Senior Data Architect - Argos

Sainsbury's; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Colleague discounts

Pensions & life cover

Bonus up to 20%

Holiday allowance & schemes

Season ticket loans

Private healthcare

Job summary

Sainsbury's is seeking a Senior Data Architect to design and deliver enterprise-wide data solutions. You will be custodian of data models, collaborating with engineering teams to shape data architecture across domains in an agile environment.

You will mentor partners, define modelling standards, and ensure scalability, performance and governance in North Star architecture. The role spans conceptual, logical and physical modelling with Data Warehouse and Data Mesh familiarity.

Qualifications

• In-depth expertise in conceptual, logical and physical data modelling.
• Experience working with partner consultancies to align data models.
• Strong communication and influencing skills to drive data design.

Responsibilities

• Define data modelling standards and governance across domains.
• Lead architectural decisions and ensure scalable data solutions.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership to project teams.

Skills

Data modelling

Data warehousing

Technical leadership

Stakeholder influence

North Star Architecture

Mentorship

Education

Computer science degree

Tools

SQL

Python

ETL tools

Job description

We'd all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That's waiting for you at Sainsbury's. Think about the scale it takes to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety involved. Then you'll realise this is a modern software engineering environment, because it has to be. We've made significant investment in the standards and principles that shape how we work. We iterate, learn, experiment and champion ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to exciting opportunities across everything from AI to reusable tech.

We're a multi-channel, multi-brand business serving millions of customers a day, with the UK's largest loyalty scheme and an ever-evolving set of digital platforms. All of this equals over 1.2 billion transactions each year, presenting a volume, depth and complexity of data that few can match. We don't think we're exaggerating when we say we have the most exciting data set in the country. And from the insights gained, we build scalable, high-performance products using cutting-edge technology that give our customers an amazing shopping experience – like our award-winning Smartshop app. In an inclusive, agile environment, you'll have the space to be curious, to experiment, and to solve real-world challenges. And you'll get to see your creations in the hands of millions of people across the UK.

As a Senior Data Architect, you will design and build leading-edge data solutions and models. You will be the custodian of our data models, working closely with engineering teams to shape and design new products and services that fit into an overall data architecture for your area. Working in agile and empowered teams across multiple domains to put fantastic products in the hands of our customers and colleagues at pace, you will be working in a culture that encourages teams to innovate, collaborate, learn and take ownership.

More about the role:

• Working with a variety of colleagues, including Product, Engineering community & Business stakeholders, to ensure the best data solutions are delivered across domains.
• Triaging new requirements, providing impact assessments and appropriate efforts & sizing for amending data models in line with solution designs and requirements.
• Developing and enhancing logical & physical data models in line with new requirements as the custodian.
• Defining and aligning modelling across domain-aligned delivery teams from a physical & logical perspective on a day-to-day basis.
• Ensuring the data models developed across the Data Ecosystem meet the appropriate standards and principles defined within Data Architecture.
• Creating data solutions that meet business needs and move towards end state architecture.
• Ensuring data models are documented, communicated, updated and centrally managed in an appropriate manner across brand-aligned domains.
• Good understanding of North Star Architecture, being able to lead & influence Design Decisions across Governance Forums.
• Own and develop the data modelling principles, standards and tools across all of the teams.
• Provide Technical leadership & mentorship to Partner Consultancy resources.
• Act as an escalation route to help resolve issues pertaining to Data Models.
• Work closely with Domain & Enterprise architects to agree on various critical architecture design decisions which in turn drives/impacts the data model/data architecture.

More about you:

• An experienced Data Architect with a passion for creating order within reporting structures for Democratised usage at Enterprise Scale.
• Have an in-depth expertise in Data Modelling, including Conceptual, Logical and Physical modelling.
• Strong experience working closely with Partner Consultancies to ensure data models are consistent, accurate, and aligned with Data Architecture standards.
• Curiosity and drive to understand business processes and the data they generate in addition to the opportunities to structure and use this data to drive business value through effective data strategies & alignment to North star architecture.
• Expertise in Data Warehousing/Analytic end to end architecture & Comfortable with different modelling methodologies - 3NF, Dimensional and Data Vault
• Abreast of the latest industry developments across data (Medallion Architecture, Data Mesh, Generative & Agentic AI, MCP, etc).
• Strong communication and influencing skills used to drive the implementation of data design best practice at the Engineering and Product Manager levels within and across teams within the Data Ecosystem.

Essential Criteria:

• Good understanding of North Star Architecture, being able to lead & influence design decisions across Governance Forums.
• Experience providing technical leadership & mentorship to Partner Consultancy resources.
• Have in-depth expertise in Data Modelling, including Conceptual, Logical and Physical modelling.
• Strong communication and influencing skills to drive the implementation of data design best practice at the Engineering and Product Manager levels within and across teams within the Data Ecosystem.
• An experienced Data Architect with a passion for creating order within reporting structures for democratised usage at Enterprise Scale.

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer, so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there's always the chance to try something new - whether that's as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits.

Here are some of them:

• Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to get 10% off at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat after 4 weeks. This increases to 15% off at Sainsbury's every Friday and Saturday and 15% off at Argos every pay day. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.
• Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy additional holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, pay advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme, you will also be eligible for private healthcare too.
• Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks' pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks' pay for paternity leave.
• Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).