About this role
Job summary
Data and Analytics is at the heart of delivering the NHS's 10 Year Health Plan, having responsibility for delivering National Programs worth £1.5 billion. This is a generational opportunity to use technology to change the way the NHS works. We will be turning national ambition into the data, digital and platform capabilities that will transform how patient care is delivered, planned, managed and improved. Amongst those programs and capabilities are:
Single Patient Record- transforming the current disjointed digital landscape to produce patient and clinician facing services that operate seamlessly regardless of care context or location AI factory - providing capabilities to create AI services across the NHS making best use of the latest technologies and models. Event Based Architecture-providing a real-time data capability to enable better intelligence across all NHS services and join up care. We are building faster, safer services with better operational decisions to advanced analytics, research and responsible AI at scale. We are looking for talented Senior Solution Architects to help shape some of NHS England's most exciting and strategically important technology work, translating ambition into practical architectures, reusable patterns and assured solutions that can operate safely at national scale.
Main duties of the job
Snr Solution Architects play a key role in shaping & delivering safe, scalable data and platform capabilities that enable AI-enabled products, advanced analytics, research, operational insight &intelligent automation across NHSE.
Main duties
Lead the development of solution architectures for scalable data, platform and AI-enabled capabilities across NHSE, ensuring designs are modular, interoperable, reusable and aligned to enterprise architecture, data, security, information governance, clinical safety & assurance standards Translate strategic objectives into practical architecture patterns, delivery guardrails, reusable components and implementation approaches that support operational insight, advanced analytics, research, intelligent automation and future platform extensibility Provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary product, engineering, data, clinical safety, information governance, research governance, supplier and enterprise architecture teams, ensuring that architecture decisions are clearly understood and effectively applied Shape and assure designs for intelligent orchestration, governed data access, reusable APIs, data products, integration patterns, auditability, monitoring, access controls and appropriate human oversight mechanisms Support the development and reuse of architecture principles, reference patterns, design standards and technical guardrails that enable consistent, safe and scalable delivery across multiple products and use cases.
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Job description Job responsibilities
The postholder will lead solution architecture for reusable platform and orchestration capabilities, ensuring designs are modular, interoperable, extensible and aligned to NHS England architecture, data, security, clinical safety, information governance and assurance standards.
The role will provide technical leadership across product teams, suppliers and governance forums, translating strategic ambition into practical architecture patterns, delivery guardrails and reusable components. This includes supporting the evolution of intelligent orchestration capabilities, governed APIs, auditability, access controls, data, model and agent boundaries, and appropriate human oversight mechanisms across multiple operational, analytical and research contexts.
The postholder will act as a key architectural link between strategic data and platform enablement, delivery teams and the wider vision for reusable, governed and intelligent NHS capabilities. They will work closely with product, engineering, clinical safety, information governance, enterprise architecture, research governance and supplier teams to assure designs, resolve dependencies and enable delivery of robust, trusted, scalable and reusable capabilities that create operational value.
The post of Senior Solution Architect has been awarded a Recruitment and Retention Premia (RRP) in response to current labour market conditions. In recognition of this, the role attracts an additional monthly RRP payment equal to 20% per annum.
Please be aware that RRP is none contractual and subject to review.
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Degree or equivalent higher education qualification, specifically in a computing, scientific or mathematical subject, or equivalent such as would be acquired through a taught Masters course.
Knowledge Desirable
Technical Specialism - Has specialist knowledge of AI-enabled architectures, including agentic systems, MCP/ACP patterns, orchestration layers, reusable agent capabilities, governed APIs, auditability and human oversight controls, and is experienced in advising on their safe application. Data Management - Able to establish robust big data management practices, covering governance, quality, lineage, interoperability, security and accessibility, so large-scale datasets are trusted, reusable and translated into actionable insight and measurable outcomes.
Skills Essential
Solution Architecture - Able to lead the solution architecture for an MCP-enabled intelligent orchestration layer, ensuring designs are modular, reusable, standards-aligned and capable of connecting AI-enabled products, data sources, agents, tools and operational workflows across the wider NHS architecture. Assurance of Supplier Solutions - Acts as the technical lead for the evolving AI intelligence layer, assuring supplier and internal designs against agreed agentic architecture principles, including MCP/ACP interoperability, agent registry, action boundaries, access controls, monitoring and safety constraints.
Experience Essential
Enterprise Architecture - Experience of contributing to the creation and review of a systems capability strategy which meets the strategic requirements of the business. Develops models and plans to drive forward the strategy, taking advantage of opportunities to improve business performance. Stakeholder Management and Communication - Evidence of liaising with stakeholders, suppliers and programme teams, communicating technical concepts and complex issues clearly and accurately, adapting communication style to suit the recipient
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name NHS England
Address Any NHS England Office
Nationally
LS1 4AP
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)