Data Architect / Business Analyst (Brussels)

This role sits at the core of an enterprise data transformation initiative, focused on designing the target Data Warehouse and Lakehouse architecture (Kimball/Inmon methodologies, Microsoft Fabric) and rationalising the current Data Hub/Data Warehouse landscape, complemented by business analysis and stakeholder facilitation activities., * Analyse the existing enterprise data models, metadata and information architecture.

• Analyse the current Data Warehouse and Data Hub schemas, data structures and integration patterns.
• Identify common, shared and system-specific business entities, data domains and subject areas.
• Perform data profiling, data mapping and data lineage analysis.
• Define conceptual, logical and physical enterprise data models.
• Design the target enterprise Data Warehouse architecture following recognised methodologies such as Kimball (Dimensional Modelling) and/or Inmon (Corporate Information Factory), selecting the most appropriate approach for each business domain.
• Design fact and dimension models, conformed dimensions, star schemas and subject-oriented data marts where appropriate.
• Define the target Lakehouse architecture using Microsoft Fabric, including the organisation of Bronze, Silver and Gold layers based on Delta Lake principles.
• Define data ingestion, transformation and storage patterns supporting both analytical and operational reporting workloads.
• Define master data, reference data and business glossary structures.
• Identify opportunities for data model harmonisation, simplification and standardisation across the Data Warehouse and Data Hub.
• Define data quality, data governance and metadata management principles.
• Produce enterprise data architecture, modelling and design documentation.

Data Hub Rationalisation and Cost Model

• Analyse existing Data Hub services.
• Review custom developments and temporary solutions.
• Assess operational complexity.
• Analyse service usage and client dependencies.
• Support rationalisation of services.
• Define future operating model.
• Develop service costing approach.
• Support governance model definition.
• Produce recommendations for long-term sustainability.

Migration Strategy and Transition Planning

• Define migration principles.
• Analyse migration dependencies.
• Identify migration risks and constraints.
• Define transition architecture.
• Develop phased migration roadmap.
• Support prioritisation of migration activities.
• Define coexistence strategy where applicable.
• Support change impact assessment.
• Contribute to implementation planning.

Current State Assessment and Business Analysis

• Analyse business and functional requirements.
• Analyse the current Data Warehouse architecture and data model.
• Analyse the current Data Hub architecture and data model.
• Identify business processes supported by each platform.
• Identify business stakeholders and data owners.
• Analyse existing client usage and service consumption.
• Identify custom implementations, workarounds and technical debt.
• Facilitate business and technical workshops.
• Produce current-state documentation.

Future Service Design and Business Architecture

• Analyse current service offerings.
• Assess business value of existing services.
• Identify redundant or obsolete services.
• Define future service portfolio.
• Analyse client requirements and service consumption patterns.
• Support business capability modelling.
• Define business processes supporting future services.
• Contribute to governance model definition.
• Support business case preparation.

Documentation, Stakeholder Support and Knowledge Transfer

• Produce business analysis documentation.
• Produce functional specifications.
• Maintain data architecture documentation.
• Support project governance activities.
• Facilitate workshops with business and technical stakeholders.
• Support solution validation.
• Deliver knowledge transfer sessions.
• Contribute to final project documentation.

Data Architecture and Data Modelling (core focus)

• Minimum 7 years of experience in enterprise data architecture, data modelling and data warehouse design.
• Strong expertise in conceptual, logical and physical data modelling.
• Proven experience designing enterprise Data Warehouse solutions.
• Strong knowledge of Kimball dimensional modelling methodologies, including star schemas, fact and dimension modelling, conformed dimensions and data marts.
• Good knowledge of Inmon Corporate Information Factory (CIF) principles and enterprise data warehouse architecture.
• Experience designing enterprise information models and business data models.
• Experience analysing and rationalising complex legacy data models.
• Experience defining target-state enterprise data architectures and migration roadmaps.
• Strong understanding of master data management (MDM), reference data management and metadata management.
• Experience performing data mapping, data lineage analysis and impact assessment.
• Experience defining data governance principles, business glossaries and data ownership models.
• Experience with data quality assessment and data quality improvement initiatives.
• Experience modelling analytical data structures supporting business intelligence and reporting.

Modern Data Platforms

• Experience designing Lakehouse architectures.
• Experience with Microsoft Fabric or comparable modern cloud data platforms.
• Good understanding of Delta Lake architecture and the design of Bronze, Silver and Gold data layers.
• Experience defining data ingestion, transformation and storage patterns for analytical platforms.
• Experience with ELT/ETL architecture and modern data integration patterns.
• Experience supporting migration from traditional data warehouses to cloud-based analytics platforms.

Data Platform Transformation

• Experience analysing legacy data platforms and defining target architectures.
• Experience planning data migration and transition strategies.
• Experience identifying opportunities for data model harmonisation and platform consolidation.
• Experience performing gap analysis and impact assessments.
• Experience working with complex enterprise data ecosystems.

Business Analysis

• Minimum 6 years of experience as a Business Analyst in enterprise data or information management projects.
• Strong experience in business process analysis and requirements engineering.
• Experience facilitating workshops with business and technical stakeholders.
• Experience documenting business capabilities, functional requirements and operating models.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Business Architecture and Service Design

• Experience defining business capabilities and service catalogues.
• Experience analysing existing service portfolios.
• Experience defining future operating models.
• Experience developing business cases and cost models.
• Experience supporting governance model definition.

Stakeholder Management

• Strong communication and facilitation skills.
• Experience working with executive management, business owners and technical teams.

Certifications:

• DAMA Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) is considered a strong asset.
• TOGAF Foundation or Certified is considered a strong asset.
• CBAP (Certified Business Analysis Professional) or equivalent is considered a strong asset.
• Certification in Data Architecture, Enterprise Architecture or Information Management is considered a plus.