Enterprise Architect - Digital Engineering/Software Engineering

Enterprise Architect (Digital Engineering / Software Engineering) Location: Reading, Berkshire Rate: Up to £91.75/hour Security clearance: Active SC is mandatory Overview Were recruiting for an Enterprise Architect to support digital engineering and software engineering activities across sensitive Ministry of Defence and aerospace programmes . This contract role will focus on integrating a Software Factory solution within a wider Digital Engineering environment-enabling secure, compliant delivery across the full lifecycle, including Digital Thread and Digital Twin outcomes. What youll be doing Own and maintain high-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD) Provide technical architecture leadership across people, process, and technology (Software Engineering) Integrate Software Factory capabilities into the broader Digital Engineering environment Support architecture governance , security, compliance and Secure by Design principles Translate enterprise policies/risk requirements into solution design standards , governance models, and compliance frameworks Lead/author RFIs and RFQs and support supplier engagement Drive reuse, best practice, innovation and continuous improvement across value streams Communicate architectural vision, progress, risks and obligations to technical and non-technical stakeholders What were looking for (essential) Active SC clearance (DV desirable) Strong background in Enterprise / Business Architecture (typically 5 years) Defence / aerospace delivery experience (MOD, Defence Digital, primes, or regulated environments) Architecture framework exposure such as TOGAF / ArchiMate (and/or equivalent) Experience architecting software development environments across the system engineering lifecycle Strong stakeholder management with Product Owners, Delivery Managers, Engineers, IT teams, end users, and suppliers Degree in a relevant discipline (e.g., Computer Science / Engineering / IT / Maths) Desirable experience Microsoft Azure (experience and/or certification) DevSecOps / CI/CD exposure Containerisation (e.g., Docker / Kubernetes ) Agile delivery / SAFe Analytics tooling (e.g., Power BI ), data warehousing concepts Security certs (e.g., CISSP ) and/or professional recognition (e.g., Chartered Engineer)