Data Architect
15 days ago
Stratford-upon-Avon
Contract Data Architect - Senior SME (Modern Data Platform) Contract Length: 12-18 months (strong potential to extend or move permanent) It will be Inside IR35Day Rate: £600-£700 Location: UK-based, primarily remoteAd hoc travel to Stratford-upon-Avon & London for workshops and occasional travel to Bucharest the main office is in Stratford. Overview We are seeking a Senior Data Architect to act as a subject matter expert for the design and build of a modern, enterprise-scale data platform. This is a high-impact contract role with full ownership of the data domain, supporting a multi-year roadmap to transform an existing platform into a cloud-native, federated data architecture on Azure. The organisation is in the process of lifting and modernising a large-scale data landscape into Azure, with a strong likelihood of winning a major government contract, making this a long-term and strategically critical engagement. This role requires a hands-on architect - someone who can define strategy and architecture, but also work closely with delivery teams to ensure successful execution. Key Responsibilities • Own and shape the end-to-end data architecture and data strategy, treating the data platform as a product, • Design and build a modern Azure-based data platform supporting large-scale data processing, • Define and implement modern federated data architecture principles, • Lead the adoption of Medallion Architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold), • Design and oversee robust data ingestion and data pipeline frameworks, including ingestion of poor-quality and complex data, • Provide architectural leadership for:, • Data lakes and lakehouse patterns, • Analytics and reporting platforms, • Master Data Management (MDM), • Act as a hands-on technical authority, supporting and mentoring engineering teams, • Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders across the UK and near-shore teams in Bucharest, • Azure Data Platform, • Databricks (Lakehouse architecture), • Cosmos DB, • Azure Data Factory, • Talend (ETL), • Power BI & Qlik, • Large-scale data processing and analytics, • Master Data Management (MDM) concepts and toolingRequired Experience, • Proven experience as a Senior / Lead Data Architect on complex data transformation programmes, • Strong background designing and delivering modern cloud data platforms on Azure, • Hands-on experience with Databricks, Azure data services, and modern ETL pipelines, • Deep understanding of data architecture patterns, including lakehouse and federated models, • Experience working with imperfect and complex data sources, • Comfortable operating as the single point of ownership for a data domain, • Ability to translate strategy into detailed, actionable architecture, • Strong stakeholder engagement skillsDesirable, • Experience working in regulated or government-aligned environments, • Prior exposure to long-term platform rebuild programmes, • Mentoring or leadership of multi-disciplinary data teamsWhy Apply?, • Long-term 12-18 month contract with strong extension or permanent potential, • Opportunity to own and architect a modern data platform end-to-end, • Significant influence on a multi-year data transformation roadmap, • Flexible day rate, • High-profile programme with future government exposure