Lead Solution Architect - Public Sector Consulting in Birmingham

Location: London or Birmingham, United Kingdom - Hybrid

Reports To: Head of Public Sector Consulting

Job Summary

Our Public Sector Business Unit is growing rapidly, and we are looking for an experienced Lead Solution Architect to join our expanding team delivering high-impact digital and data transformation for UK central government clients. We are seeking a hands‑on solutions leader with a passion for solving complex challenges in government. You will have a proven track record of shaping large‑scale solutions across cloud platforms, legacy estates, and service integration layers—ideally within a consultancy, systems integrator, or public sector delivery environment. You will be confident working across both business and technology domains, comfortable influencing senior stakeholders, and experienced in aligning solution architecture with user needs, operational constraints, and public sector standards. You will bring both broad technical understanding and a pragmatic mindset, helping clients achieve meaningful change at pace. As part of our Extended Leadership Team for the Consulting Practice and UK Government Sector, reporting to the Head of Consulting for Public Sector, you will contribute directly to further enhancing our team culture and driving business growth.

What you’ll be doing:

• Develop solution strategies, high‑level designs, and producing responses to RFPs in collaboration with sales and bid teams.
• Engage with senior client stakeholders to understand business problems and translate them into composable, scalable solution architectures that are secure, compliant, and future‑ready.
• Work closely with multi‑disciplinary teams—delivery managers, business analysts, technical architects, and engineering leads—to shape delivery models that meet client and user needs.
• Contribute to governance and assurance, ensuring architectural coherence across delivery workstreams, and adherence to government standards (e.g. GDS, NCSC, Cabinet Office, MOD).
• Collaborate with our Government CTO and wider leadership team to shape IP, frameworks, and go‑to‑market offerings.
• Coach and mentor other architects and support the development of architecture capability within the business.

What you will bring:

• Significant experience designing and delivering complex digital and data solutions in the UK Central Government and wider Public Sector.
• Deep knowledge of enterprise architecture patterns, public cloud services (Azure, AWS), application design, integration patterns (API, event‑driven), and data platforms.
• Demonstrable success in shaping client strategies, designing operating models, and engaging in business case development and benefit modelling.
• Experience of bid and pre‑sales involvement, including shaping client proposals, contributing to SOWs, and presenting to commercial and technical stakeholders.
• A sound understanding of government standards and frameworks, including the Digital Service Standard, GDS assessment criteria, NCSC cloud security principles, and relevant assurance models.
• Experience working in agile delivery environments and collaborating across business and technology domains.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to articulate and advocate for strategic solutions at executive level.

Education and Experience:

• Demonstrated success in producing winning proposals for central government clients.
• Extensive experience in a solution architecture or enterprise architecture role, within government or regulated industries.
• Background in consulting, systems integration, or technology leadership within public sector environments.
• Relevant certifications such as TOGAF, SAFe, or cloud architect qualifications (Azure/AWS).
• Understanding of government technology assurance frameworks and legacy modernisation journeys.
• Degree in a technology‑related discipline or equivalent practical experience.

We’re a business with a global reach that empowers local teams, and we undertake hugely exciting work that is genuinely changing the world. Our advanced portfolio of consulting, applications, business process, cloud, and infrastructure services will allow you to achieve great things by working with brilliant colleagues, and clients, on exciting projects. Our inclusive work environment prioritises mutual respect, accountability, and continuous learning for all our people. This approach fosters collaboration, well‑being, growth, and agility, leading to a more diverse, innovative, and competitive organisation.

We are also proud to share that we have a range of Inclusion Networks such as: the Women’s Business Network, Cultural and Ethnicity Network, LGBTQ+ & Allies Network, Neurodiversity Network and the Parent Network.

We offer a range of tailored benefits that support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. Our Learning and Development team ensure that there are continuous growth and development opportunities for our people. We also offer the opportunity to have flexible work options.

We are an equal opportunities employer. We believe in the fair treatment of all our employees and commit to promoting equity and diversity in our employment practices. We are also a proud Disability Confident Committed Employer - we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively collaborate with individuals who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions which have an effect on their ability to do normal daily activities, ensuring that barriers are eliminated when it comes to employment opportunities. In line with our commitment, we guarantee an interview to applicants who declare to us, during the application process, that they have a disability and meet the minimum requirements for the role. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. Join us in building a truly diverse and empowered team.