Data Architect

Methods Business and Digital Technology; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual hackathon

Learning & development access

Volunteer days

Private medical insurance

Worldwide travel insurance

Discretionary bonus

Life assurance 4x salary

Pension salary exchange

Wellness EAP

Team-building events

Office social events

Engineering community of practice

Job summary

Methods Analytics is recruiting a Data Architect on a permanent basis. The role is mainly remote with travel to client sites and our offices in London, Sheffield, and Bristol. You will lead end-to-end data solutions, drive standards and govern data across projects, and mentor engineers and stakeholders.

Ideal candidates will have deep Azure data stack expertise, strong data modelling skills, and a proven track record migrating large datasets to cloud platforms while supporting AI/ML workloads.

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of the Azure data stack including Azure SQL Server, Cosmos DB and Synapse.
• Extensive data modelling experience with normalized and Star Schema models.
• Relational database design and performance tuning for SQL Server, PostgreSQL and cloud databases.
• Proven track record migrating terabyte+ datasets from legacy systems to cloud.
• Experience with Parquet/Delta Lake and modern storage formats.
• Streaming architectures using Kafka, Event Hubs or Kinesis for real-time data.
• Knowledge of AI/ML data architectures, feature stores and MLOps pipelines.
• Handling unstructured data such as text, images, logs and sensor data.
• Understanding Lambda and Kappa patterns and when to apply them.

Responsibilities

• Advocate data standards and governing those standards across projects and the organisation.
• Demonstrate perspective on business issues, setting patterns, policies and roadmaps.
• Lead complex data migrations to modern cloud-native platforms.
• Mentor junior team members and collaborate with data engineers and business stakeholders.
• Design end-to-end data solutions and architecture blueprints.
• Deliver architectures that integrate traditional and modern data systems.

Skills

Azure data stack

Data modelling

Relational DB design

Data migration

Parquet/Delta Lake

Streaming data

AI/ML data architectures

Unstructured data

Lambda/Kappa patterns

Vector databases

Tools

Kafka

Event Hubs

Kinesis

Azure Databricks

Fabric

Job description

What You'll Be Doing as a Data Architect:

Methods Analytics (MA) is recruiting for a Data Architect to join our team a permanent basis.

This role will be mainly remote but require flexibility to travel to client sites, and our offices based in London, Sheffield, and Bristol.

• 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

Your Impact:

• 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

You Will Demonstrate:

• Deep knowledge of the Azure data stack (Azure SQL Server, CosmosDB, Azure Data Factory, Purview, Synapse, Event Hub, Azure Databricks/Fabric)
• Extensive data modelling experience: both normalised relational models and de-normalised Star Schema/dimensional models
• Excellent relational database design skills with expertise in diagnosing and optimising performance across SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and cloud databases
• Proven track record with complex data migration projects (terabyte+ datasets, multiple legacy source systems, structures and unstructured data)
• Proficiency with Parquet/Delta Lake or other modern data storage formats
• Experience with streaming architectures using Kafka, Event Hubs, or Kinesis for real-time data processing
• 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)
• Understanding of Lambda and Kappa architectural patterns and when to apply each

You May Also Have:

• Exposure to high-performing, low latency or large volume data systems
• Knowledge of and/or experience with Government Digital Service practices across Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live phases
• Understanding of vector databases and similarity search for AI applications
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and modern DevOps practices
• Knowledge of how to design and analyse operational logs for data processing, and triage incidents
• Awareness of advances in AI technologies, data services, and architectural practices
• Industry specialisation in specific sectors (Engineering, Manufacturing, Healthcare etc.)
• Public sector or defence experience
• Experience with modern unified data platforms like Databricks or Microsoft Fabric
• Understanding of data mesh or data fabric architectural approaches
• Relevant industry certifications such as TOGAF 9, CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)

Security Clearance:

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 GOV.UK – Government baseline personnel security standard. If you are unable to meet this and any associated criteria, then your employment may be delayed, or rejected. Details of this will be discussed with you at interview.

Our Hiring Process

At Methods Analytics, we believe in a transparent hiring process. Here's what you can expect:

1. Internal Application Review
2. Initial Phone Screen
3. Technical Interview
4. Collaborative Technical Exercise
5. Final Interview
6. Offer

Working at MA

Methods Analytics (MA) exists to improve society by helping people make better decisions with data. Combining passionate people, sector-specific insight, and technical excellence to provide our customers an end-to-end data service.

We use a collaborative, creative and user centric approach to data to do good and solve difficult problems. Ensuring that our outputs are transparent, robust, and transformative. We value discussion and debate as part of our approach. We will question assumptions, ambition, and process – but do so with respect and humility.

We relish difficult problems, and overcome them with innovation, creativity, and technical freedom to help us design optimum solutions. Ethics, privacy, and quality are at the heart of our work, and we will not sacrifice these for outcomes.

We treat data with respect and use it only for the right purpose. Our people are positive, dedicated, and relentless. Data is a vast topic, but we strive for interactions that are engaging, informative and fun in equal measure. But maintain a steely focus on outcomes and delivering quality products for our customers.

We are passionate about our people; we want our colleagues to develop the things they are good at and enjoy.

By joining us you can expect

• 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

As well as this, we offer:

• Annual two-day technical hackathon bringing together all technical teams for innovation and collaboration
• Monthly Engineering & Architecture Community of Practice event
• Bi-annual whole company teambuilding events bringing everyone together for a day of fun and connection
• Development access to Pluralsight and LinkedIn Learning
• Volunteering - 2 paid days per year to volunteer in our local communities or within a charity organisation
• Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependants included)
• Discretionary Company Bonus based on company and individual performance
• Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
• Time off - 25 days of annual leave a year, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy 5 extra days each year
• Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
• Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
• Social - office parties, pizza Friday and commitment to charitable causes