Data Architect

Contract Data Architect - Senior SME (Modern Data Platform)

Contract Length: 12-18 months (strong potential to extend or move permanent) It will be Inside IR35
Day Rate: £600-£700
Location: UK-based, primarily remote
Ad 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
• Ensure platforms are scalable, secure, and fit for future government and enterprise needs

Technical Environment

You will work extensively with:

• 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 tooling

Required 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 skills

Desirable

• Experience working in regulated or government-aligned environments
• Prior exposure to long-term platform rebuild programmes
• Mentoring or leadership of multi-disciplinary data teams

Why 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