Public Sector Architecture
Architecture where technology, policy and public value intersect
Public-sector architectures operate within constraints that extend beyond conventional enterprise IT: interoperability, procurement, accessibility, information governance, security, legacy modernisation, public accountability and long-term service sustainability.
Honest framing.
This page uses a strict three-category evidence taxonomy. I distinguish between direct public-sector delivery, transferable delivery in comparable regulated environments, and standards knowledge / architectural capability. Nothing on this page is embellished across those boundaries.
My architecture approach for public-sector programmes
Reuse before bespoke
Existing platforms, capabilities and shared services are the starting point. Bespoke build requires explicit justification.
Open & interoperable standards
Open protocols, vendor-portable formats, published APIs. Lock-in is an architectural anti-pattern in public-sector work.
Common platforms & shared services
Design decisions favour system-wide platforms over departmental point solutions.
API-first integration
All system-to-system exchange is via documented APIs with clear versioning and consumer contracts.
Secure information exchange
Data-sharing agreements, sovereignty tagging, encryption, audit — as architecture inputs, not compliance overlays.
Privacy by design
Consent, minimisation, purpose limitation and retention are architectural constraints from inception.
Architecture governance
Explicit Architecture Decision Records, technical assurance, design authority engagement, transparent trade-offs.
Whole-lifecycle cost
Design considers operating costs, migration cost, decommissioning cost and public value over the full service lifetime.
UK & Scottish public-sector standards familiarity
For public-sector opportunities, my architecture approach can be applied within relevant Government Digital & Data Profession (DDaT) standards and Scottish Government digital-service principles:
UK Government Digital & Data (DDaT)
- Solution Architect capability framework
- Enterprise Architect capability framework
- Data Architect capability framework
- Security Architect capability framework
- Technology Code of Practice
Digital Scotland
- Digital Scotland Service Standard
- Digital Scotland Service Manual
- Scottish Government cloud principles
- Public-sector architecture guidance (HLOF)
- Common components & reuse principles
Interoperability & data
- Open Standards Board approved standards
- GDS / Data Standards Authority
- UK Government API Technical & Data Standards
- DPIA · GDPR · Data Ethics Framework
Security & assurance
- NCSC Cloud Security Principles (14)
- Secure by Design principles
- SPF / GovAssure
- Cyber Essentials Plus / CE / ISO 27001
Evidence taxonomy for this domain
Direct public-sector delivery
Only real, verifiable engagements should appear here. This section is deliberately empty pending explicit programme evidence. Public-sector delivery claims must be defensible against reference-check on the specific programme, role, dates and outcomes.
Reserved for confirmed public-sector engagements. Reference-checkable.
Transferable delivery — comparable regulated environments
Programmes delivered in regulated enterprise environments where the architectural constraints — interoperability, data protection, security, assurance, legacy modernisation, common-service design — parallel public-sector requirements:
Tier-1 European Bank — Enterprise Identity Transformation
Regulated financial services. Multi-country. Federated identity, lifecycle governance, privileged access. Legacy consolidation across acquired estates.
DELIVEREDARCHITECTED
Global Insurance Group — Cloud & Zero Trust Migration
Regulated multi-jurisdictional environment. Azure landing zones, hybrid connectivity, identity-first migration, data sovereignty. Cost governance across regions.
DELIVEREDARCHITECTED
Critical National Infrastructure — OT/IT Convergence Architecture
Purdue-model modernisation, IEC 62443 controls, IT/OT integration boundary, safety-integrity separation. Comparable to public-utility architecture constraints.
ARCHITECTED
Multi-jurisdiction Data Platform
Cross-border data flows, residency tagging, consent enforcement, audit. Directly transferable to public-sector data-sharing patterns.
ARCHITECTED
Named programmes and outcomes available under NDA on request.
Architectural capability — standards knowledge
Documented capability against public-sector-relevant standards and frameworks:
- Business-to-technology translation — turning policy intent into implementable architecture
- Data and integration architecture (see Data & Integration)
- Legacy modernisation strategies and transition architecture
- Cloud architecture within Government cloud-first policy
- Identity, access and single-view-of-citizen patterns
- Security-by-design and NCSC / Secure by Design alignment
- Operational resilience for critical services
- Architecture governance and design-authority engagement
Health & care data standards capability
Health and care architecture requires unusually strong interoperability, semantic consistency, information governance and safety controls. I distinguish delivered healthcare experience from transferable regulated-data experience from standards capability:
Standards capability
- HL7 v2 & v3 messaging
- FHIR (R4/R5) resources and profiling
- SNOMED CT clinical terminology
- OpenEHR archetypes and templates
- DICOM (imaging) awareness
- Clinical information governance
- Consent, identity, audit
RESEARCHADVISED
Transferable regulated-data experience
- Cross-border data flows in financial services
- Consent-driven customer data architecture
- Audit and lineage at scale
- Privacy engineering
- Data sovereignty tagging and enforcement
- Multi-jurisdiction retention and residency
DELIVEREDARCHITECTED
Delivered healthcare experience
Reserved for confirmed clinical / healthcare / pharma engagements. Reference-checkable.
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