Head of Technical Architecture - AI

Duration: 6 Months

Location: Hybrid - London and remote (ideally two days per week in London)

Rate: £900 per day

IR35 Status: Inside

Start: ASAP...

Role Overview:

A Head of Technical Architecture is required for our government client to be part of their team who lead and deliver on digital services. This role will be to join up public sector services, harness the power of AI, strengthen and extend their digital and data public infrastructure. The client is developing a programme of AI powered products which include a live Chat product and also agentic experiences that can transform how users interact with government/public sector services.  As the Head of Technical Architecture AI, you will lead the technical efforts across the whole of the client's programme.

Essential Skills & Experience required:

As the Head of Technical Architecture AI, you will possess experience of designing and launching technical architectures for AI enabled digital products.

Have a  passion for technology and its delivery in building a user-centric service in an ever-changing space, ensuring the right technology solutions meet outcomes for the users

AWS technologies - AWS serverless and the use of Bedrock from AWS.

Must possess hands-on digital product experience - this is mandatory and if you have experience of multiple major releases this would be preferred.

Experienced in producing the products (Apps and Websites) - you will have worked on digital product teams and built digital products.

Have experience of building AI products, especially products that end up in users hands.

If you have worked with the National Cyber Security Centre's policy on "secure by design" and building secure software; together with experience of working with the Cyber Assessment Frameworks (CAF); this would be ideal.

You will also possess experience of serving AI agents direct to audiences, including establishing and managing guardrails, conducting red teaming and other threat assessments as well as scaling to a national scale.

For this role you will possess AI user facing product experience.

Evaluation, user experience management and policy/privacy/secure by design work (associated with AI products).

Strong software development and application architecture experience, with good knowledge of cloud technologies, open-source technologies, testing.

An understanding of how to influence, manage and challenge complex stakeholder relationships and communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences

Experience of developing and managing high performing, agile, technical teams and creating an inclusive, collaborative culture across boundaries and locations

Practical knowledge at all levels of the modern serverless technology stacks, from front-end code down to infrastructure and networking

Responsibilities include: 

As the Head of Technical Architecture AI you will lead the architects within the programme and be responsible for designing and driving the technical strategy for their AI digital products within the products and services whilst ensuring alignment to the clients digital standards and goals.

Take ownership of the architectural strategy for the clients products and services including languages, frameworks, integration, CI/CD, hosting and monitoring.

Hold the vision for technical architecture best practice for AI digital product development and use agile methods and work with multidisciplinary teams.

Work with other teams to ensure that all technology and products are built in line with user needs and have an effective and ownership model for their ongoing support.

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk

Project Implementation Manager

Duration: 6 Months

Location: Hybrid - Remote working and onsite at the client's office in London or Manchester (you can choose location) when required.

Rate: £400 per day

IR35 Status: Inside

Start: ASAP

Role Overview and Responsibilities:

A Project Implementation Manager is required for our government client to be part of their digital and cyber project team to help shape the future of digital and cyber strategy and capabilities, and provide vital insights that will support their cross departmental policies, standards and strategies.

You will be required to convert their digital and cyber capability strategy into actionable delivery plans, managing implementation to agreed scope, time and budget.

Present finance findings to stakeholders and identify opportunities to grow, reduce or reallocate spend.

Track progress against plan and escalate slippage early.

Assess the value of programmes and schemes, recommending whether to continue, adapt, scale or stop.

Identify, assess and mitigate risks and issues

Assist with problem solving challenges in order to keep delivery on track

Monitor and report performance to stakeholders

Able to communicate change early and support adoption to enable a smooth transition.

Essential Skills & Experience required:

As the Project Implementation Manager you will have experience in supporting, driving or enabling large-scale transformation, organisational change or programme progression.

Experience in project, programme or change management.

Skilled in being able to shape, develop or implement programmes, strategic initiatives and/or organisational change.

Strategy experience

Financial management

Risk and Issue management

Stakeholder engagement

Progress tracking and escalation

Change management 

If you possess a background where data is used to drive decision making that would be highly desirable for this role.

