Principal Architect: Fabric and Databricks

AND Digital; City Of London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech company is seeking a Principal for Fabric and Databricks to lead the technical delivery of solutions and manage client relationships. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in Microsoft technologies, alongside strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. This role offers an opportunity to shape the operations and drive business growth within the organization.

Qualifications

• Expert-level knowledge in Fabric and Databricks.
• Ability to connect data capabilities to business strategies.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of Fabric and Databricks solutions.
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients.
• Develop training pathways to grow internal capability.

Skills

Technical Expertise in Microsoft and Databricks

Strategic Thinking

Problem-Solving Skills

Communication Skills

Leadership

Commercial Acumen

Adaptability

Job description

Overview

Who We Are
AND Digital is a tech company dedicated to accelerating digital delivery and closing the digital skills gap. Since 2014, we have supported organisations in building better digital products and stronger digital teams.
We believe our work should always create a remarkable impact for our clients. Through our regional offices, known as ‘Clubs,’ we build strong relationships with our partners, ensuring they are prioritised by teams located nearby.
This unique model has driven success for both our clients and ourselves, reflected in our remarkable organic growth since 2014. Today, we are over 1,300 people strong, with Clubs across the UK, Europe, and the USA—and plans for global expansion in the coming years.
Join us and help fulfil our mission to close the world’s digital skills gap.

The Role: Principal: Fabric and Databricks

As a Principal in the central Practice Area team you will be the strategic and technical authority shaping how AND delivers high-quality Fabric and Databricks solutions to our clients. You will support the evolution of our Fabric and Databricks proposition - with a focus on building capability within AND to deliver value to our clients. You’ll lead on the inception of solutions, engage with senior clients, and lead the growth of internal capability.

Key Responsibilities :

1. Support our propositions and Practice Area IP

• Help to create our proposition in the areas of Fabric and Databricks solutions
• Own the technical alliance relationships with both Microsoft and Databricks, positioning AND as a key consulting and delivery partner.
• Be a leader within the the Data Practice Area community at AND, driving quality, and consistency into the way we deliver, growing talent and capability
• Develop and promote thought leadership that positions our brand prominently in the market and actively engages the broader data community.
• Develop training pathways and collateral to grow internal capability, supporting ANDis with mentorship and coaching

2. Exploring client problems:

• Act as high level trusted advisor for our clients and provide expert guidance and influencing their thinking and ambitions
• Nurture your relationships to build your network on the client, building your understanding of the clients business, needs and challenges
• Bring the best of the Fabric and Databricks solution set to the client, showing the art of the possible and linking development to outcomes

3. Solution Design

• Shape & elicit business requirements into robust solutions that can be bought. Provide vision, that, in the best interest of the client leads them to solutions that generate the best outcomes for their business
• Develop business case for the client that supports the buying process
• Guide and mentor AND teams, providing senior oversight for solution delivery to ensure it aligns with original vision and ultimately delivery of expected outcomes/value to the client

4. Identify opportunities and lead deal development

• Champion opportunity identification and pursuit across our global business
• Suitably prioritise effort across respective opportunities to ensure the right commercial outcomes for AND as a whole
• Ensure the cross fertilisation of solutions so that we grow ‘patterns’ that are repeatable

5. Team leadership and development

• Be senior steering, a point of escalation on delivery and point of challenge to ensure high quality and consistency
• Guide, and develop ANDis on engagements, in their Practice Areas and Clubs helping to grow and elevate capabilities across the business
• Providing vision, inspiration and motivation across the Data practice area, acting as a role model with behaviours of proactivity, positivity and support.

Skills & Experience for the role

• Deep & Broad Technical Expertise

Expert-level knowledge, with hands-on proficiency in Microsoft and Databricks and knowledge and expertise in methods and techniques across the data spectrum from warehousing to AI tooling

• Strategic Thinking & Vision

Able to connect data and technology capabilities to overarching business strategies, develop long-term technology roadmaps, and maintain a "big picture" perspective

• Problem-Solving & Analytical Skills

Able to dissect complex business and technical problems, analyse root causes, evaluate various solution options, and design innovative, effective solutions

• Communication & Presentation Skills

Able to articulate complex technical ideas clearly and concisely to diverse audiences—including non-technical executives, business users and deep technical specialists

• Leadership & Influence

Possess leadership capability, exercised through influence rather than direct authority. Influence and lead technical teams and negotiate technical decisions, persuade stakeholders, and drive change.

• Commercial Acumen

Good commercial awareness and understanding of how to identify opportunities that provide both value to the client and ourselves

• Adaptability & Learning

Have a commitment to continuous learning, with the ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and client contexts, and comfort operating in ambiguity

Key performance metrics for this role:

1. Business Growth through proposition success

• Help to grow Fabric and Databricks at AND (target TBC)
• Proposition development: engagement of market and wider AND with the proposition

2. Technical Excellence and Solution Quality

• Integrity of solutions: ensuring integrity, robustness, and effectiveness of the solutions delivered to clients.
• Bringing deep expertise: Advocating for best practices, directly influencing the quality of work delivered through high quality solution designs

*This role sits within our central practice teams, not in a BU