Senior Solution Architect at Ministry of Justice, Remote, 6 Months, Part-Time, £Contract Rate

*Please note: This role is part-time, working 2 days per week (with potential to increase to 3 -4 days)*

We're seeking a Senior Solution Architect with deep expertise in cloud-native design and secure architecture to support the Ministry of Justice in delivering scalable, resilient and compliant digital services. This strategic role involves strong stakeholder engagement, technical leadership and alignment with government security frameworks.

You'll play a key role in evaluating supplier responses to an Invitation to Tender (ITT), advising on technical risks and shaping the roadmap for a secure replacement of a legacy case management platform. The role also includes exploring AI integration to support justice workflows and ensuring sensitive data is protected throughout the transformation.

As a Senior Solution Architect your main responsibilities will be to:

• Analyse and document legacy architecture and application frameworks.
• Lead the design of secure, modular cloud-native solutions aligned to Secure by Design principles.
• Evaluate supplier bids and advise on technical fit and risks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in Agile environments.
• Engage with internal stakeholders, vendors and delivery partners.
• Support compliance with GovAssure, CAF and NCSC guidelines.
• Explore and advise on AI integration into case management workflows and align AI capabilities with organisational strategy.
• Ensure secure data transfer and protection of sensitive data.

Essential:

• Proven experience designing solutions in AWS and Azure environments.
• Strong understanding of Zero Trust Architectures, IAM, data classification and GDPR.
• Experience with API messaging patterns, ETL pipelines and reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau, QuickSight).
• Familiarity with DevOps tooling: Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps.
• Knowledge of Case Management Systems (SaaS and self-hosted).
• Awareness of cloud cost optimisation and FinOps principles.
• TOGAF or equivalent architecture framework.

SC Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance. 

Desirable Certifications:

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect (Associate/Professional)
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• HashiCorp Certified: Terraform Associate
• Certified Kubernetes Administrator/Developer
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)
• CISSP, CompTIA Security+/Cloud+, AWS/Azure Security Specialty

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, MOJ guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

The Ministry of Justice guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different.