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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Data Architect (8-month FTC) - **Company:** Harnham - **Location:** Manchester, UK - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Temporary contract - **Skills:** Query Performance, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Software as a Service, Continuous Integration, Data Architecture, Information Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Data Transformation, Data Warehousing, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), SQL Databases, Apache Spark, Git, Data Layers, Data Lakes, Star Schema, Data Management, Code Restructuring, Looker Analytics, Software Version Control, Data Pipelines, Legacy Systems, Databricks - **Published:** September 8, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.collegerecruiter.com/job/2840617886-senior-data-architect-8-month-ftc ## About the Role This is not just a design role - you'll be deep in the detail, refactoring SQL, building pipelines, and optimising performance., * 8+ years in data engineering / data architecture * Deep experience with Databricks (Lakehouse, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog) * Expert SQL and distributed computing knowledge * Strong experience with data modelling (star / snowflake schemas) * Proven experience migrating legacy data platforms * Ability to optimise performance across large datasets * Experience with modern BI semantic layers (e.g. Looker, Omni, Superset) * Experience with CI/CD and version control (Git), * Experience with dbt or similar transformation frameworks * Exposure to AI/BI or natural language querying tools * Experience in multi-tenant or embedded analytics environments Why this role * Own and shape a modern data platform at scale * High-impact project with visible business outcomes * Combination of architecture + hands-on engineering * Work on performance, scalability, and governance challenges * Flexible, remote-friendly working ## Description I'm hiring a Senior BI Data Architect to join a global SaaS organisation and take ownership of a large-scale data platform transformation. This is a hands-on architecture role sitting at the intersection of data engineering and BI - where your work will directly shape how the business uses data to make decisions. A global technology business operating in the data and insights / research space, serving major clients worldwide and processing hundreds of millions of data points annually. They are investing heavily in modernising their data platform and analytics capabilities, with a strong focus on performance, scalability, and self-serve analytics. The role: You'll take full ownership of the Databricks Lakehouse and BI architecture, leading the migration away from legacy systems while building a clean, governed and scalable platform., * Design and implement a governed Databricks Lakehouse architecture (Unity Catalog, schemas, volumes) * Lead migration of complex legacy SQL logic into modular, scalable pipelines * Build and optimise data transformation frameworks using Spark / Python / SQL pipelines * Act as the go-to expert for query performance optimisation (Spark execution plans, data skew, joins) * Design and implement dimensional data models (star / snowflake schemas) * Architect the semantic layer for BI (Omni or similar tools like Looker) * Build CI/CD pipelines to automate testing and deployment * Work with stakeholders across Product, Finance, and Commercial teams to deliver scalable solutions ## Related Videos - [Alibaba Big Data and Machine Learning Technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/37-alibaba-big-data-and-machine-learning-technology) - [Modern Data Architectures need Software Engineering](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1030-modern-data-architectures-need-software-engineering) - [Fully Orchestrating Databricks from Airflow](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/336-fully-orchestrating-databricks-from-airflow) - [How a Small Team Shrank a Microsoft Monorepo by 94%](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1236-how-a-small-team-shrank-a-microsoft-monorepo-by-94) - [Cutting LLM Costs Without Cutting Quality: How to Beat Proprietary LLMs with Fine-Tuned Open Source](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100151-cutting-llm-costs-without-cutting-quality-how-to-beat-proprietary-llms-with-fine-tuned-open-source) - [PySpark - Combining Machine Learning & Big Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/44-pyspark-combining-machine-learning-big-data) ## Related Articles - [Data Engineer Salary UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/253-data-engineer-salary-uk) - [Data Analyst Salary in the UK](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/278-data-analyst-salary-in-the-uk) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Making Data Warehouses Fast: A Developer’s Story](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/107-making-data-warehouses-fast-a-developer-s-story) - [Software Engineer Salary London](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/252-software-engineer-salary-london)