Principal Data Platform Architect

Baillie Gifford; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Baillie Gifford in Edinburgh seeks a Principal Data Platform Architect to define and drive the strategic direction of the enterprise data platform, ensuring scalable, governed capabilities for ingestion, movement, transformation and monitoring.

You will set the vision, roadmap and architectural principles, collaborating with senior architects and data governance to align data platform strategy with firm priorities.

Qualifications

• Strong experience shaping enterprise data platform strategy.
• Expertise in data architecture, platform design/product management.
• Strong understanding of data engineering concepts.
• Good knowledge of data governance, controls and architectural standards.
• Experience with cloud data platforms and technologies, including Snowflake.
• Strong understanding of data quality, observability, security and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Act as strategic product owner for the enterprise data platform and tooling, translating needs into capabilities, priorities and roadmaps.
• Develop and maintain the data platform architecture strategy.
• Define and maintain technical and design principles for the data platform.
• Collaborate with architects to align strategies, manage cross-domain dependencies and resolve overlaps.
• Work with governance, stakeholders and partners to ensure platform supports architecture, governance and standards.
• Prioritise and sponsor strategic data platform initiatives and provide leadership.
• Represent the data platform in governance and architecture forums, aligning with long-term strategy.
• Work with engineering and platform teams to maintain roadmaps and training material.
• Maintain technical knowledge and engage with external partners to evolve the platform.
• Facilitate resolution of complex platform issues and dependencies with internal and external teams.

Skills

Enterprise data platform strategy

Data architecture

Platform design/product management

Data governance

Data engineering concepts

Cloud data platforms (Snowflake)

Data quality & observability

Leadership & stakeholder influence

Decision making & prioritisation

Tools

Snowflake

Job description

Job Title Principal Data Platform Architect

Department Data Services-BG-UK

Overview of Department Purpose of Role

The Principal Data Platform Architect is responsible for defining and maintaining the strategic direction of the enterprise data platform, ensuring it provides scalable, governed and well-adopted capabilities for data ingestion, creation, movement, transformation, governance and monitoring. The role will establish the vision, roadmap, architectural principles and delivery priorities for the platform, working closely with the Principal Platform Architect, Principal Solutions Architect and Principal Data Architect to ensure that data platform strategy and architecture form part of a coherent, joined-up enterprise architecture. This collaboration is critical to ensuring clear architectural boundaries and accountabilities, effective management of cross-domain dependencies, and alignment between data, platform, solution and wider technology strategies. The role will also work closely with Data Governance, engineering teams, business stakeholders and external partners to ensure the data platform evolves in line with the firm's strategic priorities and business needs. The role reports to the Head of Data Services.

Responsibilities

• Act as strategic product owner for the enterprise data platform and associated tooling, translating business, governance and engineering needs into a clear set of platform capabilities, priorities and roadmaps.
• Develop and maintain the data platform architecture strategy, including current, future and transition states, ensuring it remains aligned with the firm's data and technology strategies and continues to be fit for purpose.
• Define and maintain the technical and design principles for the data platform, ensuring they are widely understood and consistently adopted.
• Work closely with the Principal Platform Architect, Principal Solutions Architect and Principal Data Architect to align architecture strategies, principles and roadmaps, manage cross-domain dependencies and resolve areas of overlap or architectural tension.
• Work collaboratively with Data Governance and senior stakeholders and external partners to ensure the platform supports the firm's data architecture, business needs, governance requirements and relevant standards.
• Prioritise, sponsor and drive strategic data platform initiatives, ensuring expected outcomes, benefits, risks and dependencies are clearly understood and providing leadership to shape initiatives where required.
• Represent the data platform in relevant governance and architecture forums, including the Data Strategy Management Group and Design Authority, ensuring decisions align with agreed principles, standards, risk appetite and long-term strategy.
• Work closely with engineering, delivery and platform teams to support good engineering practice, maintain clear roadmaps and dependencies, and ensure appropriate documentation and training are in place.
• Maintain strong technical and industry knowledge, using external insight, peer networks and technology partners to inform the ongoing evolution of the data platform.
• Facilitate resolution of complex platform issues and dependencies, bringing together internal teams, architects and external vendors as required to achieve effective outcomes.

What does success look like

• A clear future roadmap for the data platform is agreed and well understood across the firm.
• Concrete steps have been taken to simplify and unify how the data platform is used.
• Platform principles, standards and priorities are clear and consistently applied.
• Strong alignment is established with the Principal Data, Platform and Solutions Architects on cross-domain direction and dependencies.

Your knowledge and experience

• Strong experience shaping enterprise data platform strategy.
• Expertise in data architecture, platform design/product management.
• Strong understanding of data engineering concepts
• Good knowledge of data governance, controls and architectural standards.
• Experience with cloud data platforms and technologies, including Snowflake.
• Strong understanding of data quality, observability, security and risk management.
• Good awareness of the wider technology landscape and vendors.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving and commercial judgement.
• Confident leadership and influencing skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building ability.
• Clear, engaging communication and storytelling skills.
• Sound decision-making and prioritisation.
• A strong product ownership mindset.
• Good understanding of governance and assurance.
• Curiosity, continuous learning and strong external awareness.

The type of candidate that we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who is excited by the challenge of shaping the foundations of data is stored, moved, transformed and used across a complex organisation. You’ll bring strong experience of modern data platforms and architecture, but just as importantly, you’ll be able to turn that expertise into a clear, practical vision that others can understand and support. You’ll be comfortable thinking strategically while staying close enough to the detail to make sound decisions on platform design. You’ll also be someone who thrives on working with others. This role will involve working across architecture, engineering, governance and business teams, helping to build alignment, resolve competing priorities and create clarity where there is complexity. You’ll be a confident communicator who can explain technical ideas in a straightforward way, influence senior stakeholders and make pragmatic decisions without losing sight of the long-term direction. We’d particularly value someone who is curious, commercially aware and interested in how the data technology landscape is evolving, with a genuine desire to build a platform that is simpler, more consistent and easier for teams across the firm to use.

Critical Skills

• Nurturing relationships
• Systems thinking
• Improvement mindset
• Data Literacy
• Storytelling

Closing Date September 29, 2026

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We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives.

About Baillie Gifford

At Baillie Gifford, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.

Baillie Gifford is an independent, private partnership, which allows us to focus entirely on our clients and their investments. It helps our stability, motivation and culture and enables us to take a long-term view on all that we do, including staff development, client relationships and investing. And just like with our investments, we’re good at spotting potential in our employees. Join us and we’ll actively support you to explore the possibilities of your career and interests. We’ll give you on-going training and development, all to ensure you have valuable opportunities to grow your unique talents and pursue your goals. We’re also incredibly committed to the wellbeing of our employees. This is just a taste of our culture. One that was created by the partners who own and will work with you every day in the firm. People who are always on hand to hear your ideas and suggestions of how to make Baillie Gifford an even better place to be. So, if this sounds like somewhere you could realise your full potential, then our next investment could be you.

If you have any questions or issues regarding your application, please contact us at [e-mail].

For more detail on careers at Baillie Gifford visit our careers site at: https://www.bailliegifford.com/en/uk/careers This page hosts our regular vacancies - to view our graduate and internship vacancies follow this link.