Solutions Architect, British Intelligence Agencies
£59.6-86.1k
3-5 days a week in office
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
Open for applications
UK's domestic and foreign intelligence services
1001+ employees
Open for applications
£59.6-86.1k
3-5 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
MI5, MI6 and GCHQ work together to protect the UK from a range of national security and overseas threats, keeping citizens safe.
Role
Who you are
- Ideally, you’ll have led significant elements of product and system delivery and change; been a technical domain subject matter expert; worked as a Solution Architect or part of a solution architecture team for complicated solutions; have experience of the application of enterprise and domains architecture, influencing stakeholders and conducting trades across requirements and solution spaces; knowledge of multiple architecture and delivery frameworks and experience of embedding such tools and techniques
- You’ll also have a range of soft skills to support communication and decision-making including curiosity, teamwork and problem solving. You’ll be a strong communicator and influencer, having successfully negotiated trades across requirements and solution spaces. You’ll line manage junior solution architects and contractors supporting delivery – so you’ll be confident leading and working with multi-disciplinary teams. Plus, you will be committed to continual learning and development
What the job involves
- Architecture and technology are core to MI6’s successful operations and intelligence delivery. There is a constant need to develop and maintain capabilities that provide us with mission advantage in a rapidly changing, technology and data driven world. We use agile and lean methodologies to innovate, deliver and upgrade products. Whether you work on data analytics, knowledge systems, operational communications or technical operations capabilities, the nature of our work presents unique and fascinating architecture challenges, which you will likely have not seen before. We develop products that provide capability across MI6. Our multi-disciplinary teams are made up of architects & engineers who work alongside product owners, business analysts and delivery colleagues to ensure MI6 gets what it needs by balancing tactical and strategic goals and objectives. As a Solution Architect, you’ll lead the design and systems engineering approach for a specific area of our organisation, creating new products and working to continually improve the capabilities of our existing ones. You’ll be part of a community responsible for design authority. You’ll collaborate with the Product Manager and Business Lead to deliver a balanced plan that considers User Experience, cost, risk, time and quality – considering product evolution and transformation. And you’ll be delivering the architecture and systems engineering elements of the product plan throughout its whole life cycle. This will include:
- Understanding the problem and shaping the solution
- Tailoring the systems engineering and architecture processes to address product risks
- Developing, maintaining and communicating the vision, architecture and technology roadmap for the product
- Developing high-level designs, solution outlines, and key design decisions
- Managing the technology risk and design as the product evolves
- Supporting integration with other products and release to service
Salary benchmarks
Our take
The British Intelligence Agencies - GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 play crucial roles in protecting the nation from a range of security threats. By focusing on counterterrorism, espionage, and cyber threats, the unified force works to safeguard the public and support law enforcement agencies. Its work, largely behind the scenes, is pivotal in ensuring national security.
With origins dating back to the 19th century, each of the British Intelligence Agencies plays a specific role within the security services. GCHQ focuses on signal intelligence gathering and information assurance, MI5 on counterterrorism and national security, whilst MI6 is focused on foreign intelligence and overseas security. This evolution into three specific organisations reflects the agency's ability to stay ahead of emerging security challenges, adjusting its strategy and operations as needed.
As technology and global threats change, the British Intelligence Agencies' approaches continue to evolve, ensuring the UK's security remains a top priority. With its deep expertise and ongoing adaptation, they are major key players in protecting national and international interests, whilst responding to complex security dynamics.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Company benefits
- Merit awards – we have a merit award system to recognise exceptional contributions by individuals or team
- Flexible working – opportunities to work part-time, compressed hours or as a job share are available, dependent on the role and business needs
- Pension – we understand the importance of saving for retirement and offer a desirable pension scheme, which gives you a guaranteed pension based on career average earnings
- Annual leave – our employees are entitled to 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition to this, employees are entitled to public and privilege holidays. Part-time employees receive the same entitlement calculated on a pro-rata basis
- Maternity and paternity leave – we offer maternity and paternity leave over and above the statutory entitlements
- Voluntary service leave – we offer special leave for our employees who wish to undertake voluntary work
- Rented accommodation loan – moving house to take up an offer of employment can be expensive. We offer new joiners the opportunity to take out an interest-free loan of up to £2,500, via our benevolent fund, to assist with the financial burden of relocating into privately rented accommodation. You will be sent an application for the loan at the point of receiving a final offer of employment
- Season ticket loan – we recognise that travel expenses from your home to the office can be significant, so we offer an interest-free season ticket loan which can be used for travel, car park costs or the purchase of a bicycle
- On-site facilities – there is a gym, restaurant, and coffee bar at some locations
- Clubs and societies – we offer a range of sports clubs, fitness classes, societies, and language training facilities
- Childcare Vouchers – we offer two childcare voucher schemes which provide a simple and cost-effective way for employees to receive help towards the cost of childcare
- Eye Voucher Scheme – we offer eye care vouchers and a financial contribution towards prescription glasses
- Physiotherapy – we offer subsidised in-house physiotherapy
- Personal learning – all our staff can undertake professional development to improve their skills and performance in the workplace
Company HQ
Cheltenham, UK
Leadership
Ken McCallum
(Director General)An MI5 Officer with over 25 years of experience in national security and intelligence. Their career has spanned roles in counterterrorism, cyber security, and leading MI5's strategic response to major incidents. They were appointed Director General in 2020 and previously served as Deputy Director General and Director General of Strategy.
Sir Richard Moore KCMG
(Chief)They became the Head of MI6 in October 2020, after serving as Director General in the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office. WIth a career starting in 1987, they have held various roles in MI6 and was also Ambassador to Turkey and Deputy National Security Advisor.
Anne Keast-Butler
(Director)Became the first female Director of GCHQ in May 2023. Previously served as Deputy Director General at MI5, where they led operational and investigative work, including responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With over 30 years in national security, they have held key roles in MI5, GCHQ, and Whitehall, including launching the National Security Programme.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at British Intelligence Agencies
- At the Intelligence Agencies, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking, and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are underrepresented in our workforce, such as women, those from ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment, and diversity on our website: https://www.gchq-careers.co.uk/life-at-gchq/diversity-inclusion.html
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