Data Architect

Methods; Greater London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension Salary Exchange Scheme

Discretionary Company Bonus

Private Medical Insurance

Wellness assistance program

Social events

Job summary

Methods Analytics is seeking a Data Architect to join their team on a permanent basis. This role involves advocating data standards across projects, designing end-to-end data solutions, and leading complex data migration from legacy systems to modern platforms.

The ideal candidate should possess extensive experience with the Azure data stack and strong background in data modelling and unstructured data management.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in data architect roles with a focus on integration and deployment.
• Demonstrated ability to drive data standards across projects.
• Extensive knowledge of the Azure data stack and modern data architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement end-to-end data solutions.
• Lead complex data migration projects to cloud-native platforms.
• Communicate technical information to non-technical audiences.

Skills

Data streaming architectures

Data modelling

Azure data stack

Data migration projects

Lambda architectural patterns

Parquet/Delta Lake

AI/ML data architectures

Unstructured data management

Relational database design

Industry certifications

Data mesh/fabric approaches

Modern data platforms

Public sector experience

DevOps practices

Security vetting

Education

Relevant industry certifications

Tools

Microsoft Azure

Kafka

Event Hubs

Kinesis

SQL Server

PostgreSQL

Databricks

CosmosDB

Job description

• Methods Analytics (MA) is recruiting for a Data Architect to join our team a permanent basis
• Advocate the business benefit of data standards, championing and governing those standards across projects and the organisation
• Demonstrate an overall perspective on business issues and activities, determining patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements
• Make and guide effective decisions, explaining clearly how decisions have been reached and resolving technical disputes across varying levels of complexity and risk
• Communicate effectively across organisational, technical and political boundaries, making complex technical information accessible for non-technical audiences
• Design how to expose data from systems (APIs, real-time streams), link data from multiple systems, and deliver modern data services
• Ensure that risks associated with deployment are adequately understood and documented
• Design end-to-end data solutions from requirements through implementation, including technical documentation and architecture blueprints
• Lead complex data migration projects from legacy systems to modern cloud-native platforms
• Evaluate and recommend appropriate technologies across the modern data stack to meet specific client needs
• Mentor junior team members and collaborate with data engineers, software engineers, data scientists, and business stakeholders
• Enable transformative business decisions through robust, scalable data architectures
• Drive adoption of modern data platforms and AI-enabled analytics solutions
• Establish technical standards and architectural patterns that ensure quality, security, and maintainability
• Help cultivate a data-driven culture within client organisations and internally
• Deliver architectures that seamlessly integrate traditional and modern data systems

Benefits

• Autonomy to develop and grow your skills and experience
• Be part of exciting project work that is making a difference in society
• Strong, inspiring and thought-provoking leadership
• A supportive and collaborative environment
• Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
• Social - Breakfast Tuesdays, Pizza Thursday monthly, weekly social in the office and commitment to charitable causes
• Time off 25 days a year
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
• Discretionary Company Bonus based on company and individual performance
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
• Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Benefits Platform offering various retail and leisure discounts

• Experience with streaming architectures using Kafka, Event Hubs, or Kinesis for real-time data processing
• Extensive data modelling experience: both normalised relational models and de-normalised Star Schema/dimensional models
• Deep knowledge of the Azure data stack (Azure SQL Server, CosmosDB, Azure Data Factory, Purview, Synapse, Event Hub, Azure Databricks/Fabric)
• Proven track record with complex data migration projects (terabyte+ datasets, multiple legacy source systems, structures and unstructured data)
• Understanding of Lambda and Kappa architectural patterns and when to apply each
• Proficiency with Parquet/Delta Lake or other modern data storage formats
• Knowledge of data architectures supporting AI/ML workloads, including vector databases, feature stores and MLOps pipelines
• Experience processing and managing unstructured data types (text, images, logs, sensor data)
• Excellent relational database design skills with expertise in diagnosing and optimising performance across SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and cloud databases
• Relevant industry certifications such as TOGAF 9, CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
• Understanding of data mesh or data fabric architectural approaches
• Experience with modern unified data platforms like Databricks or Microsoft Fabric
• Industry specialisation in specific sectors (Engineering, Manufacturing, Healthcare etc.)
• Public sector or defence experience
• Awareness of advances in AI technologies, data services, and architectural practices
• Knowledge of how to design and analyse operational logs for data processing, and triage incidents
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and modern DevOps practices
• Understanding of vector databases and similarity search for AI applications
• Knowledge of and/or experience with Government Digital Service practices across Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live phases
• Exposure to high-performing, low latency or large volume data systems
• UKSV (United Kingdom Security Vetting) clearance is required for this role, with Security Check (SC) as the minimum standard, either already held or with a willingness to undergo the process
• Some roles/projects may require Developed Vetting (DV) clearance; while not mandatory, a willingness to obtain DV clearance would be beneficial
• As part of the onboarding process candidates will be asked to complete a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS); details of the evidence required to apply may be found on the government website