Senior Data Architect / Data Design SME

Albany Beck; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Albany Beck, a UK-based management consultancy, is seeking a Senior Data Architect to act as the independent technical authority on a major data transformation programme in Wealth and Financial Services. You will assess the current landscape and define the future-state architecture to support long‑term analytics and AI ambitions.

You will review the Azure and Databricks ecosystems, evaluate ingestion patterns, data flows, and governance capabilities, and translate complex challenges into

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Data Architecture, Enterprise Data Architecture or Solution Architecture roles.
• Strong Azure and Databricks expertise.
• Experience designing modern cloud-based data platforms and lakehouse architectures.
• Strong understanding of data ingestion, integration, lineage, metadata and governance frameworks.
• Experience assessing and defining target operating and architecture models.
• Ability to work across strategic architecture discussions and detailed technical design reviews.
• Experience within Financial Services, Wealth Management, Asset Management or Banking environments is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assess and define current and target-state data architecture.
• Review the existing Azure and Databricks ecosystem and provide architectural recommendations.
• Evaluate ingestion patterns, integration approaches and data flows across the platform.
• Assess data layers, models and architecture standards to identify opportunities for simplification and optimisation.
• Review data lineage, governance and metadata capabilities.
• Identify duplication, inefficiencies and scalability challenges across the data landscape.
• Define architecture principles and standards that support future growth.
• Ensure the platform can effectively support analytics, reporting and AI initiatives.
• Provide architectural leadership and guidance to engineering, governance and programme teams.
• Translate complex technical challenges into practical recommendations for senior stakeholders.

Skills

Data architecture

Enterprise data architecture

Solution architecture

Target operating models

Strategic architecture discussions

Technical design reviews

Analytics & AI

Financial services domain

Tools

Azure

Databricks

Job description

Albany Beck is a UK based Management Consultancy specialising in Technology, Risk, Finance and Change within Financial Services. We partner with leading financial institutions to deliver complex transformation programmes and solve some of the industry's most challenging problems.

We are currently supporting a major Wealth Management organisation as it embarks on a significant data transformation programme. The organisation has already invested heavily in its data capabilities, including a modern cloud-based data platform, dedicated data teams and an established strategic vision. The challenge now is understanding whether the barriers to success are architectural, operational or delivery related, and defining a practical path forward.

As the Senior Data Architect, you will act as the independent technical authority within the programme. Working alongside senior business, transformation and data leadership stakeholders, you will assess the current landscape, challenge existing assumptions and help define the future-state architecture required to support long‑term growth, analytics and AI ambitions.

A key part of the role will be determining whether current challenges stem from weaknesses in architecture design or from strong architectural foundations that have not been implemented consistently across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess and define current and target-state data architecture
• Review the existing Azure and Databricks ecosystem and provide architectural recommendations
• Evaluate ingestion patterns, integration approaches and data flows across the platform
• Assess data layers, models and architecture standards to identify opportunities for simplification and optimisation
• Review data lineage, governance and metadata capabilities
• Identify duplication, inefficiencies and scalability challenges across the data landscape
• Define architecture principles and standards that support future growth
• Ensure the platform can effectively support analytics, reporting and AI initiatives
• Provide architectural leadership and guidance to engineering, governance and programme teams
• Translate complex technical challenges into practical recommendations for senior stakeholders

We're looking for individuals who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience in Data Architecture, Enterprise Data Architecture or Solution Architecture roles
• Strong Azure and Databricks expertise
• Experience designing modern cloud-based data platforms and lakehouse architectures
• Strong understanding of data ingestion, integration, lineage, metadata and governance frameworks
• Experience assessing and defining target operating and architecture models
• Ability to work across both strategic architecture discussions and detailed technical design reviews
• Experience within Financial Services, Wealth Management, Asset Management or Banking environments is highly desirable

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of a major enterprise data platform, influencing critical architecture decisions and helping ensure technology investments deliver meaningful business outcomes.