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk

Principal Cyber Risk Management & Assurance Advisor (SC Cleared)

Location: Hybrid (London or Manchester or Bristol) and remote working

Rate: £750 per day

Duration: 6 Months

IR35 Status: Inside

Start: ASAP

Role Overview:

A Principal Cyber Risk Management & Assurance Advisor (SC Cleared) is required for our Government Client to lead on cyber and information security risk management, assurance and architectural advisory for major applications and digital services during the alpa, beta and early live phases.

You will also deliver critical security assessments and IT Health Checks, providing expert assurance across portfolio projects, with a focus on SaaS tooling compliance against NCSC Cloud Security Principles.

Facilitate and oversee Security Working Groups throughout all key development and deployment stages, ensuring risks are tracked, logged, and reported to the Head of Cyber Risk and Assurance, with actionable recommendations provided.

Produce formal risk assessments and risk treatment plans (RTPs) for all digital services and associated tooling, ensuring robust protection in accordance with business risk.

Develop, review, and advise on Secure by Design policies/practices, including safe use of AI, secure coding, and regulatory compliance frameworks (e.g., OWASP, DPIA, GovAssure).

Essential Skills & Experience required:

Must possess current SC Level Security Clearance *essential*

Previous experience of working in other large government departments on security risk management is desirable

Able to provide evidence of applying relevant standards or regulatory policies for risk insurance

Possess a deep understanding of "secure by design"

Proficient in cyber security risk management 

Also to possess knowledge of Cloud environments/Cloud development and AWS

Knowledge/experience with SaaS

Any Assurance of AI is desirable

Coordinate cross-platform activities and enable secure delivery of new services, including supporting incident management and continuous improvement of live service security practices.

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk

Senior User Researcher

Duration: 5 Months

Location: Hybrid - Predominantly remote working with occasional visits to the client site if required

Rate: £650 per day

IR35 Status: Inside

Start: ASAP...

Role Overview: A Senior User Researcher is required for our Government Client to plan and deliver structured play back sessions with policy teams who have contributed to the clients Policy.AI evidence base.  

Policy.AI is part of the clients business where its purpose is to responsibly accelerate the adoption of AI in the Policy Profession, hence the Senior User Researcher is required to possess a strong understanding of policy workflows, this is essential for this role together with experience of working in or within UK government policy teams as you will have a good understanding of how policy is developed, advised on, cleared and delivered in practice. 

You will be proficient at designing questions, presenting evidence, be a voice of authority and can relay the right information back and build on the evidence base that the team has currently.

You will possess the following:

Strong understanding of policy workflows, including evidence gathering, briefing, submissions, commissions, correspondence, stakeholder engagement and clearance processes.

Strong experience working in or with UK government policy teams is essential, with a good understanding of how policy is developed, advised on, cleared and delivered in practice

Ability to translate research findings into implications for programme design, product development, service design and delivery planning.

Experience working with multidisciplinary teams, including policy, digital, product, delivery, evaluation and technical colleagues.

Strong stakeholder management skills, including confidence engaging busy policy teams, senior officials and cross-government partners.

Proficient in presenting complex insights clearly to senior officials

Skilled in producing research outputs such as insight reports, playback summaries, journey maps, workflow maps, personas and prioritisation materials.

Responsibilities include:

As the Senior User Researcher you will plan and deliver structured playback sessions with policy teams who contributed to the Policy.AI evidence base and test whether the identified problem statements reflect the lived experience of policy professionals across participating teams .

Gather feedback on the proposed Policy.AI interventions, including whether they address real user needs and workflow challenges.

Conduct follow-up interviews or workshops with policy teams, delivery partners and relevant stakeholders where further insight is needed.

Synthesise user feedback into clear findings, themes and recommendations to inform Policy.AI’s future design and delivery.

Identify gaps, risks, assumptions or areas of disagreement in the current evidence base and proposed problem framing.

Work with the Policy.AI team and the Policy Profession to refine user needs, personas, journey maps and workflow insights.

Ensure findings are clearly documented and translated into practical recommendations for programme design, product development and stakeholder decision-making.

