Data Architect

Digital Futures; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Pension contributions

Wellbeing budget

Benefits platform

Job summary

Digital Futures is seeking a Data Architect to define and govern data and analytics architectures for scalable AI and digital solutions. The role ensures data platforms are reliable, interoperable, secure and scalable for growth.

Key responsibilities include designing target architectures, leading data modeling and integration patterns, and ensuring alignment with enterprise standards while overseeing governance and security considerations.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a data architect or senior data engineer working on large-scale data and analytics platforms.
• Deep understanding of modern data architectures (data lakehouse, event-driven architectures, streaming, data mesh).
• Strong knowledge of leading cloud data stacks (GCP BigQuery, AWS Redshift/Glue, Azure Synapse, Databricks, Snowflake).
• Experience designing data models for analytics and AI with structured and unstructured data.
• Familiarity with data governance, security, privacy and compliance considerations.
• Ability to communicate architectural concepts clearly to technical and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Design target data architectures and reference patterns across cloud data platforms, analytics and AI workloads.
• Lead the definition of data models, integration patterns, storage approaches and data flows to support key use cases.
• Collaborate with AI Engineering Leads, Data Engineers and client architects to ensure solutions align with enterprise standards.
• Define data governance, data quality and metadata practices to support trusted analytics and AI.
• Provide architectural oversight across programmes, reviewing designs and guiding trade-off decisions.
• Evaluate and recommend data and analytics technologies, tools and platforms.

Skills

Data architecture

Senior data engineering

Cloud data stacks

Data modeling

Stakeholder communication

Tools

GCP BigQuery

AWS Redshift/Glue

Azure Synapse

Databricks

Snowflake

Job description

Digital Futures is seeking a Data Architect. They will define and govern data and analytics architectures that enable scalable AI and digital solutions for clients. The role ensures data platforms are designed for reliability, interoperability, security and future growth.

Key responsibilities

• Design target data architectures and reference patterns across cloud data platforms, analytics and AI workloads.
• Lead the definition of data models, integration patterns, storage approaches and data flows to support key use cases.
• Work closely with AI Engineering Leads, Data Engineers and client architects to ensure solutions align with enterprise standards and constraints.
• Define data governance, data quality and metadata practices required to support trusted analytics and AI.
• Provide architectural oversight across programmes, reviewing designs and guiding trade‑off decisions.
• Evaluate and recommend data and analytics technologies, tools and platforms.

Skills & experience

• Extensive experience as a data architect or senior data engineer working on large‑scale data and analytics platforms.
• Deep understanding of modern data architectures (e.g. data lakehouse, event‑driven architectures, streaming, data mesh principles).
• Strong knowledge of one or more leading cloud data stacks (e.g. GCP BigQuery, AWS Redshift/Glue, Azure Synapse, Databricks, Snowflake).
• Experience designing data models for analytics and AI, and working with structured and unstructured data.
• Familiarity with data governance, security, privacy and compliance considerations.
• Ability to communicate architectural concepts clearly to both technical and business stakeholders.

Behaviours & mindset

• Acts as a steward of data, balancing innovation with robustness and compliance.
• Comfortable making and articulating trade‑offs under uncertainty.
• Collaborative and supportive of engineering teams, not purely gatekeeping.
• Curious about new patterns and tools in data and AI, and able to critically assess hype.
• Thinks in systems and long‑term evolution, not just individual projects.

What's in it for you?

• Tailored professional development plan and upskilling
• Ability to make an impact at Digital Futures while it is in a period of accelerated growth
• Access to our employee benefits, discounts and perks platform
• Pension contributions
• Wellbeing budget
• Competitive salary
• Hybrid working model with required office working days

Digital Futures is a mission-led technology services company specialising in Artificial Intelligence (AI). We have reimagined how capability is built in the age of AI, disrupting outdated workforce and education models, placing ambition at our core. We're building the workforce of the future, leveraging the power of AI to drive innovation and inclusive growth. We are creating a company that matters: one where pride is a strategic asset and our collective impact is measured in enduring outcomes – opportunity created, futures transformed, advantage secured.