Data Architect | 6 Month Contract | London | Active SC Clearance Required

Optima Partners; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Optima Partners in London is seeking an experienced Data Architect for a 6-month contract to help shape enterprise data strategy in a regulated environment.

You will lead data modelling, governance, and roadmap work, with exposure to Databricks, Microsoft Fabric and Spark-based ecosystems, and you will communicate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Strong background in enterprise data architecture, information architecture, and data domain modelling.
• Experience across conceptual, logical, and physical data modelling.
• Ability to define canonical, domain, shared, reference, and analytical data models.
• Good understanding of data governance, data quality, metadata, lineage, traceability, and auditability.
• Experience shaping data strategy and translating it into practical roadmaps aligned to business outcomes.
• Knowledge of data migration strategy, including source-to-target mapping, reconciliation, and phased cutover approaches.

Skills

Enterprise data architecture

Data modelling

Data governance

Domain data modelling

Stakeholder communication

Regulated environments

Tools

Databricks

Microsoft Fabric

Spark ecosystem

Job description

We are currently looking for an experienced Data Architect to support a 6-month contract engagement based in London. This role is suited to someone with strong enterprise data architecture experience, deep data modelling capability, and a solid understanding of regulated, governed environments.

About Optima Partners:

Optima Partners is a challenger consultancy focused on AI-driven transformation, helping organisations across Financial Services & Insurance, Energy, and Telecoms turn strategy into measurable outcomes. The team combines expertise across data, technology, design, marketing, and transformation to simplify complexity, build trusted partnerships, and deliver practical change that lasts.

Role: Data Architect

Location: London

Duration: 6 months

Clearance: Active SC clearance required

Engagement: Contract

Key experience required:

• Strong background in enterprise data architecture, information architecture, and data domain modelling
• Experience across conceptual, logical, and physical data modelling
• Ability to define canonical, domain, shared, reference, and analytical data models
• Good understanding of data governance, data quality, metadata, lineage, traceability, and auditability
• Experience shaping data strategy and translating it into practical roadmaps aligned to business outcomes
• Knowledge of data migration strategy, including source-to-target mapping, reconciliation, and phased cutover approaches

Additional experience:

• Experience defining enterprise data architecture principles, standards, models, and architecture repositories
• Understanding of data ownership, stewardship, and federated operating models
• Experience designing data architectures for regulatory, security, and compliance requirements
• Awareness of modern cloud data platforms such as Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, and Spark-based ecosystems
• Ability to communicate complex data concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Comfortable working independently in complex, regulated environments