Data Architect - Central Government

Salary: £55,000 - 95,000 per year

Requirements:

• We need a candidate who is eligible for SC clearance; existing SC clearance is desirable.
• We are looking for recent experience as a Lead Data Architect, Data Solutions Architect, or in an equivalent senior role.
• We need demonstrated ownership of end-to-end data platform design and delivery.
• Experience in consulting, systems integration, or delivery partner roles is important.
• Experience working within UK Central Government or ALBs is strongly preferred.
• We need practical architecture experience across both established enterprise approaches and modern data patterns.
• We need experience with cloud-native data platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience with Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, and/or SageMaker is advantageous.
• We need experience with data lake and lakehouse architectures.
• Experience with event-driven and streaming architectures is required.
• We need practical understanding of Data Mesh and/or Data Fabric principles.
• Experience with data product-oriented design approaches is important.
• We need strong knowledge of distributed processing, such as Apache Spark.
• Familiarity with Hadoop ecosystem components is needed.
• We need working knowledge of SQL and NoSQL technologies.
• Understanding of ETL and ELT design trade-offs is required.
• Awareness of DevOps practices and CI/CD for data platforms is important.
• We need understanding of how ML and AI workloads integrate into data architectures.
• Hands-on coding ability in Python, Java, or R is beneficial.
• We need experience designing within structured architectural governance frameworks.
• Familiarity with government assurance processes and design authorities is important.
• We need a strong understanding of data governance frameworks and metadata management.
• Experience designing for GDPR and UK public sector data protection requirements is required.
• We need appreciation of infrastructure considerations and security boundaries in regulated cloud environments.
• We are looking for the ability to influence architectural direction at senior stakeholder level.
• We need a clear and structured communicator who can explain trade-offs and risks.
• Experience leading and mentoring architects and engineers is important.
• Comfort operating within programme governance structures is required.
• Familiarity with Agile delivery models such as SAFe, Scrum, or Kanban is beneficial.

Responsibilities:

• We want you to lead the design and delivery of secure, cloud-based data platforms for UK Central Government departments.
• We want you to shape target-state architectures and ensure they are implemented pragmatically in regulated, security-conscious environments.
• We want you to move comfortably between traditional enterprise data approaches and modern patterns such as lakehouse, streaming, data mesh, and ML-enabled platforms.
• We want you to provide architectural strategy while maintaining delivery oversight.
• We want you to influence architectural direction at senior stakeholder level.
• We want you to explain trade-offs and risks clearly and structurally.
• We want you to lead and mentor architects and engineers.
• We want you to operate within programme governance structures.
• We want you to work within structured architectural governance frameworks and government assurance processes.
• We want you to design data platforms with strong governance, security, metadata management, and public sector compliance in mind.

Technologies:

• AI
• AWS
• Architect
• Azure
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• DevOps
• ETL
• Fabric
• GCP
• Hadoop
• Support
• Java
• Kanban
• Network
• NoSQL
• Python
• SQL
• Security
• Snowflake
• Spark

More:

We are a global business that empowers local teams and delivers exciting work that is genuinely changing the world. Our consulting, applications, business process, cloud, and infrastructure services give you the opportunity to achieve great things alongside brilliant colleagues and clients on exciting projects. We offer an inclusive work environment built on mutual respect, accountability, and continuous learning, with a strong focus on collaboration, well-being, growth, and agility. We also support our people through tailored benefits for physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing, continuous learning and development, and flexible work options. We have Inclusion Networks including the Womens Business Network, Cultural and Ethnicity Network, LGBTQ+ & Allies Network, Neurodiversity Network, and Parent Network. We are an equal opportunities employer, a proud Disability Confident Committed Employer, and we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. This role is with NTT DATA UK & Ireland.

last updated 34 week of 2026