Digital Delivery Lead & Solutions Architect

Job type: Contract / Freelance / Consultancy

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience (please provide your daily rate)

Start date: November Start

Project: Dedicated Housing Tenant Website – Public Sector Digital Transformation

Contract opportunity: Initial tender and solution development support, with potential ongoing delivery, hosting and support responsibilities subject to contract award.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptionally experienced Senior Digital Delivery Lead & Solutions Architect to support our bid for a Cardiff Council public sector digital transformation contract and, if successful, lead the technical planning and delivery of a dedicated housing tenant website.

The successful candidate must have demonstrable experience delivering secure, accessible, bilingual, user centred digital platforms for UK local authorities, social housing providers, public sector organisations or similarly regulated environments.

The proposed website will provide a modern, accessible digital gateway through which housing tenants can find housing information, access support, make enquiries, provide feedback and navigate existing council services.

We are looking for someone who can combine technical architecture, public sector delivery, cybersecurity, accessibility, project leadership and evidence based documentation.

This is a senior, accountable role requiring proven results, not simply theoretical knowledge.

Key Responsibilities

1. Public Sector Tender and Technical Proposal Development

• Support the development of high quality, evidence based submissions.
• Produce detailed technical solution and security documentation.
• Provide verified examples of comparable digital projects and their measurable outcomes.
• Develop a realistic project methodology covering discovery, design, development, testing, go live and handover.
• Define project governance, milestones, delivery resources, risk controls and responsibilities.
• Produce clear technical architecture diagrams, hosting proposals, security controls and operational support arrangements.
• Support value for money planning, whole life cost estimates and delivery pricing.

2. Website Architecture and Development

• Lead the design and delivery of a secure, scalable, content managed public sector website.
• Implement a mobile responsive, accessible and user friendly digital experience.
• Develop online enquiry forms, feedback mechanisms and complaints submission features.
• Support signposting to existing rent account, housing application and repairs services.
• Design future ready integrations without unnecessarily rebuilding existing transactional platforms.
• Ensure the Council can independently update website content after handover.
• Deliver technical documentation, administrator training and structured knowledge transfer.

3. Accessibility, Inclusive Design and Bilingual Delivery

• Deliver compliance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
• Demonstrate experience of independent accessibility audits and resolving identified issues.
• Conduct usability testing with diverse user groups and assistive technologies, including screen readers and keyboard navigation.
• Design and oversee Welsh- and English-language website functionality.
• Ensure both language versions have equivalent functionality and content.
• Support compliance with applicable Welsh language standards and guidance.
• Work effectively with Welsh-language specialists, translators and content reviewers.

4. Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Hosting

• Design a secure UK-hosted website architecture.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Cyber Essentials controls and Cyber Essentials Plus requirements.
• Apply UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, secure development principles and privacy-by-design.
• Implement appropriate encryption, role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, secure forms and audit logging.
• Define vulnerability management, security testing, backup, recovery and incident-response processes.
• Identify hosting, online form and support sub-processors and their data-processing locations.
• Ensure personal data is handled securely throughout the service lifecycle.

5. Service Performance, Support and Continuous Improvement

• Plan for a minimum 99.5% monthly website uptime.
• Design an incident support model capable of responding to Priority 1 incidents within one hour and delivering a resolution or workaround within four hours.
• Optimise normal page loading times to within three seconds.
• Support delivery of at least 95% of agreed project milestones on time.
• Establish operational monitoring, reporting, maintenance and quarterly service reviews.
• Ensure full technical and operational handover.

Essential Experience and Qualifications

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Substantial professional experience in website delivery, solution architecture or digital transformation, preferably at senior or lead level.
• Successful delivery of comparable websites or digital services for UK local government, housing associations, public bodies or regulated organisations.
• A relevant degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems or a closely related discipline, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
• Proven competence in WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility testing and implementation.
• Experience architecting secure CMS-based websites and integrations with external services.
• Strong working knowledge of UK GDPR, secure hosting and cybersecurity controls.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary delivery teams and manage technical dependencies.
• Experience preparing detailed technical proposals, project plans, risk registers and delivery methodologies.
• Excellent written English and the ability to present technical information clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Evidence of delivering against defined SLAs, maintaining service quality and managing technical incidents.

Highly Desirable Professional Certifications

Candidates holding one or more of the following qualifications will be particularly attractive:

Project and Delivery Management

• PRINCE2 Practitioner
• AgilePM Practitioner
• Scrum Master certification
• ITIL 4 Foundation or higher

Accessibility and User Experience

• IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)
• IAAP Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS)
• UX or Human-Centred Design qualifications

Information Security and Cloud

• CISSP, CISM or equivalent security qualification
• ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer or Lead Auditor
• Relevant AWS or Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect certification
• Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)

Additional Experience

• Delivering bilingual English/Welsh public sector services
• Welsh language capability or experience coordinating professional Welsh translation
• UK Government Digital Service principles
• Social housing, tenancy management or local authority housing services
• Procurement Act 2023 tender documentation and public procurement procedures
• Managing third-party hosting, accessibility auditing and maintenance suppliers

Evidence Required From Applicants

To be considered, applicants should submit:

• CV and qualifications: A professional CV showing relevant digital delivery experience and applicable certifications.
• Two relevant project examples: Preferably public sector, local authority, housing association or similar projects that are live or were completed within the previous three years.
• Project outcomes: Description of the technologies used, security controls, accessibility approach, project responsibilities and measurable results.
• References: Verifiable client or project references, where disclosure is permitted.
• Technical capability: A short explanation of how you would approach building a secure, bilingual, WCAG 2.2 AA-compliant housing website.
• Availability and rates: Earliest start date, indicative day rate and capacity to support the tender and subsequent delivery.

Preference will be given to candidates who can provide clear evidence of successful delivery, measurable results and genuine client references.

What We Are Looking For

We want a technically credible delivery leader who understands that successful public sector websites require more than attractive design.

The ideal candidate understands accessibility, information security, safeguarding considerations, reliable hosting, inclusive content, service continuity and value for public money.

You should be comfortable leading technical delivery while coordinating specialist support from developers, UX designers, accessibility testers, bilingual content experts and security professionals.