Data Architect

Location: Edinburgh or Newcastle preferred
Other locations considered: Luton, Bristol, Southampton
(Hybrid - predominantly onsite)

Contract: 6 months initially (potential to extend)
Rate: Up to £69.44 per hour umbrella (rate may be negotiable)
Clearance: Active SC clearance required
Nationality: UK Eyes Only - sole British nationality required

We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to support a high-profile, security-critical programme within a UK government/defence environment.

This role focuses on the design, implementation and governance of enterprise-level data architectures, ensuring data is accurate, secure, accessible, and fit for purpose across complex systems. You will work closely with technical teams and stakeholders to take data solutions from initial requirements through to delivery, operating in a highly regulated setting.

• Design and implement enterprise data architecture solutions, including databases, data warehouses and data lakes

• Develop and maintain conceptual, logical and physical data models

• Define and enforce data management standards, policies and best practices

• Work closely with data engineers to design and optimise ETL/ELT pipelines for structured and unstructured data

• Ensure data quality, consistency and security across platforms

• Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders to translate data requirements into technical solutions

• Oversee data integration across cloud and on-prem environments

• Support data governance initiatives including metadata management, MDM and compliance

• Evaluate and recommend new data technologies, tools and platforms

• Provide technical leadership and guidance to data engineering and analytics teams

Essential:

• Degree in STEM, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or similar (Master's preferred)

• Strong experience in data architecture, database design or data engineering

• Proven experience delivering data-intensive systems end to end

• Strong SQL skills and experience with relational databases (eg Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL)

• Experience with data warehouse and lakehouse architectures

• Experience designing and governing data models and data flows

• Experience establishing and working within data governance frameworks

• Strong understanding of data security and compliance requirements

• Excellent communication, problem-solving and documentation skills

Desirable:

• Experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP)

• Exposure to big data technologies (Hadoop, Spark, Kafka)

• Familiarity with ETL/orchestration tools (eg Informatica, Talend, Airflow)

• Experience with API integration and microservices data flows

• Familiarity with AI/ML data pipelines or analytics platforms

• Experience using UML/SysML

Due to the nature of the work:

• Candidates must hold active SC clearance

• UK Eyes Only restrictions apply - pplicants must be sole British nationals (no dual nationality)

• Work on a high-impact, security-critical programme

• Opportunity to shape and influence enterprise data architecture

• Strong likelihood of contract extension

• Competitive rate with flexibility for the right candidate

• Collaborative environment with experienced technical teams