Technical Architect in England
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Tech Skills:Make sure your CV highlights your tech stack and any programming languages you’re proficient in. Include specifics about any frameworks or technologies you’ve worked with; they can make you stand out in the sea of applicants. It’s all about showing that you have the chops we need at Coltech!
Portfolio 2.0:Since you’re applying for a temporary gig, it’s super important to showcase a portfolio that highlights your best projects. Include links to GitHub or any personal projects that demonstrate what you can do in a real-world environment. This gives us a taste of your style and your problem-solving approach!
Keep It Brief and Relevant:With a temporary position, we want to see your ability to hit the ground running. Be concise in your CV and cover letter; stick to experiences that directly relate to the role. Highlight any previous temporary roles or freelance gigs that show your adaptability and quick learning!
Tailor Your Cover Letter:Don’t just send a generic cover letter. Personalise it for Technical Architect at Coltech! Mention why this temporary role excites you and how you see yourself contributing in the short run. Show us what you've got and why you're the one for this quick turn-around!
How to prepare for a job interview at Coltech
✨Nail the Technical Skills
For a software engineering role, you'll likely face technical questions or coding tasks during your interview. Brush up on the relevant programming languages and frameworks that Coltech uses, and don’t forget to practice some coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank. Showing your coding prowess can really make you stand out!
✨Prepare for System Design Questions
Even for a temporary role, having a grasp of system design principles can be crucial. Be ready to discuss how you would architect a software solution, including discussing trade-offs, scalability, and performance considerations. Having examples from previous projects can really show off your analytical thinking.
✨Demonstrate Your Adaptability
Since this is a temporary role, you'll want to emphasise your ability to hit the ground running. Highlight experiences where you quickly adapted to new technologies or teams. Let’s make it clear to the interviewers at Coltech that you can learn on the job and deliver results in a short timeframe!
✨Show Off Your Portfolio
Make sure to have a portfolio or GitHub ready showcasing your projects. Having tangible evidence of what you've done—be it personal projects, contributions to open-source, or previous work—can convey how capable you are. Tailor this for what might interest Coltech, so it's relevant and sparks conversation during your interview.
