Vice President, Data Architect

CLS Group; England; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm in the UK is seeking an experienced Data Architect to join their Technology department. The role focuses on data architecture and design, requiring strong skills in OLTP, Data Warehouse, and API capabilities. Responsibilities include developing architecture blueprints and providing technical direction on data solutions. The company offers a supportive environment with extensive benefits and a commitment to employee well-being.

Benefits

25 days vacation / annual leave

Private medical and dental cover

Generous pension contributions

Paid volunteer days

Learning platform access

Well-being / Mental health support

Qualifications

• Proven experience architecting data solutions.
• Excellent understanding of reporting and data warehouse systems.
• Strong understanding of application architecture concepts.

Responsibilities

• Author High Level Solution Design and Conceptual Architectures.
• Develop and document architecture blueprints and best practices.
• Provide technical leadership on data architecture and integration.

Skills

Data architecture

Database management

API design

Data integration

Education

Industry recognized certifications

Tools

MS SQL Server

AWS RDS

Oracle

Postgres

MicroStrategy

Microsoft Power BI

Job description

About CLS :

CLS is the trusted party at the centre of the global FX ecosystem. Utilized by thousands of counterparties, CLS makes FX safer, smoother and more cost effective. Trillions of dollars’ worth of currency flows through our systems each day.

Created by the market for the market, our unrivalled global settlement infrastructure reduces systemic risk and provides standardization for participants in many of the world’s most actively traded currencies. We deliver huge efficiencies and savings for our clients : in fact, our approach to multilateral netting shrinks funding requirements by over 96% on average, so clients can put their capital and resources to better use.

CLS products are designed to enable clients to manage risk most effectively across the full FX lifecycle – whether through more efficient processing tools or market intelligence derived from the largest single source of FX executed data available to the market.

Our ambition to make a positive difference starts with our people. Our values – Protect, Improve, Grow – underpin everything that we do at CLS and define and shape a supportive and inclusive working environment in which everyone is encouraged to be open and forward-thinking

Job information :

• Functional title – Data Architect
• Department – Technology
• Corporate level – Vice President
• Report to – Director
• Location - London, onsite 2 days per week

Job Overview :

Data Architect plays a key role in CLS’s architecture / technology division. Role requires broad knowledge in data architecture and design, with a focus on OLTP, Data Warehouse, Data Reporting, API capability and other database interfaces. This role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements, providing technical leadership, and ensuring the design meet CLS architectural principles and security standards. Person should be strong technologist very aware of current developments in technology spectrum.

Key Responsibilities :

• Author High Level Solution Design, Solutions Overview and Conceptual Architectures.
• Design and architect solutions based on technical and business requirements.
• Develop and document architecture blueprints and best practices.
• Provide technical leadership on data architecture, data integration and data management to ensure Data Product best practices are supported and implemented effectively.
• Act as a lead Architecture on projects
• Contribute to the development & management of Data Strategy
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of Architecture within CLS
• Contribute to product roadmaps & reference architectures

Key Competencies

• Proficient in data architecture, engineering, data platforms and analytics with a string track record of successful projects and in-depth knowledge of industry best practices.
• Strong Experience in databases (Relational / NoSQL), Data Integration / Processing and API design
• Experience developing and delivering data solutions leveraging on-premises and cloud components (AWS, AZURE).
• Ability to communicate solutions to other stakeholders
• Good knowledge of Risk management
• Work closely with other architecture disciplines including Enterprise, Infrastructure and Security, as well Engineering and Operations
• Provide technical guidance to team members and stakeholders.
• Identify & recommend opportunities for efficiency.
• Stay updated on new features and capabilities & best practices.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity and manage diversity.
• Share knowledge with the team and contribute to the organization's learning culture.

Qualifications :

• Proven experience Data Architecting solutions.
• Excellent understanding of reporting and data warehouse systems incl. various industry standard data models
• Industry recognized certifications (such as Togaf, AWS Certified Solutions Architect) in conjunction with application in previous roles are highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of application architecture concepts, principles and best practices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Preferred Skills :

• Experience in Database technologies - MS SQL Server, DB2 , Oracle, Postgres, AWS RDS / Redshift
• Experience in Data Integration - Messaging (IBM MQ) , AWS DMS, Kafka
• Experience in Data Visualisation - MicroStrategy, Microsoft Power BI
• Knowledge of authentication methodologies like OAUTH / Okta .
• Knowledge of Operating systems (Windows and Linux)
• Knowledge of cloud architectures.
• Ability to assess and recommend third-party tools and services to complement AWS offerings.
• Stakeholder management.
• Knowledge of security design

Desirable Skills :

• Experience of post-trade Foreign Exchange and Market Infrastructure Payment systems desirable.

Our commitment to employees :

We are a small company with a big mandate, so every person is essential to our success. We are also committed to employing and retaining the most talented and dedicated people.

What makes us interesting goes beyond our competitive salaries and great benefits. Our work environment is designed around quality outcomes, not output. The FX market would cease to function without our services, and we take pride in being responsible for keeping it running smoothly.

We are different from other financial institutions in that we have a flatter and more transparent structure with accessible leadership. You will be seen, heard and empowered to develop your career.

We are a purpose-driven organization, with an inclusive culture that focuses on doing what is right. The well-being of our people is as important to us as the resilience of our systems. In addition to encouraging our people to ‘locate for their day,’ we run a range of initiatives that support employees’ sense of belonging and physical, emotional and mental well‑being.

Our extensive benefits for employees typically include :

• Vacation / annual leave : 25 days in UK / Asia + 3 life days, 23 in US + 3 life days
• Private medical and dental cover and life insurance
• Generous pension contributions in the UK and Asia; matching 401(k) in the US
• Paid volunteer days
• ‘Locate for your day’ hybrid working – 2 days a week in office.
• Access to Discover – our learning platform with 1000+ courses from LinkedIn Learning.
• Paid parental leave / Coaching and support services
• Career development / LinkedIn Learning
• ‘Heads down days’ with no meetings on the last Friday of every month
• Wellbeing / Mental health support
• Diversity Council / Affinity groups (Women’s Forum, Black Employee Network, Pride Network, Parents & Caregivers Network, Sustainability Network)
• Social events

Awards :

• The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023 & 2024 / Big Company / The Sunday Times Awards
• Third place in Britain’s Healthiest Workplace 2022 / Medium Company / Vitality Awards