Data Architect

Data Architect - Databricks / Azure

Salary: up to £85,000
Location: Manchester (2 days per week)

About the Opportunity

Our client is a global insurance firm, and one of the leading insurers in the Lloyd's of London market. Their data strategy is built around a single enterprise Lakehouse platform on Databricks - a deliberate move away from the fragmented, ungoverned silos on legacy technology that hamper creativity and scalability across most of the market.

The Role

As a Data Architect, you will own the end-to-end design and evolution of the enterprise data architecture - defining how data is stored, integrated, secured and managed across every solution in the estate. That includes full ownership of the Databricks Lakehouse platform architecture: data modelling, storage patterns, processing and integration approaches, data sharing patterns and governance guardrails.

This is a practical, delivery-focused architecture role, not a governance-only one. You will be producing conceptual, logical and physical models, writing the source-to-target mappings and interface specifications that delivery teams build from, and working inside squads alongside business analysts, data analysts, developers and solution architects. Alongside shaping the future-state architecture and transition roadmap, you will drive real simplification - rationalising legacy data assets, duplicated capabilities and technical debt.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end architecture of the enterprise Lakehouse platform on Databricks - data modelling, storage layers, processing patterns, integration approaches and data sharing standards.
• Define conceptual, logical and physical data models, information models and associated data dictionaries across enterprise and delivery-specific requirements.
• Define and evolve the future-state data architecture and transition roadmaps, simplifying the landscape through rationalisation of legacy assets, duplicated capabilities and technical debt.
• Set data architecture principles, guardrails, standards and reusable patterns, aligned to canonical business definitions and domain boundaries.
• Define and evolve insurance data models across underwriting, policy, claims, finance, actuarial and regulatory use cases.
• Define security, privacy and regulatory requirements - data classification, access control, retention, lineage, metadata and information quality controls.
• Own integration and data sharing standards, including source-to-target mappings and interface specifications such as JSON and REST APIs.

Skills & Experience

• Databricks is essential. Strong, hands-on experience designing data architectures on Databricks - Lakehouse modelling, storage layers, processing patterns and data sharing - is a firm requirement for this role.
• Strong enterprise data modelling across conceptual, logical and physical layers, for both analytical and operational use cases, with real examples of the artefacts produced.
• Strong knowledge of SQL, relational modelling and JSON, alongside broader Azure data platform experience.
• Experience defining architecture principles, reusable patterns and guardrails, rather than relying solely on tool-specific approaches.
• Experience defining metadata, lineage and data quality monitoring requirements within enterprise data platforms.
• Data architecture in a regulated environment: security, privacy, access control and the regulatory demands that come with insurance data.
• Proven stakeholder management at all levels - able to influence senior business and technology stakeholders and get people into a room and come out with agreed definitions.

Key Technologies

• Databricks Lakehouse - storage layers, processing patterns, integration and data sharing
• SQL, relational modelling and JSON
• REST APIs and interface specification
• Erwin and Sparx EA
• Prior data model and data management design within delivery projects for underwriting, policy administration or claims applications.
• Understanding of London or Lloyd's Market insurance conceptual data models and associated business data standards.
• Experience using enterprise architecture tooling such as Bizzdesign Horizzon.
• 15% Bonus
• 10% Non-contributory pension
• Health (family) and dental cover
• Lots more!

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.