Solution Architect, Data (GCP / AWS)

hedgehog lab; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

hedgehog lab is seeking a Senior Data Architect to own the data architecture for a high-volume online marketplace within a multi-year technology transformation. The role focuses on optimising the current GCP stack (BigQuery, DBT, Data Stream) and guiding a shift toward AWS, balancing performance with cost.

You'll shape data strategy, design scalable data models for self-service analytics, and lead data governance as the team moves under technical leadership, with occasional in-person

Qualifications

• Senior data architecture on large-scale platforms.
• Deep hands-on GCP data tooling (BigQuery, DBT, DataStream).
• Experience across GCP to AWS with cost optimisation.
• Design data models with self-service analytics in mind.
• Define data strategy beyond a single project.
• Proficient in English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Own data architecture for a high-volume online marketplace.
• Optimise BigQuery models and manage cost.
• Architect toward the AWS target state from the start.
• Lead data strategy across Finance and Technical leadership.
• Support adoption of self-service reporting and analytics.

Skills

Data architecture

GCP BigQuery

DBT

Cost optimisation

Self-service reporting

AWS familiarity

Tools

BigQuery

DBT

Data Stream

Looker

Job description

Location and basis

Contract, outside IR35. Starting as soon as possible.

While there's no set number of days you're required on site, there may be times when the client needs the team together in person for important meetings, workshops and key moments. When that's the case, we'd expect you to attend.

The engagement

You’ll own the data architecture for a high-volume online marketplace, part-way through a major, multi-year technology transformation.

The current stack runs on Google Cloud Platform: BigQuery for storage and consumption, DBT for transformations, and Data Stream. Reporting is on Looker today, and moving the business toward a self-service reporting model is a core goal.

There's real architecture work in front of you. The business doesn't yet have a defined data strategy, and BigQuery consumption costs are climbing, so optimising data models and building in cost management is a live priority, not a future one.

The wider platform is migrating to AWS, and the data estate moves with it. The near-term focus is the current GCP stack, optimising models and cutting BigQuery cost, but you'll be architecting toward the AWS target state from the start rather than just maintaining what exists.

You’ll also shape structural change. The data team currently sits under Finance and is fragmented, with a plan to bring it under technical leadership, and data scientists are being introduced on the seller side to support seller attraction and analytics. A larger data transformation is expected further down the line.

The platform

This is a genuinely large-scale marketplace. Very few platforms handle a product catalogue or transaction volume at this level.

The roadmap includes agentic AI workflows built into the platform, retail media integrated directly into the marketplace, and infrastructure work targeting cost and performance at high volume.

A lot of this is being attempted at volumes that have rarely been tested in a marketplace before, so the work leans research-led rather than routine.

Who This Suits

This is a fast-paced scale-up environment on a complex platform.

You’ll do well here if you think strategically rather than transactionally, and you're comfortable defining direction where none exists yet.

What We Need

The essentials:

• Senior data architecture experience on large-scale platforms
• Deep hands-on knowledge of GCP data tooling: BigQuery, DBT, and pipeline tooling such as Data Stream
• Comfortable across GCP and AWS, able to optimise the current estate while architecting toward the AWS target state
• You can design and optimise data models with consumption cost in mind
• Experience building toward self-service reporting and analytics
• You can set data strategy, not just implement against one
• Comfortable working in English, written and spoken

Nice to have:

• Experience moving reporting off Looker or running a BI tooling transition
• Experience migrating a data platform from GCP to AWS, or between major cloud providers
• Exposure to embedding data science within product or commercial teams
• Experience planning a larger data transformation programme