Data Architect

Data Architect

Inside IR35 Rate: £660 per day
Location: Telford (2 days per week onsite)
Clearance Required: Active SC Clearance (must be valid prior to start)

The Opportunity

We're looking for an experienced Data Architect to join a major transformation programme, helping to design and deliver enterprise-scale data and analytics solutions.

This is a hands-on architecture role where you'll shape modern data platforms, cloud migration initiatives, data management capabilities, and analytics solutions. You'll work across the full data lifecycle, providing technical leadership from solution design through to implementation and live operation.

The role is ideal for someone who enjoys solving complex data challenges, leading technical teams, and influencing architecture decisions across large-scale programmes.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and govern enterprise-level data architectures across complex environments.
• Define solutions covering data lakes, data warehouses, lakehouses, data virtualisation, and modern data pipelines.
• Provide architectural leadership across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid platforms.
• Design data management frameworks covering metadata, lineage, quality, governance, ownership, and classification.
• Support the adoption of AI-enabled data and analytics capabilities.
• Ensure architecture aligns with business requirements, governance standards, and best practices.
• Guide delivery teams through complex design and implementation decisions.
• Build trusted relationships with stakeholders, suppliers, and technical teams.
• Support solution governance, architecture reviews, and technical assurance activities.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Data Architect within large-scale enterprise environments.
• Strong expertise in data architecture, modelling, governance, and data management.
• Experience designing:
  • Data Lakes
  • Data Warehouses
  • Lakehouse Architectures
  • Data Virtualisation Solutions
  • ETL/ELT Frameworks
• Strong understanding of:
  • Relational Databases
  • NoSQL Databases
  • Graph Databases
  • Cloud Data Platforms
• Experience delivering cloud migration and transformation programmes.
• Knowledge of analytics, reporting, API integration, and data consumption patterns.
• Experience working within Agile, DevOps, CI/CD, and modern engineering environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience leading technical teams and governing architecture delivery.

Desirable Skills

• Experience with modern cloud-native data platforms and lakehouse deployments.
• Understanding of AI and data-driven solutions.
• Experience contributing to bids, technical proposals, or solution strategy.
• Experience managing architecture governance throughout programme lifecycles.