Data Solution Architect

As a Data Solution Architect within our Technology Architecture function, you'll be responsible for designing end-to-end data solutions that deliver measurable business value across our technology delivery portfolios. Embedded within data delivery squads but operating as part of the broader Architecture function, you'll translate business requirements into robust, secure, and scalable architectural designs, ensuring every data-intensive initiative is built on solid foundations that align to enterprise standards and platform strategy. This is a role where you'll have genuine influence over how data solutions are shaped and delivered at scale, supporting analytical, BI, and AI/ML use cases across a complex retail organisation undergoing significant technology transformation. If you're a hands-on solution architect who enjoys being close to data, and solving real business problems through well-considered design, this is a strong opportunity to do exactly that., + Lead the architectural design of data-centric initiatives, defining end-to-end data flows, data domains, and solution intent while enabling engineering teams to own implementation detail

• Translate business requirements into logical and physical data solution designs aligned to enterprise data standards, canonical models, and platform reference architectures
• Provide architectural assurance across data ingestion, transformation, storage, and consumption patterns, including integrations, APIs, streaming, and batch processing pipelines
• Support the delivery of key data and technology programmes, ensuring data architecture is properly designed and governed from the outset
• Ensure solution designs maximise reuse of canonical data models and shared datasets, reducing duplication and improving consistency across initiatives
• Own and document architecture decisions, trade-offs, and rationale, presenting solution designs to the Data Design Authority for alignment and assurance
• Collaborate with the wider Architecture team to ensure alignment between solution design, enterprise architecture, and long-term platform evolution

• Proven experience in a Solution Architect role with a strong specialism in data, including hands-on Databricks and Azure stack experience is essential
• Strong understanding of data modelling, ETL/ELT patterns, and data integration architectures, with the ability to design end-to-end solutions rather than advise at a surface level
• Experience producing architecture artefacts such as data flow diagrams, logical and physical data models, and solution overviews to support governance and delivery
• Solid understanding of data governance, lineage, security, and regulatory considerations, with the ability to embed these into designs from the outset
• Able to translate complex business problems into structured architecture designs and clearly articulate options and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Confident working within agile, product-aligned delivery squads, influencing without direct authority and shaping solutions collaboratively
• Experience in retail, customer data, or supply chain environments is a bonus, as is exposure to real-time streaming or event-driven architectures

• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, car allowance, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• We offer hybrid working with a blend of working in our Support Centre and from home.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Halfords is on a journey - building the future of motoring and cycling and looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. We're a place for cocreators: people who want to make a real impact, take ownership and be part of something that's still evolving. Technology at Halfords is at a turning point. We're modernising our foundations, sharpening our delivery, and ensuring every technology decision is connected to real commercial and customer outcomes. We're looking for people who act as trusted advisors to the business, take end-to-end accountability for outcomes, and can balance pace with long-term architectural integrity. Innovation here means practical, scalable solutions, not ideas that stay on whiteboards. Halfords operates a hybrid working policy - this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands., Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family. Note: Halfords operates a hybrid working policy - this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.