Lead Data Architect

National Highways; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

National Highways is seeking a Lead Data Architect to shape data strategy and architecture across the organisation’s digital services. You will translate business needs into scalable data designs, establish governance, and lead data flows with cross‑functional teams.

In this hybrid role, you will spend two days per week in an office location and collaborate with stakeholders to enforce data policies, standards, and trusted data for decision making.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of data modelling and data architecture principles.
• Experience with data governance and metadata management across data lifecycles.
• Ability to translate business needs into scalable data solutions.
• Proven track record leading cross-functional teams on data architecture initiatives.
• Demonstrated leadership and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Define data strategies and objectives with stakeholders.
• Lead design of data flows and data architectures across domains.
• Ensure governance and policy alignment across systems and lifecycle stages.
• Provide oversight and guidance to other data architects and collaborate with technical architects.
• Embed data governance and metadata management in the data lifecycle.

Skills

Data modelling

Data governance

Metadata management

Stakeholder communication

Leadership

Tools

Unity Catalog

Microsoft Purview

Job description

About the role.

As part of the development of our Digital Services function, we are strengthening internal digital capability within the Data Team. These roles are central to building sustainable in-house expertise that supports the design, development, and delivery of digital solutions across the transport network.

A key focus of this campaign is creating new opportunities, and as a result, we are recruiting Lead Data Architects. This is a pivotal role within the organisation.

In this role, you will work closely with stakeholders to define data strategies, principles, and objectives. You will take an active role in technical and business design authorities, ensuring systems are designed, upgraded, managed, decommissioned, and archived in line with data policies across the full data lifecycle.

You will lead the design of data flows and translating business requirements into effective data architecture, while providing oversight and guidance to other data architects. Working in partnership with technical architects, you will ensure consistency, strong governance, and that the organisation's systems align with agreed data architecture principles, enabling better use of trusted data for decision‑making.

This is a hybrid role, requiring two days per week in the office, based at any National Highways office location.

• Take an active role in technical and business design authorities, approving data strategies and ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• Work with business unit representatives and senior stakeholders to define data strategies, principles, and objectives that meet business needs.
• Provide assurance through verification and validation that systems are designed, upgraded, managed, decommissioned, and archived in line with data policies across the full data lifecycle.
• Lead the design of data flows and translating business requirements into effective data architecture and supporting the interpretation of needs at a strategic level.
• Provide oversight and guidance, ensuring consistent standards are applied, supporting data dictionary management, and working with technical architects to align systems with agreed data architecture principles.
• Embed data governance, quality, and assurance across the full data lifecycle, ensuring compliance with organisational policy, responsible use of AI, strong metadata management, and high data quality standards. Governance is enabled through Unity Catalog and Microsoft Purview.

About you.

• Ability to communicate effectively between technical and non‑technical stakeholders, translating complex data concepts into clear insights, facilitating discussions across multidisciplinary teams, and confidently managing differing perspectives.
• Strong understanding of data modelling, covering the design, how they interact over multiple subject areas and industry standards.
• Experience in metadata management and data standards, including maintaining accurate repositories, conducting impact analysis, and ensuring data is governed, consistent, and compliant across systems.
• Proven capability to translate business challenges into scalable data architecture solutions, working across multiple domains to identify common approaches and deliver coherent, end‑to‑end designs.
• Demonstrated leadership behaviours, including driving continuous improvement and innovation, building collaborative relationships, communicating a clear vision, and making informed, evidence‑based decisions that align with organisational objectives.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

The Digital Services Directorate is helping to reshape the way National Highways operates by delivering digital, data, and technology services across all areas, from frontline to back office, in a modern and efficient manner. Our vision is to develop integrated information and technology that empowers our colleagues and provides real‑time information to our customers, as well as integrating with intelligent vehicle and transport systems as they evolve, to enhance journey safety and reliability.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.