Data Architect

Xcede Recruitment Solutions; London; Hybrid; GBP 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A global leader in legal market intelligence seeks a Senior Data Architect to shape their Azure-native data platform. This role encompasses leading the architecture of vast datasets for analytics and product delivery, with a hybrid working model and a clear progression path to Head of Data Architecture.

Benefits

Hybrid working model – 2 days per week in-office

Clear progression path to Head of Data Architecture

High-impact role with exposure to C-level decision making

Competitive salary (~£100k) with flexibility

Qualifications

• Experience as a Senior Data Architect or Lead Data Engineer in a cloud environment.
• Hands-on knowledge of Azure data services and strong SQL skills.
• Comfortable defining 'as-is' and 'to-be' states across data ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and design of scalable data solutions in Azure.
• Drive development of data models and architecture roadmaps.
• Collaborate with CDO and engineering on platform’s technical direction.

Skills

SQL

Data Modelling

Cloud Architecture

Data Strategy

Tools

Azure Data Factory

Databricks

Python

.NET

Job description

Senior Data Architect – Azure / Databricks / Python
Location:London (2 days per week in-office)
Salary: ~£100,000
Type: Permanent

Join a global leader in legal market intelligence as they embark on a major data transformation journey.
Our client is internationally recognised for their deep-dive publications, trusted globally in the same way the Michelin Guide is for restaurants. With significant inbound business and a subscriber-based model, they are now pivoting into the world of market intelligence—developing tools that help legal professionals and firms understand performance metrics, win/loss ratios, and sector trends through data.
With a new CDO leading the function and a committed investment in data, they are hiring a Senior Data Architect to help shape and scale their Azure-native data platform. You’ll play a central role in the architecture of a platform handling vast quantities of textual and quantitative legal data—supporting both internal analytics and customer-facing products.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of robust, scalable data solutions in a modern Azure environment
• Drive the development of logical and conceptual data models, metadata frameworks, and architecture roadmaps
• Support and influence the entire data lifecycle—from ingestion and transformation to analytics and product delivery
• Collaborate closely with the CDO and engineering team to define the platform’s technical direction
• Deliver architectural outputs and solutions aligned with governance, compliance, and performance best practices
• Work with both structured and unstructured datasets, leveraging Databricks and Azure Data Factory
• Provide thought leadership across data strategy, tooling, and modelling

Tech Environment

• Azure Cloud Services (Data Factory, Databricks, Azure SQL, CosmosDB, Synapse)
• SQL Server (on-prem and cloud-based)
• Python and .NET code base
• MDM, Data Lineage, Data Vault, and Kimball
• Agile delivery, collaborative team culture

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Experience as a Senior Data Architect or Lead Data Engineer in a modern cloud environment
• Hands-on knowledge of Azure data services and strong SQL skills
• Extensive experience in designing metadata-driven pipelines and data warehouse architectures
• Comfortable defining “as-is” and “to-be” states across data ecosystems
• Strong communication skills with the ability to liaise across technical and business teams
• Passionate about technology, detail-driven, and proactive in delivery
• Keen to be a doer—not just a strategist—and thrive in getting architecture built and working

What’s on Offer

• Competitive salary (~£100k) with flexibility
• High-impact role with exposure to C-level decision making
• Hybrid working model – 2 days per week in-office
• Clear progression path to Head of Data Architecture