Data Platform Architect

We are seeking an experienced Data Platform Architect to lead a cross-functional data & cloud engineering team in the design and implementation of our next-generation cloud-native data platform. This role will be responsible for architecting a comprehensive data ecosystem that supports diverse data ingestion and consumption patterns, advanced data structures, and appropriate storage solutions while owning and adhering to our data ontology.

Role and Responsibilities

Architecture & Design

• Design and architect scalable, cloud-native data platform solutions supporting both real-time and batch processing workloads
• Define data architecture patterns, data models, and integration strategies across heterogeneous data sources
• Establish API-first design principles and create comprehensive API specifications for data services
• Design data governance frameworks, security models, and compliance strategies
• Create technical roadmaps and guide technology stack decisions

Technical Leadership

• Lead a cross-functional team including data engineers, cloud engineers, and software engineers
• Collaborate with data scientists and analytics teams to understand platform requirements for advanced use cases
• Drive architectural reviews and technical decision-making processes
• Mentor engineering teams on best practices for data platform development
• Establish coding standards, design patterns, and operational procedures

Platform Strategy

• Evaluate and recommend technologies for data ingestion, processing, storage, and serving layers
• Design multi-tenant, self-service data platform capabilities
• Architect solutions for data lineage, quality monitoring, and observability
• Plan for platform scalability, performance optimization, and cost management
• Ensure platform supports diverse data types (structured, semi-structured, streaming)

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with product managers to translate business requirements into technical solutions
• Partner with security and compliance teams to ensure data protection and regulatory adherence
• Collaborate with infrastructure teams on cloud resource planning and optimization
• Present architectural decisions and trade-offs to leadership and technical teams, This is a full-time non-exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require. Non-Exempt employees may be required to work over 40 hours per week with approval from the department manager.

• 8+ years of experience in data engineering, platform architecture, or related fields
• Technologist with proven experience in building innovative and ground-breaking data solutions.
• Proven experience architecting large-scale data platforms in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) and leading technical teams
• Deep understanding of data processing frameworks (Spark, Kafka, Flink, Airflow)
• Strong knowledge of data storage technologies (data lakes, data warehouses, NoSQL, streaming)
• Experience with containerization, orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker), and microservices and event-driven architectures
• Proficiency in API design and development (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, JSON, Kafka)
• Understanding of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks
• Excellent communication skills with ability to present complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Solid programming fundamentals with ability to review code and guide technical decisions across multiple languages
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
• Experience with data catalog and metadata management tools

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or Engineering
• Understanding of analytics and data science workflows
• Certification in major cloud platforms
• Experience with data mesh or federated data architecture patterns, The employee will have the legal right to work in the United Kingdom and will be able to produce right to work documentation.

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

Ability to achieve and maintain a Security Clearance.

Metrea is a defense company dedicated to translating commercial innovation into solutions for the hardest problems in national security. With deep mission expertise, Metrea focuses on delivering effects-as-a-service across Aerospace, Electromagnetic & Cyber, Digital & Synthetic domains via its capability groups. Metrea also consists of six support groups (Operations, People, Finance, Legal, Strategy and Solutions) that guide the development of specific capabilities that Metrea's files (product, projects, programs etc) leverage to achieve their targets.