Support the development of evidence-led artefacts, including playback summaries, insight reports, prioritisation materials and recommendations for next steps.

Help ensure future Policy.AI interventions are grounded in real policy team needs, usable in practice and aligned with how policy work is actually delivered.

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk

Deputy Director of Digital Standards and Inclusive Design

Duration: 3 Months

Rate: £985 per day

Location: Hybrid - Remote working and onsite at the client's office in Manchester (ideally 2 days per week)

IR35 Status: Inside

Start: ASAP

Role Overview:

A Deputy Director of Digital Standards and Inclusive Design is required for our Government client to be responsible for leading and incubating ideas that drive end-to-end service journey transformation within the public sector, with a particular focus on digital and technology standards, accessibility and inclusive design.  This role is pivotal in shaping the future of digital government services ensuring seamless, proactive and experience-centred public service delivery.

You will set the strategic direction for end-to-end service transformation, including modernising service and digital standards into a more coherent framework and improving accessibility across public sector services.

You will liaise with a wide range of stakeholders to identify and pilot innovative solutions, ways of working and operating models, which include compliance that will be best demonstrate best practices for a world leading digital environment.

Essential Skills & Experience required:

You will possess both active and significant experience in large scale, digital-enabled change programs within a digital context, requiring a combination of service redesign, cultural shift and transformative outcomes.

You will lead a refresh of the government digital service service standards as this work will move beyond standards for transactions towards a broader framework for digital public-service redesign and transformation. This role requires a lot of engagement activity, bringing together stakeholders from across government and wider public services with the aim to bring refreshed standards, leading a team through this refresh process.

The standards must continue to support the formal assurance and gated process through which government/public sector services demonstrate compliance before going live.

You will also provide a practical framework for wider digital transformation initiatives as the team are working towards a well-designed and well led digital transformation. As the Deputy Director of Digital Standards and Inclusive Design you will help to pull this work together and so ideally if you possess crossover experience between strategy, policy and programme delivery planning, together with a track record of delivery at pace that would be beneficial.

Possess strong line management experience and can work with multidisciplinary teams.

A good working knowledge of service standards and strong public sector knowledge

A confident communicator, as you will be responsible for carving out a clear role for the service standard landscape, that is increasingly complicated. You will need to convey confidence that you can establish the service standard required.

You will also possess previous experience working within Government (central of local) or the public sector as this is essential, alongside experience using the service standards. 

Experienced as a thought leader on the role of service design, service standards, accessibility and work openly to communicate your approach and drive adoption of best practice.

Experience of being a strong, visible and vocal leader for digital services within government/public sector.

Experience to build, lead and motivate a team of digital, data, accessibility, standards and research specialists building a progressive and inclusive culture.

Have a strong understanding of end-to-end service delivery and user experience design and ideally experience and a passion for accessible and inclusive design.

Demonstrated ability to incubate and pilot innovative ideas within a complex organisational landscape.

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk

• Extensive experience of working within a procurement role
• Extensive working experience of developing public sector commercial and procurement documentation
• Possess a working knowledge of PCR and DSPCR (Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations)
• Working experience of Supplier and Market Management
• Experience of negotiating and building partnerships with suppliers
• Evidence of managing risk in the supply chain and supply chain development
• Evidence of stakeholder engagement and ability to identify key stakeholders and implement appropriate communications
• Full MCIPS (level 4) qualified or working towards this
• Working experience of Contracting, Purchasing and Finance (CP&F); the defence electronic procurement system for sourcing, contracting and procurement used for all defence contracts to align business case / financial approval with contract activity.
• Understanding of Exostar accounts (the supplier’s interface with CP&F) to allow suppliers access to contracts, invoicing, and payments.
• Experience in running multiple procurements concurrently
• Lead on: preparation of tender and contract documentation, analysis and evaluation of submissions, negotiations with suppliers.
• Demonstrate financial and commercial acumen in the evaluation of quotes/tenders as well as financial standing of suppliers;
• Demonstrate working experience of procurement processes, including drafting ITT documentation, FTS Notices, SQs and ITT documentation;

If this role is of interest, please email your CV to: joanne.stanley@certes.co.uk