At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape the future architecture for DWP's Corporate Centre and lead digital transformation.
- Company: Join DWP Digital, a leader in government digital services with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, generous leave, flexible working, and a strong pension scheme.
- Other info: Award-winning culture with opportunities for professional development and career progression.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on millions of citizens while influencing enterprise-scale architecture.
- Qualifications: Experience in designing technical architectures and leading delivery teams.
The predicted salary is between 68205 - 80000 £ per year.
Are you ready to shape the architecture that powers the future of DWP's Corporate Centre? As a Lead Technical Architect, you'll join DWP Digital's Corporate Centre Services (CCS) leadership team, helping to define the technology, data and architecture strategy that supports critical functions including People & Place, Finance, Estates and Policy. This is a rare opportunity to influence architecture at enterprise scale while helping thousands of colleagues deliver better outcomes for millions of citizens across the UK.
Working directly with our senior leaders, you'll provide technical leadership across a diverse portfolio of digital transformation programmes including major ERP implementations, estates transformation and the modernisation of legacy technology. You'll ensure services are secure, scalable, integrated and built around user needs while championing architectural excellence across teams. This is a role for an experienced architecture leader who enjoys solving complex challenges, influencing strategic decisions and creating a long-term technology vision. Your work will help DWP deliver more efficient services, utilise data more effectively and build stronger foundations for future innovation.
What skills, knowledge and experience will you need?
- Experience designing technical architectures across cloud, SaaS, on-premise and hybrid environments.
- Ability to create end-to-end solutions that bring together networking, security, integration, databases and user-facing services.
- Strong understanding of architecture principles, patterns, standards and best practices, and how to apply them to guide technical decisions.
- Experience working with delivery teams throughout the full service lifecycle, from initial concept and design through to implementation and live service.
- Ability to translate business needs into clear technical solutions and communicate design decisions to a range of stakeholders.
- Experience using architecture modelling techniques and tools to create and communicate architectural designs.
- Experience providing technical leadership across multiple projects, including mentoring architects and evaluating technologies, suppliers or platforms.
You and your role
As our Lead Technical Architect, you'll set the technical direction for a portfolio of services that support the running of one of the UK's largest government departments. Working across Corporate Centre Services, you'll shape the architecture behind critical business functions. You'll lead the design and assurance of solutions that enable DWP to modernise legacy technology, make better use of data and deliver more joined-up digital services. From major transformation programmes to strategic platform decisions, you'll ensure solutions are secure, scalable and aligned to long-term business objectives.
Working closely with senior leaders, delivery teams, engineers, data specialists and suppliers, you'll provide architectural leadership across multiple initiatives. You'll guide technical decision-making, strengthen governance, mentor other architects and help teams balance user needs, risk, cost and technical quality. This is a role with significant influence and visibility. You'll help define the future architecture vision for Corporate Centre Services, enabling better colleague experiences, more efficient operations and stronger digital capabilities that support DWP's wider transformation ambitions.
Location: You'll join us in one of our brilliant digital hubs in Blackpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle or Sheffield, whichever is most convenient for you.
Hybrid Working: We work a hybrid model - you'll spend some time working at home and some time collaborating face to face in a hub.
Pay: We offer pay up to £99,836. That's £75,026 salary plus a Government Digital and Data Allowance of up to £24,810 subject to our assessment of your capability at interview.
Pension: You'll get a brilliant civil service pension with employer contributions worth 28.97%, worth up to £16,786 per year.
Holidays: A generous leave package starting at 26 days rising to 31 days over time. You can also take up to 3 extra days off a month on flexi-time. You'll also get all the usual public holidays.
We have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Flexible working including flexible hours and flex-friendly policies
- Time off volunteering and charitable giving
- Bring your authentic self to work with 'I Can Be Me in DWP'
- Discounts and savings on shopping, fun days out and more
- Interest-free loans to buy a bike or a season ticket, so it's even easier for you to get to work and start making a difference
- Sports and social activities
- Professional development, coaching, mentoring and career progression opportunities.
And we have an award-winning environment and culture:
- DWP have been recognised as 2024 Diversity Employer of the Year at the Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards
- Diverse and Inclusive Leadership at Digital Leaders Awards 2024
- Commended as Best Place to Work in Digital category in the Computing Digital Technology Leaders awards 2025
- Recognised as one of the Best Public Sector Employers at 2025 Women In Tech Employer Awards
Process
We know your time is valuable so our application and selection process is just two stages:
- Apply: complete your application on Civil Service Jobs. There'll be full instructions when you click through.
- Interview: a two stage interview online.
Click APPLY for more information and to start your application.
Lead Technical Architect in Glasgow employer: DWP Digital
DWP Digital is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation in the heart of Leeds. With a competitive starting salary of £70,000 and a comprehensive benefits package, including a civil service pension, employees enjoy flexibility through a hybrid working model, allowing for a healthy work-life balance. The company prioritises employee growth, providing ample opportunities for professional development while working with cutting-edge technologies like VXLAN and next-generation firewalls.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Technical Architect in Glasgow
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at DWP Digital or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to DWP Digital.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like DWP Digital.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like DWP Digital that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Technical Architect in Glasgow
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at DWP Digital.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at DWP Digital and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at DWP Digital
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If DWP Digital uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
