Senior Security Architect - Department for Work and Pensions - G7
Government Digital & Data -
Location
These roles may be located in one of the following locations; Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Sheffield.
Please find further information on the Corporate hub locations here.
Please note that for candidates requesting to work in Newcastle, this role will be based at Benton Park View from September 2025, and then at 1 Pilgrim Place in Newcastle city centre by the end of 2027.
About the job
Job summary
Please note this role requires you to pass Security Check clearance. For further information, please see 'Selection process details'.
Do you want to solve large-scale security challenges, designing resilient architectures, leading threat mitigation, and embedding security across modern cloud-native services?
We are looking for a Senior Security Architect who:
- Has proven experience as a Security Architect within complex, large-scale digital or government environments.
- Has a strong understanding of secure-by-design principles, enterprise architecture and cloud-native security.
- Has experience working in agile, multidisciplinary teams delivering user-centric services.
- Has the ability to influence senior stakeholders and communicate complex security concepts clearly.
- Can demonstrate experience of shaping architecture standards, roadmaps and governance frameworks.
- Has a passion for mentoring others and developing organisational capability.
As our Security Architect, you will use your technical knowledge, architecture design knowledge and development skills to help secure services used by millions of people against cyber threats.
DWP is a huge and complex organisation. We have unique architectural and security challenges that you won't find in other roles. The reason for this vacancy is provide a security architect to provide advice and guidance to this team. This role will involve our Corporate Centre Services function.
We also welcome applications from candidates from a range of backgrounds including those with academic, consultancy and military experience, who hold a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification (or willing to work towards obtaining the qualification), or a Master’s degree in Information Security.
Job description
The Security Architect will provide guidance and advice ranging from scoping IT Health Checks, providing guidance in risk assessment, providing security guidance, checking the cloud posture management platform for vulnerabilities. Projects may involve online identity and verification, telephone based identity and verification.
DWP is looking to provide a strategic platform within the identity and trust team that will allow secure and safe communication for its users with its services.
The team is made up of a number of architects, so relationships will need to be built with other teams, the security community and the design authority. Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the design and delivery of secure architectures, ensuring security controls are embedded from the outset of product development.
- Developing and recommending secure solution options during discovery and inception to inform design decisions.
- Collaborating with Solution Architects and agile teams to produce secure, value-for-money designs aligned to user needs.
- Creating clear security architecture artefacts and documentation to support governance and enable secure engineering practices.
- Ensuring all designs comply with the Digital Blueprint, Enterprise Architecture standards, and agreed product roadmaps.
- Providing expert security guidance across the full product lifecycle, including assurance activities such as control self-assessments.
- Owning and evolving security product roadmaps, contributing to Digital Blueprint improvements and reusable security patterns.
- Build organisational security capability through mentoring, sharing best practice, and supporting the growth of the Architecture community.
Person specification
See selection process for further details.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact mark.harbottle@dwp.gov.uk.
