Data Architect

We're looking for an experienced Data Architect to join a well-established company who are going through an enterprise-wide modernisation programme. This is a brand-new role within the business and you'll be responsible for defining and evolving the data architecture that underpins enterprise-scale BI and self-service analytics across a large, complex organisation operating across the UK and Europe.

This is a strategic and hands-on role where you will set the technical vision, standards, and frameworks for modern data platforms, ensuring they are scalable, secure, cost-effective, and aligned with business priorities. You will act as a technical authority for data architecture, working closely with BI Engineers, Developers, Product, and senior stakeholders to enable high-quality analytics and data products today and in the future.

What you'll be doing

Architecture & Strategy

• Assess existing data architectures, documenting current-state models, pipelines, tools, and standards
• Define and maintain the enterprise data architecture vision and roadmap aligned to BI strategy and business goals
• Design logical and physical data models optimised for reporting, analytics, and self-service BI
• Establish and govern architectural patterns (e.g. medallion architecture, dimensional modelling, data vault)
• Design cloud-based data platform architectures (AWS preferred), including data storage, processing, and consumption layers

Technology Leadership

• Evaluate and recommend modern data technologies and tooling
• Stay current with industry trends such as open table formats (Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake), data observability, and cloud-native services
• Lead proofs-of-concept and technical assessments for new technologies
• Ensure the data architecture remains modern, performant, and future-proof

Data Modelling & Governance

• Define standard business entities, metrics, and KPIs for consistent reporting
• Review and approve complex data models created by BI Engineers
• Design and embed data governance frameworks covering ownership, quality, security, and compliance

Collaboration & Influence

• Partner with BI leadership to shape data and analytics strategy
• Provide architectural guidance and mentorship to BI Engineers and Developers
• Work closely with frontend BI Developers to ensure data structures support performant dashboards
• Translate business requirements into clear, practical architectural solutions
• Facilitate architecture workshops and discussions with technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Extensive experience in data architecture, designing and delivering enterprise-scale data solutions
• Strong expertise in data modelling with excellent SQL skills
• Deep knowledge of modern data engineering patterns (ETL/ELT, data lakes, lakehouse, warehousing)
• Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (AWS preferred: Redshift, Athena, S3, Glue; Azure or GCP beneficial)
• Experience with data governance, data quality, metadata management, and regulatory considerations

Personal attributes

• Strong business acumen and ability to link data architecture to real business outcomes
• Pragmatic mindset: balancing architectural best practice with delivery and cost constraints
• Curious, continuous learner with an interest in emerging technologies
• Confident communicator who can influence and build trust across technical and business teams