Lead Data Architect

QinetiQ; Farnborough; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matched contribution pension scheme

Generous holiday allowance

Health Cash Plan options

Employee discount portal

Volunteering Opportunities

Job summary

A leading defense technology firm is looking for a Lead Data Architect in Farnborough. The ideal candidate will take ownership of the Data Fabric architecture, leading a team of engineers to ensure secure and scalable integration. Responsibilities include defining architectural standards and leading governance for data quality and accessibility. This role supports a hybrid working pattern, allowing flexibility in a unique and diverse workplace. Comprehensive benefits include a pension scheme, generous holiday allowance, and opportunities for volunteering.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in data architecture and data platform engineering.
• Proven ability to evolve architecture through clear roadmaps and governance.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, metadata, and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Own the Data Fabric architecture from integration to consumption patterns.
• Define and maintain the architecture roadmap including technology evolution.
• Lead data modelling across conceptual, logical, and physical levels.
• Translate architectural intent into reference architectures and guardrails.
• Establish architecture governance and data modelling across levels.

Skills

Data governance

Data quality

Data integration

Cloud platforms

Communication skills

Job description

Package: Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role ID: SF19582

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting edge defence technology to ground breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Lead Data Architect at our Farnborough site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting‑edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

The Role

A Lead Data Architect, you take ownership of our data fabric architecture and be responsible for its evolution, adoption, and deployment into secure customer environments blending both strategy and delivery.

Day‑to‑day, you will set the technical direction, make pragmatic architectural decisions, and provide hands‑on leadership to a team of Data Fabric Engineers and Data Analysts ensuring the platform remains secure, scalable, resilient, and operable as it grows. You will maintain and refine the target architecture and roadmap, establish standards and governance staying close enough to engineering to ensure designs are buildable, testable, and supportable.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Being openly enthusiastic about unlocking AI capability through the strategic delivery of a Data Fabric focusing on data quality, governance, accessibility, and integration
• Owning the Data Fabric architecture end‑to‑end: integration, processing, storage, metadata/lineage, governance, and consumption patterns
• Defining and maintaining the architecture roadmap (near, mid, and long‑term) including technology evolution, capability increments, and deployment waves across environments
• Leading architecture for data integration and interoperability: connector strategy, data sharing patterns, event‑driven integration, APIs, interface contracts, and cross‑domain data exchange approaches where relevant
• Translating architectural intent into reference architectures, patterns and guardrails enabling repeatable delivery by the engineering team
• Establishing and running architecture governance and assurance and leading data modelling across conceptual, logical, and physical levels including analytical models suited to downstream use

Essential experience of the Lead Data Architect:

• Extensive experience in data architecture and/or data platform engineering including the ownership of architecture on complex programmes
• Proven experience taking an established architecture, owning it, and evolving it through clear roadmaps, standards, patterns and governance
• A good knowledge of on‑prem, cloud and hybrid platforms with a strong knowledge of data governance, metadata, lineage, data quality, stewardship, and lifecycle management
• Previous experience designing and governing architectures for constrained or mission environments, including edge deployments and contested connectivity patterns
• Proven experience leading engineers with a clear technical direction in place whilst making pragmatic decisions and mentoring in a multidisciplinary environment
• The ability to explain complex architecture to senior stakeholders with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Essential qualifications for the Lead Data Architect:

We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

This role is 37 hours per week based at our Farnborough site. Hybrid working patterns are available.

Farnborough

At our Farnborough site exciting work takes place at our state‑of‑the‑art facility, with high‑energy laser technologies, our 5m pressurised wind tunnel which has a simulation capability that is unique in the UK and our large research and development projects is a real hub of creativity, research and innovation. Join our talented teams of Engineers, IT & Cyber Specialists, Project Managers, Group Functions Teams and many more to provide future defences in the UK.

Why Join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

As a QinetiQ employee, you’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experiences enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in a diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Visit our website to read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture. www.qinetiq.com/en/careers/life-at-qinetiq

Our Benefits

• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Generous holiday allowance, with the option to purchase additional days
• Options to join Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance
• Employee discount portal: Personal Accident Insurance, Travel Insurance, Restaurants, Cinema Tickets and much more
• We are proud to support the Armed Forces community by honouring the Armed Forces Covenant and maintaining our Gold Award standard in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme
• Volunteering Opportunities - helping charities and local community

Our Recruitment Process:

We want to make sure that our recruitment process is as inclusive as possible and we aspire to bring out the best in our candidates by creating an environment where everyone feels value, heard and supported. If you have a disability or health condition that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your Recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting being completed, applicants who already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment. A number of roles are also subject to additional restrictions, which mean factors such as nationality or previous nationalities may affect the roles that you can be employed in.

Please note that all applicants for this role must be willing to go through DV Clearance.

UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)