Principal Technical Architect

We are seeking a highly experienced and visionary Principal Technical Architect to lead our architecture team and drive the technical direction of our cloud solutions within the defence and national security sector. Reporting directly to the CTO, you will be a strategic leader, subject matter expert (SME) in cloud technologies, and a key contributor to business development through bid and proposal activities.

You will be responsible for defining and evangelising our technical vision, leading a team of architects, ensuring alignment with business objectives, and driving innovation in secure cloud environments. Your deep expertise in highly secure cloud architectures and infrastructure will be critical to our continued success in this demanding and vital market.

• Develop and champion the company’s overall technical architecture strategy and roadmap for cloud solutions in highly secure environments, aligning with business goals and market opportunities within the defenceand national security sector.
• Lead and mentor a team of architects, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment, promoting knowledge sharing, and ensuring consistent architectural standards and practices.
• Stay abreast of emerging cloud technologies, security trends, and industry best practices, particularly those relevant to highly regulated and secure environments (e.g., government, defence, national security).
• Identify opportunities for technical innovation and differentiation within our cloud offerings, driving competitive advantage.
• Represent the company's technical vision and capabilities to clients, partners, and industry events.

• Serve as the principal architect and subject matter expert in designing, developing, and implementing robust, scalable, and highly secure cloud architectures and infrastructure solutions.
• Define and enforce architectural patterns, standards, and guidelines for cloud deployments, ensuring security, compliance, performance, and maintainability.
• Lead the design and architecture of complex cloud solutions, considering factors such as security controls, compliance requirements (e.g., FedRAMP, NIST, ITAR), data sovereignty, and resilience in highly sensitive environments.
• Oversee the creation of detailed architectural diagrams, documentation, and specifications for cloud infrastructure and applications.
• Provide architectural guidance and oversight throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring alignment with the overall technical vision.

• Be the recognized SME within the company on cloud technologies and infrastructure, specifically in the context of highly secure and regulated environments for defenceand national security.
• Possess deep and demonstrable expertise in:
• Cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Gov Cloud, Azure Government, Google Cloud Platform Assured Workloads, private clouds).
• Security frameworks and compliance standards relevant to defenceand national security (e.g., NCSC best practices, NIST 800-53, DISA STIGs, SOC 2, ISO 27001).
• Secure cloud architecture patterns (e.zero trust, micro-segmentation, data loss prevention, encryption at rest and in transit).
• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and automation for secure cloud deployments.
• Containerisationand orchestration in secure environments (e.g., Kubernetes, Open Shift).
• Dev Sec Ops practices  in regulated industries.
• Continuously expand knowledge and stay updated on the evolving landscape of cloud security and compliance within the defenceand national security domain.

• Play a crucial role in pre-sales activities, working closely with the sales and business development teams to develop compelling technical solutions and proposals for prospective clients.
• Provide technical leadership and author key technical sections of bids and proposals, articulating our cloud capabilities, architectural approach, security features, and value proposition.
• Participate in client meetings and presentations, acting as a technical spokesperson and building credibility with prospective clients by demonstrating deep subject matter expertise.
• Collaborate with solution architects and proposal managers to develop accurate and competitive technical and cost estimates for proposed solutions.
• Understand client requirements deeply and translate them into effective and innovative cloud solutions that address their specific needs within the defenceand national security context.

• Work closely with engineering, security, operations, and business development teams to ensure architectural alignment and successful execution of projects.
• Effectively communicate architectural decisions, strategies, and roadmaps to both technical and non-technical stakeholders across the organization.
• Build strong relationships with key clients and partners, understanding their technical challenges and providing architectural…