Senior Data Solution Architect

UCL; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave,

CARE pension

Cycle to work scheme

Relocation scheme

On-site gym

Enhanced maternity/paternity pay

Employee assistance programme

Discounted medical insurance

Job summary

UCL ISD is seeking a Senior Data Solution Architect to define and govern enterprise data solutions, shaping patterns, platform capabilities, data models and AI-enabled services aligned with UCL's data strategy.

You will guide architectural standards, governance, and provide strategic oversight while remaining closely connected to delivery and working with senior stakeholders to balance enterprise outcomes with practical depth.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in enterprise data architecture and modern data platforms.
• Hands-on expertise with Microsoft Fabric including components like Lake Houses and Dataflows Gen2.
• Proven track record designing and governing large-scale data and integration solutions.
• Deep understanding of data governance, metadata management and stewardship.
• Experience designing API-led and event-driven integration architectures.
• Practical experience architecting AI-enabled data solutions with responsible AI practices.
• Ability to lead architectural governance and influence senior stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with commitment to inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Define and govern enterprise-level data solutions aligned with UCL's architecture blueprint.
• Lead solution design translating strategy into pragmatic, scalable data platforms.
• Provide architectural assurance, governance, and technical leadership across delivery teams.
• Collaborate with senior stakeholders, architects, and external partners.
• Balance enterprise outcomes with hands-on architectural depth to address complex challenges.

Skills

Data architecture

Modern data platforms

Domain modeling

Microsoft Fabric

Data governance

API-led integration

Event-driven architecture

AI-enabled data solutions

Governance leadership

Communication & leadership

Tools

Microsoft Fabric

Azure Data Explorer

Purview

Azure OpenAI

Databricks

Job description

Information Services Division (ISD) is the primary provider of IT services to UCL. We support and enhance learning, teaching, research and administrative processes by providing information- and technology-related services to over 50,000 staff and students of UCL and associated institutions. Our goal is to be the top IT services group in the HE sector, and we are growing our team's capability in AI, experience/UX, agile development, security, cloud, service management and partnering. We are modernising our technology foundations, digitising the processes of the university to transform experience for students and staff, and partnering across the university to drive differentiation in UCL education and research.

Data Architecture within ISD enables UCL's data-driven transformation. It delivers enterprise data architecture, integration standards, analytics platforms, and AI foundations supporting the UCL's Data Strategy and Digital Strategic Plan.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join UCL's Information Services Division (ISD) as a Senior Data Solution Architect, to help deliver excellence whilst continually evolving and progressing at this globally recognised top 10 university.

About the role

The Senior Data Solution Architect defines and governs enterprise-level data solutions across UCL. The postholder shapes architectural patterns, platform capabilities, data models, Fabric-based data products, and AI-enabled services, ensuring alignment with UCL's enterprise data architecture blueprint and governance frameworks.

The role provides strategic oversight, architectural assurance, and technical leadership, ensuring data platforms and solutions are scalable, secure, governed, and aligned to UCL's strategic ambitions.

You will lead solution design in close collaboration with senior stakeholders, fellow architects, delivery teams, and external partners. Translating strategic priorities into pragmatic, resilient solutions, you will help shape architectural standards, patterns, and governance while remaining close to delivery. Acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, you will balance enterprise-level outcomes with hands-on architectural depth to address complex challenges with broad institutional impact.

About you

You are an experienced Data Solution Architect who combines deep technical expertise with the ability to lead, influence, and simplify complex decisions.

You will have all or many of the following:

• Extensive experience in enterprise data architecture, modern data platforms, and domain driven or canonical data modelling.
• Strong hands‑on expertise with Microsoft Fabric, including Lake Houses, Pipelines, Dataflows Gen2, Semantic Models, and governance.
• A proven track record of designing and governing large-scale data and integration solutions across analytics and operational systems.
• Deep understanding of data governance, including data quality, metadata management, stewardship, and architectural assurance.
• Experience designing API‑led and event driven integration architectures.
• Practical experience architecting AI‑enabled data solutions, with an understanding of responsible and ethical AI practices.
• The credibility and confidence to lead architectural governance, influence senior stakeholders, and guide institutional strategy.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Desirable, but not essential

• Experience with Azure data and AI services such as Azure OpenAI, Purview, Azure Data Explorer, or Databricks.
• Experience working in a large, complex organisation, ideally within the higher education sector.

What we offer

• 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, and 6 closure days)
• Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan
• Relocation scheme for certain posts
• On-site gym
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay
• Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service
• Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.

We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce.

These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women