Principal Solutions Architect - AI customer facing products
£875-£900/day Inside IR35
6 Month Contract
London (preferred) | Bristol or Manchester considered
Up to 2 days per week on site
I'm supporting a search for a senior technical leader to head Technical AI Solutions Architecture for a major UK Government AI programme, responsible for shaping and delivering AI-powered digital products used by millions of citizens.
This role would suit a Principal Solutions Architect, Senior Technical Architect, AI Solutions Architect, Head of Technical Architecture, Head of Solutions Architecture with a strong background delivering large-scale digital products.
Key Requirements
- Extensive experience as a Technical Architect or Solutions Architect (not Enterprise Architecture focused).
- Proven track record designing, building and launching user-facing digital products, apps and web services.
- Experience leading architecture functions and managing teams of architects (4-8+ people).
- Strong experience delivering AI-enabled products, ideally where AI functionality has reached end users rather than purely internal/back-office use cases.
- Example: website and mobile application chat bots
- Deep AWS expertise, including:
- AWS Serverless technologies
- AWS Bedrock
- Cloud-native architecture
- Strong software engineering and application architecture background.
- Experience defining technical strategy, governance, standards and best practice across complex organisations.
- Knowledge of modern engineering practices including DevOps, CI/CD, TDD and Agile delivery.
- Experience building secure services, ideally aligned to NCSC Secure by Design principles and/or Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF).
- Ability to operate at organisational leadership level while remaining technically credible.
Ideal Background
- Delivery of products at national or enterprise scale.
- Multiple major product launches/releases with clear ownership of technical architecture decisions.
- AI, machine learning or data-intensive product delivery experience.
- Public sector experience is welcome but not required.
- AWS certifications, Computer Science degree or postgraduate qualifications are beneficial but not essential.
Additional Details
- Active SC Clearance preferred (transferable SC acceptable).
- Can start on BPSS while clearance transfer is completed.
- Typically 2 days onsite per week, with flexibility available.
- Candidates based outside London should expect quarterly travel to London.
This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for the technical architecture strategy behind some of government's most visible AI-powered citizen services, including the next generation of GOV.UK digital experiences.
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Principal Technical Solutions Architect employer: IO Associates
Join a leading engineering organisation that values innovation and excellence, offering a dynamic work culture where your contributions directly impact high-performance solutions in safety-critical environments. With a strong focus on employee growth, you will have the opportunity to mentor fellow engineers and shape technical direction while working in an Agile/SAFe environment. Located in the UK, this role provides a unique chance to be part of cutting-edge projects in defence, aerospace, and industrial technology, ensuring a rewarding and meaningful career path.
