Data Architect

Wave Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Wave Group in London is seeking an aspiring Data Architect ready to move from data engineering to architecture. You will join a flagship insurance-sector transformation, collaborating with client stakeholders from day one.

You will build data pipelines, gain cloud fundamentals, and explore Data Mesh on a live enterprise programme with strong governance and data quality focus.

Qualifications

• Solid grounding in data engineering or analytics.
• Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, SQL Server.
• Comfort speaking to stakeholders in regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Build and support data pipelines and reports on Fabric, Power BI, and SQL Server.
• Contribute to data platform governance and data quality practices.
• Collaborate with client stakeholders on architectural decisions.
• Learn and apply Data Mesh and Data Product thinking in practice.
• Operate in a regulated financial services environment with governance and audits.

Skills

Data engineering

Analytics

SQL reporting

Stakeholder comms

Learning agility

Tools

Microsoft Fabric

Power BI

SQL Server

Cloud fundamentals

Job description

Salary: up to ~£75k

Location: Central London (2-3 office days/week)

VISA sponsorship is NOT available

Ready to make the jump from data engineer to data architect? This is a genuine first-architecture-role opportunity — not a "prove yourself for two years before we let you near real decisions" setup, but a proper hands-on step-up, on a flagship insurance-sector transformation in the City of London, with direct client exposure from day one.

About the business

You'll be joining a global technology and business consultancy with 40 years of heritage and 2,800+ people across Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, the US and India. Despite the scale, it still runs with the culture of a family business — founder-led, collaborative, and genuinely invested in developing people rather than just delivering projects. The UK arm is growing fast, and this hire will be one of the early members of that build-out — which means real trust, real ownership, and nobody standing between you and the client.

The opportunity

This is where a strong data engineer with a couple of years of Fabric or governance exposure gets thrown in at the deep end — in a good way. You'll be mentored and supported, but you won't be sat in the background: you'll be in the room with client stakeholders, contributing to real architectural decisions from early on. If you're hungry to accelerate your career rather than wait your turn, this is built for exactly that.

What you'll get to do:

• Get hands-on building and supporting data pipelines and reporting on Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, and SQL Server, within a live 15-20 person data platform team
• Build genuine cloud fundamentals on a large-scale enterprise data estate
• Learn Data Mesh and Data Product thinking in practice, on a live enterprise programme
• Get properly trained up on Microsoft Purview — metadata, lineage, and data quality frameworks
• Build incident management and platform operations experience — a skill that compounds fast
• Learn what it actually takes to operate in a regulated FSI environment — governance, auditability, security, GDPR

What you'll bring:

• A solid grounding in data engineering, analytics, or SQL-based reporting — ideally a few years in, ready to make the leap into architecture
• Exposure to Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, SQL Server, or general cloud fundamentals — you don't need to have run it end-to-end yet, but you know your way around the stack
• Curiosity about the bigger picture — data strategy, operating models, governance — beyond just the pipeline
• Comfort working in, or genuine interest in, regulated environments — insurance or financial services exposure is a bonus, not a requirement
• Confidence to speak to stakeholders directly
• Learning agility over years of experience — we're looking for someone smart and hungry, not someone who's already ticked every box
• A team-first, low-ego attitude — you'll be learning fast, and that means being open to feedback