Principal Technology Consultant - Defence & National Security in London

Darter is hiring a Principal Technology Consultant to lead digital, technology and AI strategy work across UK Defence and national security. You would join a small, senior team working directly with clients across the MOD, the Armed Forces, industry and the wider Defence enterprise. This is a senior role for someone with the judgement, credibility and technology breadth of a CTO-style adviser. You will help senior leaders make sense of complex technology choices, shape digital transformation programmes, and turn ambition into practical plans that can survive contact with real organisations, real constraints and senior scrutiny. You will need to hold, or be able to obtain, UK Security Clearance for this role.

What you would do:

• Lead digital, technology and AI strategy engagements across Defence and national security.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior military, civil service and industry leaders.
• Help clients define clear outcomes, priorities, roadmaps, governance arrangements and delivery plans.
• Bring technology judgement to complex problems across AI, data, cloud, software, cyber, digital services and enterprise architecture.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams, setting direction, maintaining quality and owning delivery outcomes.
• Produce and assure senior-quality briefings, reports, board papers, business cases and decision materials.
• Identify and shape opportunities, contribute to Darter's growth and develop Darter's technology and digital transformation propositions.
• Coach and develop consultants, helping them improve the quality of their thinking, delivery and client work.

What we are looking for:

This role suits a senior technology, digital or transformation consultant who can combine strategic judgement with technical credibility. You do not need to be the deepest specialist in every domain, but you do need to understand enough to ask the right questions, challenge conventional thinking and guide senior clients.

• Strong technology breadth across areas such as AI, data, cloud, software, platforms, cyber, architecture, integration and delivery.
• Significant experience leading technology, digital transformation or strategic advisory engagements.
• Credibility in Defence, national security, government or similarly complex high-stakes environments.
• Experience shaping digital transformation, including future states, roadmaps, operating models, governance, investment priorities or technology strategies.
• A practical understanding of AI and data-driven transformation, including value, risk, governance and adoption considerations.
• Strong consulting fundamentals, including structured problem-solving, analysis, stakeholder engagement, facilitation and recommendation development.
• The judgement to advise senior leaders, including when to challenge assumptions or slow down poor decisions.
• Commercial and firm-building capability, including opportunity shaping, proposal development and proposition development.

What it is like to work here:

Darter operates on the basis of trust, responsibility and high professional standards. Consultants work in small teams with direct exposure to senior colleagues and clients. The environment suits people who value autonomy, clear expectations, thoughtful challenge and accountability for the quality of their work. You will work alongside people with experience across Defence, national security, digital strategy, engineering, transformation, data and technology advisory. Our work predominantly goes directly to senior decision-makers, so clarity, credibility and precision matter. We are selective about the work we take on. We want to do work that is useful, ethical and genuinely connected to strengthening the UK's security, resilience and prosperity.

What we offer:

• Salary between £110,000 and £130,000, depending on experience.
• Pension matched up to 10%
• Annual performance-based bonus
• Share options
• Unlimited holiday
• Private health insurance, including dental and optical cover.
• Dedicated personal development budget and protected learning time.
• Flexible, remote-first working, with in-person time when it matters.
• Time off for volunteering and matched charity donations.
• Regular team socials and offsites.
• A trusting, high-standards culture where your judgement is respected.

Our values:

• Force for good. We work on problems that matter and consider the wider consequences of our advice.
• Deliver excellence. We take pride in our work and aim for excellence in everything we do.
• Empathy and integrity. We act with respect and honesty in how we work with clients and with each other.

Not ticked every box?

If you bring much of what we describe and have the judgement to grow into the rest, we would still like to hear from you. This description outlines the shape of the role rather than a checklist.

Adjustments or accommodations:

Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.