SC Solution Architect at iO Associates, Portsmouth, £500-£650 per day

Rate: £500-£650/day (all-in)
Contract: Initial 3 months (extension possible)
Location: Portsmouth / South Coast (mostly remote, with 1-2 days on-site per month)
Clearance: Active SC required
Start: ASAP
Interview process: Likely 1 stage

A leading UK defence technology programme is looking for an SC-cleared Solution Architect to take a hands-on technical leadership role, shaping a next-generation C3I (Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence) interoperability reference architecture.

This is a delivery-focused position where you'll set architectural direction, work closely with engineering teams, and help take early concepts / PoCs into hardened, production-grade patterns.

• Leading the solution architecture across a C3I interoperability reference architecture
• Translating operational context into high-level designs for engineering delivery
• Turning prototypes/PoCs into reusable architecture patterns and reference services
• Providing technical assurance: architecture decisions, design reviews, governance
• Driving DevSecOps ways of working (CI/CD, automation, IaC) for secure delivery
• Working closely with technical/operational stakeholders to align outcomes
• Mentoring engineers and junior architects; acting as technical steward/task lead
  
  

• Proven Solution Architecture experience on complex, mission-critical / regulated programmes
• Strong secure design background (e.g., zero trust, identity, secure connectivity, cross-domain considerations, data exchange controls)
• Comfortable moving between strategy and deep technical detail (incl. reviews/walkthroughs)
• Exposure to Defence / NATO approaches for C3I interoperability (nice to have)
• Tools/frameworks: Jira, Confluence, Visio; MoDAF beneficial
• Modern engineering patterns beneficial: APIs, microservices, event streaming, cloud-native, containerisation, service mesh

To apply: Send your CV and confirm SC status, availability, and ability to travel to Portsmouth 1-2x/month.