Job Description:
Solution Architect - Defence / Secure Networks
Location: Corsham / Hybrid
Rate: Up to £700 inside IR35
Contract: 6 months initially, with a likely extension
Clearance: Active SC required, with willingness to undergo DV
We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect to join a high-profile Defence programme, providing architectural leadership across the design, integration, validation and transition of secure, mission-critical networking and interoperability capabilities.
This is a senior architecture role working across technical teams, security specialists, stakeholders and programme leadership to translate complex operational and interoperability requirements into robust, secure technical solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the development of High-Level Designs (HLDs), Low-Level Designs (LLDs), architectural assessments and technical roadmaps.
- Define secure solution architectures supporting information exchange, interoperability, metadata-based information handling and policy-based information control.
- Design solutions incorporating Federated Identity and Access Management (FIAM), IAM, PKI, trust frameworks and Data Centric Security.
- Ensure architectural compliance with Defence standards, security policies and interoperability requirements.
- Support technology selection, integration planning and technical design assurance.
- Provide architectural governance throughout design, build, integration, testing and transition.
- Conduct technical risk assessments and architecture reviews.
- Work closely with engineering teams to ensure designs are successfully implemented.
- Support interoperability testing, validation and stakeholder demonstrations.
- Produce and maintain architecture documentation, technical reports and reference architectures.
Essential Experience
- 5+ years' experience in Solution Architecture, ideally across complex infrastructure, networking, interoperability or secure information systems.
- Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale technical solutions from concept through implementation and transition.
- Strong HLD/LLD and architectural documentation experience.
- Experience designing secure solutions within Defence, Government, NATO or other highly regulated environments.
- Strong understanding of interoperability architectures, federation and coalition information sharing.
- Experience designing solutions across multiple security domains.
- Knowledge of Data Centric Security, policy-based information control and metadata-based handling.
- Strong experience with IAM/FIAM, RBAC and PKI.
- Experience conducting architecture assessments, technical risk assessments and technology evaluations.
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Active SC clearance and willingness to undergo DV clearance.
Desirable
- Defence Digital / MOD / NATO experience.
- Experience with Federation Mission Networking (FMN) or coalition interoperability programmes.
- Knowledge of FMN Spiral 6, Data Centric Interoperability (DCI) or similar capabilities.
- Experience with secure accredited solutions.
- Knowledge of Zero Trust and Secure by Design.
- Experience with virtualised, cloud or hybrid infrastructure.
- Security accreditation experience.
- Agile/SAFe and Waterfall delivery experience.
- Jira and Confluence experience.
- TOGAF, BCS, CISSP, SABSA or equivalent certification.
If this role is of interest, apply now or email your CV to me directly at (url removed)