Principal Data Architect

Datatonic; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI and data consultancy in the UK is seeking a Principal Data Architect to design and implement robust data solutions. The role involves collaborating with data teams and clients to leverage cutting-edge technologies for scalable data platforms. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in data architecture, governance, and programming, alongside excellent communication skills. This position offers a hybrid working model and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Private health insurance

50% gym membership discounts

Work from home allowance

Access to learning platforms like Udemy

Pension contributions

Life insurance

Income protection

Cycle to work scheme

Tech scheme

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing and building data warehouse/lakehouse solutions.
• Strong expertise in data modeling optimizing for performance.
• Experience in data platforms with built-in quality and governance controls.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver data-driven solutions to meet client needs.
• Guide and mentor engineers in building high-performance solutions.
• Implement data governance, quality, and compliance practices.

Skills

Data Architecture

Data Modeling

Data Governance

Programming Proficiency

Analytical & Technical Excellence

Communication & Presentation

Stakeholder Management

Tools

Google Cloud BigQuery

Snowflake

Python

Java

SQL

Job description

Shape the Future of AI & Data with Us

At Datatonic we are Google Cloud's premier partner in AI driving transformation for world‑class businesses. We push the boundaries of technology with expertise in machine learning, data engineering and analytics on Google Cloud. Partners with us future‑prove their operations, unlock actionable insights and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving world.

Your Mission

As a Principal Data Architect you will play a pivotal role in designing and implementing modern, scalable data solutions for our clients. Working closely with colleagues across the Data & Analytics Engineering teams you will help architect build and optimise new data platforms or migrate existing solutions to Google Cloud.

This is an exciting opportunity for a highly‑experienced data professional who is passionate about leveraging cloud technologies to drive innovation and efficiency. You will consult with our clients to understand their business needs and objectives, gather requirements, and define and deliver robust high‑performance data architectures. If you thrive in a fast‑paced, technology‑driven consulting environment and are eager to make a tangible impact on transformative projects this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

Design & Deliver Cutting‑Edge Data Solutions: Lead the analysis, design and execution of state‑of‑the‑art data‑driven solutions to meet our clients’ business needs leveraging the best of Google Cloud technologies.

Data Architecture & Governance: Serve as an expert in data transformation, storage, retrieval, security and governance ensuring scalable, secure and efficient data solutions.

Guide & Mentor Engineers: Provide architectural direction to engineers ensuring they build robust, high‑performance solutions aligned with your target data architecture.

Master Data Modeling Techniques: Apply expertise in various data‑modeling approaches including 3NF, Data Vault, Star Schema and One Big Table (OBT). Clearly articulate the benefits and trade‑offs of each method and optimise their implementation within columnar databases such as BigQuery.

Shape Data Strategy

• Data governance and compliance
• Scalable and efficient data modelling techniques
• Ensuring data quality and integrity
• Data management, security and privacy best practices
• Establishing optimal workflows and operational efficiencies

Develop Fully Integrated Solutions

Work alongside Architecture Engineering and Data Science teams to design comprehensive production‑ready solutions that incorporate:

• Cloud best practices
• Scalable and efficient ingestion strategies
• Feature engineering methodologies

End‑to‑End Production Readiness

Leverage Leading Technologies

• Google Cloud BigQuery, Dataflow, Vertex AI and more
• dbt Labs – modern analytics engineering and transformation
• Snowflake – cloud‑native data warehousing
• Fivetran – automated data pipelines for seamless integration

What You’ll Bring

Data Architecture: Proven experience designing and building data warehouse / lakehouse solutions using technologies like BigQuery, Azure Synapse, Snowflake, Databricks.

Data Modeling: Strong expertise in data modeling and solution architecture optimizing for performance and scalability.

Data Governance: Experience with data platforms that include data quality, security, privacy and governance controls built‑in.

Ownership Mindset: Ability to take projects from concept to completion, driving creative and effective solutions.

Analytical & Technical Excellence: Demonstrated problem‑solving skills with a strong technical foundation and an innovative approach.

Communication & Presentation: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with great attention to detail capable of presenting complex concepts clearly to customers.

Stakeholder Management: Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with key external stakeholders across different business levels.

Programming Proficiency: Hands‑on experience with Python, Java and SQL for data engineering and solution development.

What’s In It for You

We believe in empowering our team to thrive with benefits including:

• Holiday: 25 days plus bank holidays (obviously!)
• Health Perks: Private health insurance (Vitality Health) and Smart Health Services
• Fitness & Wellbeing: 50% gym membership discounts (Nuffield Health, Virgin Active, Pure Gym).
• Hybrid Model: A WFH allowance to keep you comfortable.
• Learning & Growth: Access to platforms like Udemy to fuel your curiosity.
• Pension: (Auto‑enrolment after probation period. 3% employer contributions raising 1% per year of service to a max of 10%)
• Life Insurance: (3 × your base salary!)
• Income Protection: up to 75% of base salary up to 2 years.
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Tech Scheme

Why Datatonic

Join us to work alongside AI enthusiasts and data experts who are shaping tomorrow. At Datatonic, innovation isn’t just encouraged – it’s embedded in everything we do. If you’re ready to inspire change and deliver value at the forefront of data and AI, we’d love to hear from you!

Are you ready to make an impact?

Apply now and take your career to the next level.

Key Skills

• Kubernetes
• S3
• Google Cloud Platform
• Cassandra
• System Architecture
• Redshift
• AWS
• Cloud Architecture
• NoSQL
• UML
• Kafka
• Distributed Systems

Employment Type: Full‑Time

Experience: years