Data Architect - Central Government

London Source: WhatJobs

See advert for pay

Overview

As a Data Architect, you will lead the design and delivery of secure cloud-based data platforms for UK Central Government. You will shape target-state architectures and oversee pragmatic implementation in regulated, security-conscious environments. You will navigate between traditional enterprise data approaches and modern patterns such as lakehouse, streaming, data mesh, and ML-enabled platforms. You’ll work with cross-functional teams to ensure governance, clarity, and technical rigor, contributing to mission-critical public sector data initiatives. You will operate within a governance framework and engage senior stakeholders to drive meaningful architectural decisions.

Pay / Benefits

flexible work options
learning and development opportunities
focus on wellbeing and inclusion
inclusive, diverse work environment
equal opportunities employer
Disability Confident Committed Employer

Responsibilities

Lead the design and delivery of secure, cloud-based data platforms for UK Central Government departments
Shape target-state architectures and provide delivery oversight
Ensure architectures are implemented pragmatically within regulated, security-conscious environments
Balance traditional enterprise patterns with modern data patterns (lakehouse, streaming, data mesh)
Promote governance, clarity, and technical rigor across projects
Collaborate with stakeholders and lead mentoring of architects and engineers

Key requirements

Lead Data Architect / Data Solutions Architect or equivalent senior role
Experience in consulting, systems integration, or delivery partner roles
Experience in UK Central Government or ALBs preferred
Practical architecture experience across cloud-native platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and multiple tools (Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, SageMaker)
Knowledge of data lake/lakehouse, event-driven architectures, data mesh/fabric
Strong data engineering knowledge (Spark, Hadoop, SQL/NoSQL, ETL/ELT) and awareness of DevOps/CI-CD for data platforms
Understanding of ML/AI workloads integration into data architectures
Governance frameworks, metadata management, GDPR and UK public sector data protection
Experience designing within government assurance processes and design authorities
Stakeholder engagement and mentoring capabilities
Familiarity with Agile delivery models (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban)
Hands-on coding ability beneficial (Python/Java/R)