Lead Architect
About this role
Shape the technology that protects and serves our community. We're all in to embed robust digital standards, ensuring our services are secure, reliable and built for the future.
What you’ll be doing
As our Lead Architect, you’ll establish and run a brand-new architecture function from scratch, bringing vital grip and pragmatic governance to our technology estate. You’ll lead the council’s enterprise, solution and technical architecture, ensuring all digital decisions are coherent, secure and fully aligned with our strategic goals.
Your days will involve balancing strategic leadership with practical design assurance, which includes chairing the Technical Design Authority and providing technical oversight to the Strategic Architecture Board. You’ll provide senior professional advice to service leaders on digital, data, cyber security and emerging technologies like AI and automation.
Leading and developing a team of five, you’ll build technical capability and foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement. By supporting legacy system modernisation and cloud migration, you’ll ensure our major technology investments are scalable, cost-effective and strictly compliant with security, data protection and information governance requirements.
For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.
What you’ll bring
You’ll bring proven experience of leading enterprise, solution or technical architecture within a large or complex organisation. You hold a professional certification or formal training in TOGAF, ITIL or ISO 27001, or you possess equivalent deep technical experience.
Navigating complex landscapes is second nature to you, and you have a strong track record of designing and governing end-to-end technology solutions across cloud services, applications and data integration. You possess a deep understanding of secure-by-design principles, zero-trust models and how they apply across modern technology estates.
You can analyse complex technical issues, identify risks and provide clear, evidence-based recommendations using accessible language for non-technical audiences. With a user-centred mindset, you are ready to coach, mentor and develop your team, ensuring every architectural decision supports accessible, inclusive and efficient services for our borough.
Why join us
At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.
This role offers a unique opportunity to shape a completely new function from the ground up, backed by strong senior buy-in and upward support. You’ll receive a competitive salary alongside meaningful opportunities for professional growth, career development and training to continuously expand your skills. Strategically positioned for maximum impact, your work will directly influence how the entire council operates, giving you the platform to deliver modern, sustainable technology that provides real value to the community.
About us
Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.
As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.
Following a significant cyber-attack in November 2025, we are actively strengthening our approach to effective, efficient and resident-focused ICT delivery. This means our architecture team needs to get stuck in to rebuild trust and technical maturity, whether working in the office, from home or out in the field. It will not always be plain sailing as you untangle legacy systems and embed new governance, but every ounce of effort will directly protect our services. When you commit fully, these complex challenges become direct opportunities to innovate, build your own capabilities and ensure a safer borough.
Working Style
You'll be based in the borough for three days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Working alongside dedicated colleagues, you’ll help design and build a modern, secure technology estate that directly supports our residents.
Interview Details
Interviews will be held in person the 25th & 26th August 2026
Ready to join us?
We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.
Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.
We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.
We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
Company at a glance
Kensington and Chelsea is one of London’s most vibrant and recognisable boroughs. It has many unique buildings, famous museums and beautiful parks. Although the borough is geographically one of the smallest in London, at just over 4.7 square miles, it is one of the most densely populated and diverse areas in Europe. It is home to the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival.
Kensington and Chelsea Council (also known as RBKC) aims to provide high quality services to improve the lives of its residents and to make the borough greener, safer and fairer.
The Council has five directorates, sharing Children’s Services and Adult Social Care and Public Health with Westminster Council. Other directorates include Chief Executive, Environment and Neighbourhoods, Housing and Social Investment (including Grenfell recovery), and Resources.
Children's Services and Adult Social Care: This directorate covers children's services, education, family services, safeguarding, adult social care and public health. These services are consistently rated as being of a very high standard.
Environment and Neighbourhoods: Transport, leisure, planning, resident services, libraries and environmental health, all of which are supported by a safer, cleaner and greener streets agenda. This team also work to preserve the unique character of the borough.
Housing and Social Investment: In response to London’s affordable homes crisis, the Council is committed to building more social housing to help people on lower incomes to live, work, and raise their families in the borough. Housing also covers landlord services and estate management, planning, refurbishment, advice and support to help maintain healthy and safe homes, and build stronger communities.
Resources: This directorate includes Customer Services, Human Resources, IT, Finance. These services help the Council to run effectively and in turn benefit the wider community.
CEO manages strategy, Grenfell inquiry, governance and communications.
Top Benefits
- Professional growth
- Career development
- Training
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