EMEA Cross-Domain Data Architect Lead - Director

SMBC Group; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Competitive paid leave

Private medical insurance

Life and disability insurance

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

SMBC Group is seeking an EMEA Cross-Domain Data Architect Lead to establish data domain architecture and lead architecture across key business domains. You will align with business and IT to implement data governance, define current and target states, and drive data product thinking for strategic programmes.

Role requires extensive experience in data modelling, governance, and tools like Collibra, Purview, and Databricks.

Qualifications

• Proven data architecture leadership across multiple domains in financial services.
• Governance frameworks and data policy implementation experience.
• Strong data modelling and enterprise data management familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Lead data domain architecture across Party, Product, Transaction, Risk, Finance, Compliance, Operations and HR.
• Embed data domain thinking and governance with business and IT.
• Define current and target data states and guide data product thinking.

Skills

Data architecture

Data governance

Regulatory reporting

Databricks/Snowflake

Stakeholder collaboration

Financial services domain knowledge

Tools

Collibra

Axon

Purview

Lean IX

Ardoq

Databricks

Snowflake

Job description

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EMEA Cross-Domain Data Architect Lead - Director

16 Sept 2026

London, LND, GB, EC2M 2AT

SMBC: A trusted partner for the long term

Here at SMBC Group, we want to help you find the next step in your career so read on to discover if this opportunity is the one for you. We like to recognise potential in our people, so we welcome your application even when your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description. Whilst we’ll always strive to be better, we’re proud of our inclusive culture, and encourage our applicants and colleagues to be their authentic, unique selves.

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

The EMEA Cross-Domain Data Architect Lead (Director) is responsible for setting up the data domain architecture function and providing the leadership required to lead data architecture across key business domains, including Party, Product, Transaction, Risk, Finance, Compliance, Operations and HR. The role works proactively with Business and IT to embed data domain and data product thinking, define current and target data states, shape data products, apply architecture governance, standards and decision principles, and guide teams on domain structure and management. It also enables the data management lifecycle and foundational capabilities for strategic programmes such as the Data Platform, Client Lifecycle Programme, ECB, BCBS 239, and regional or global initiatives, while collaborating with global domain architects to align architecture vision, policies and standards across data domains.

Business Area

Data Office > Data Architecture - Supports all business areas

Position Description

Business Area / Domain: Thought leadership to embed data domain / data product thinking, Implement data policy standards, policies, and guidelines to ensure data deliveries and architecture artifacts maintain integrity, quality, and consistency across the Business area / domain. Ensure Alignment to Data Governance Frameworks and IT initiatives in the data domain

Data Modelling: Oversee Business area / domain data modelling and its alignment to global enterprise data models

Data Products: Conceptualise and drive Data Product thinking within data domain and Cross-Domain areas with business and IT

Architecture Governance: Drive the target state, decisions on data solutions and data products for cross data Domain

Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborate with IT teams and business stakeholders to gain alignment on data domain architecture. Contribute to data architecture discussions and lead decision-making in this area.
Industry and Technology Trends: Stay informed about industry trends, emerging data technologies, and best practices in data architecture and management. Use this knowledge to build future-focused data architecture capability roadmaps

Skills and Experience

• Business knowledge / SME in Party , product , Transaction , Risk, Finance, Operations, Compliance domains etc . This would include experience of working in financial services organisations and dealt with Business capabilities / process for varied products like Loans, Deposits, Capital Market products i.e. Derivatives, Bonds, Swaps, Options etc. Extensive knowledge on regulatory reporting requirements in these areas in EMEA and their solutions. Good understanding of Trade life cycle in corporate lending business, its actors / roles and responsibilities and how Data is managed through the same. Specialism in certain areas of Reg reporting for ex. ILAAP , FINREP , STE , TTR, CCR etc will hold significance
• Proven ability to mobilise Data Domain Architecture functions
• Proven ability to deliver Data domain architecture target states
• Experience in defining & establishing operating models, governance functions and running them in large banks
• Understanding of current data methodologies (e.g., Lake, Mesh, Fabric, Hybrid, Agentic)
• Good experience of working with data management artefacts in tools like Collibra, Axon , Purview
• Data modelling experience/ Knowledge and usability
• Experience evaluating and recommending data tools
• Experience with Databricks, Snowflake, or similar platforms
• Familiarity with Enterprise Architecture Tooling i.e. Lean IX , Ardoq etc

Customer Focus

Driving Change

Driving Results

Judgement and Decision Making

Strategic and Visionary

Trust and Integrity

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team,

We recognise our role as a bank to support social change and welcome all applications, including those from groups often under-represented in financial services. We value the uniqueness of professional and personal, backgrounds and perspectives as they play a vital role in continuing the sustainable growth of our organisation. We’ll ensure reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process are offered due to a disability or long-term condition whenever requested.

We are committed to transparent and equitable pay practices. Compensation is determined using objective criteria, including skills, experience, and role responsibilities, and applied consistently throughout our recruitment processes. We do not request candidates' pay history and are committed to preventing unjustified pay disparities.

About SMBC

A trusted partner for the long term
United by a sense of purpose towards our customers - to be a trusted partner for the long-term - and our universal banking platform in EMEA, we deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers, including corporate, structured and trade finance, leveraged finance, loan market and treasury products. We can also provide investment banking and advisory services and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets.
Find out more about what we do and who we are at https://www.smbcgroup.com/emea/careers