Head of Technical Architecture - AI

Head of Technical Architecture - AI Contract | Inside IR35 | 6 Months Contract Length: 6 Months IR35 Status: Inside IR35 Location: London, Bristol or Manchester (predominantly remote) Clearance: BPSS Required Daily rate - £750 - £850 We are seeking an experienced Head of Technical Architecture - AI to lead the technical architecture function for a major, high-profile AI transformation programme within the UK public sector. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the architecture, strategy, and governance behind innovative AI-powered digital products that are transforming how users interact with public services. Location Flexible across London, Bristol, or Manchester , with a predominantly remote working model. Occasional travel to London is required for team meetings (approximately once every two months). Clearance BPSS required Existing SC clearance is advantageous but not essential Candidates currently holding SC may transfer their clearance during onboarding The Role As the Head of Technical Architecture, you will provide technical leadership across a large AI programme, driving architectural excellence and ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, resilient, and aligned with strategic objectives. You will lead a team of architects, define technical standards and governance, and work closely with senior stakeholders to influence decision-making across complex technology landscapes. A key aspect of the role will be evaluating multiple technical approaches, presenting options to senior stakeholders, and providing clear recommendations based on business outcomes, scalability, and risk. Key Responsibilities Lead and develop a team of technical architects within a complex AI programme Define and drive technical architecture strategy across AI-enabled digital products Establish and promote architectural best practices, standards, and governance Shape technology roadmaps and influence strategic technical decisions Work closely with multidisciplinary teams in Agile delivery environments Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, reusable, and operationally sustainable Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences Collaborate with senior stakeholders to align technology investments with organisational objectives Champion continuous improvement and innovation across architecture practices Essential Experience Candidates should demonstrate: Strong experience designing and delivering AI-enabled digital products Proven leadership of technical architecture teams and communities Deep understanding of cloud-native and modern application architectures Experience developing and implementing enterprise-wide technical strategies Strong knowledge of: Cloud technologies Serverless architectures DevOps practices CI/CD pipelines Test-driven development (TDD) Security architecture and threat modelling Experience working within Agile, multidisciplinary environments Excellent stakeholder engagement and influencing skills Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business-focused recommendations Highly Desirable Experience Particular interest will be given to candidates with demonstrable expertise in: Knowledge Architecture Knowledge Graphs Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Designing scalable AI platforms and services Building architectures focused on component reusability Delivering large-scale technology programmes with proven scalability outcomes What We're Looking For The successful candidate will be: A strategic technology leader who can provide clear recommendations and architectural direction A collaborative individual who thrives in cross-functional teams An excellent communicator capable of engaging senior stakeholders and non-technical audiences Experienced in designing reusable and scalable technology solutions Passionate about AI and emerging technologies and their application to real-world challenges