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Job summary

Main area
Administration
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8d
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week (Flexible working requests may be considered)
Job ref
990-TDD-TA-EC380-E
Employer
NHS England
Employer type
NHS
Site
Any NHS England Office
Town
Nationally
Salary
£109,610 - £126,404 per annum (exclusive of HCAS) this includes an RRP payment of 20%
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
24/03/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NHS England logo

Lead Enterprise Architect

NHS AfC: Band 8d

Our Organisation

The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.

As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.

As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage.  We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.

Job overview

Are you ready to be at the forefront of one of the most ambitious digital transformations in the England? Do you want to shape the future of health and care for millions of people, driving innovation that improves lives every day? 

NHS England is seeking experienced Lead Enterprise Architects to provide strategic direction and leadership across our Enterprise Architecture function. This is a pivotal role in delivering the NHS’ future plans and ensuring digital and data products and services are aligned. You will work at the heart of digital transformation, influencing decisions that impact millions of patients and staff. This is more than just a job – it's a chance to make a profound impact on the health of the nation.

Main duties of the job

  • Lead the development and governance of enterprise architecture across business, data, application, and technology domains.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to support development of an actionable future state of architecture across England. 
  • Drive productivity and estate rationalisation through operational and financial efficiency recommendations, collaborating cross-functionally to support implementation and improve adoption. 
  • Define and maintain architecture principles, standards, and roadmaps to support NHS strategic objectives.
  • Provide expert consultancy to senior stakeholders, ensuring interoperability and compliance with NHS and national standards.
  • Oversee architecture assurance for major programmes, balancing innovation with risk and cost considerations.
  • Mentor and develop the architecture community, fostering best practice and continuous improvement.

What’s in it for you

  • A leadership role in shaping national digital health strategy.
  • Flexible hybrid working (40% in-person expectation) from any NHS England office nationally.
  • Opportunities for professional development, including TOGAF and advanced leadership training.
  • A collaborative, inclusive culture where your expertise makes a real difference.

Working for our organisation

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.

We lead the NHS in England by:

  • Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
  • Making the NHS a great place to work, where people can develop and make a difference
  • Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
  • Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
  • Delivering value for money

Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and waste.

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-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

As a Lead Enterprise Architect, you will play an active role in delivering the  NHS 10-Year Plan , which places digital transformation at the heart of our services. You’ll lead architectural conversations that span domains and influence decisions that touch every aspect of health and care in England, working across programmes, products and services to ensure digital and data delivery is not only effective and efficient, but also aligned with organisational strategy and national priorities.

We’re seeking bold thinkers, strategic leaders, and collaborative problem-solvers. If you bring deep architectural expertise, a passion for public service, and the ability to navigate complexity with clarity — this is your opportunity to lead change at scale.

To undertake this role, you will use your strong analytical and architectural design skills along with a proven ability to challenge assumptions, drive consensus across roles and functions and influence at all levels. You will have excellent communication skills and an ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders within a complex environment.

If you’re unsure whether your experience aligns, we encourage you to reach out to us, we’d be happy to have a conversation.

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. 

The post of Lead Enterprise 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. 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Master’s degree or equivalent experience
  • TOGAF 9 Certified (or equivalent)

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Proven ability to lead architecture governance, policy development, and strategic planning at organisational or national level

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Substantial experience across EA domains (business, data, application, technology) with deep expertise in at least one
  • Significant experience of managing teams and initiatives, spanning management of people, processes and risk
  • Significant experience in consultancy, stakeholder engagement, assurance for large-scale programmes as well as development & ownership of architectural strategies, policies, standards and guidelines
  • Experience in financial planning, business case development, and procurement & commercial activities

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoDisability confident committedStep into healthAccredited Living Wage Employer

Applicant requirements

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Nicola Marshall
Job title
Senior Business Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07917244774
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