Lead Data Architect, Fraud Prevention Centre of Excellence

NatWest Group; Southend-on-Sea; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading banking institution is seeking a Lead Data Architect for their Fraud Prevention Centre of Excellence. This role focuses on shaping data architectures to enable advanced analytics and real-time fraud detection. Candidates should have extensive experience in strategic architecture development, stakeholder engagement, and a strong grasp of modern technologies like Cloud and AI. The position offers a unique opportunity to lead innovative initiatives within a collaborative team environment.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge in defining strategic target architectures.
• Proficient in engaging with key business stakeholders.
• Experience in crafting business cases for architectural initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of data architectures for fraud detection.
• Shape data transformation initiatives ensuring alignment with strategy.
• Provide technical guidance and resolve architectural impediments.

Skills

Expert knowledge of Cloud technologies

Deep understanding of microservices

Knowledge of AI trends

Agile architecture practices

DevOps methodologies

Job description

Join us as a Lead Data Architect, Fraud Prevention Centre of Excellence

• We’ll look to you to provide deep expertise to guide the development of complex architectures, including advising on process design, technology selection and integration approaches
• You’ll contribute to defining the overall architectural vision, strategy, principles, standards and patterns, aligning them with business objectives, and acting as a thought leader for the bank
• This is a chance to actively contribute to the growth of the architecting capability and community across the bank, including thought leadership and sharing knowledge such as best practices, proven solutions and key learnings, and contributing to the community of practice

What you'll do

As a Lead Data Architect, you’ll be leading the definition of the strategic target architecture and roadmap, assuring it’s aligned with the strategy and the bank’s strategic target architecture. You’ll also be promoting and driving the adoption of the shared capabilities available by creating playbooks, educating stakeholders, and collaborating with peers on identifying use cases for adoption.

Your other key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the design and evolution of data architectures that enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and real-time decisioning to support fraud detection and prevention
• Shaping and drive data transformation initiatives, including data modelling, lineage, and governance, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture and fraud strategy
• Providing technical guidance, resolving architectural impediments, and championing the adoption of architecture patterns and practices
• Partnering and engaging with key stakeholders to define and evolve architectures that deliver business value
• Promoting a DevOps mindset by working as part of development teams to embed architecture guidance in CI/CD pipelines
• Leading with specialism subject matter expertise to assure the quality of solution architecture within delivery programmes of high architectural significance or high architectural risk
• Identifying opportunities and threats to current and target architectures, escalating to the Architecture Council for consideration or decision making

The skills you'll need

To make an impact with us, you’ll need expert knowledge in an area of specialism, including a deep understanding of business use cases and emerging trends that drive organisational success. You’ll also need expert knowledge of modern technologies such as Cloud, microservices and AI, along with agile architecture and DevOps practices.

You’ll bring extensive experience of overseeing and assuring the quality of architecture designs, including conducting comprehensive architecture and design reviews to validate that solutions meet business needs and comply with architecture standards, with a focus on risk management and governance.

Furthermore, you’ll need:

• Extensive experience of defining and developing strategic target architectures
• High proficiency in engaging with partners from across the business to define architectures that deliver tangible business outcomes
• Experience of leading collaborative decision-making processes, partnering with senior business and technology colleagues to articulate and evolve architectural direction while ensuring adherence to key architecture principles and alignment with strategic goals
• Experience of identifying and advocating for strategic investment opportunities that enhance the organisation's architecture goals
• Experience of crafting compelling business cases to influence senior stakeholders to secure investment for architecture initiatives
• Extensive people capability development experience, including mentoring, supporting professional development, encouraging knowledge sharing across architecture teams and promoting best practices