Data Architect - SC Cleared

Role:
Data Architect

Location:

Edinburgh or Luton (hybrid/onsite as required)
Engagement:
Contract - Inside IR35
Rate: £550 - £650 per day
Security Clearance:
Active SC Clearance required

Project Description

We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to lead the design, implementation, and governance of enterprise-scale data architectures within a secure environment. You will be responsible for ensuring data across systems is accurate, accessible, secure, and aligned to business and technical objectives.

The role requires extensive experience delivering data-intensive systems end-to-end, from initial requirements capture through architecture design and implementation to production delivery. You will work closely with customers and stakeholders to translate business needs into robust, scalable data solutions.

You will act as a senior technical authority, collaborating proactively with IT teams, data engineers, system engineers, and business stakeholders to define data models, data flows, and governance frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

Design and implement enterprise-level data architecture solutions, including databases, data warehouses, data lakes, and lakehouse platforms

Develop and maintain conceptual, logical, and physical data models

Define and enforce data management standards, policies, and best practices

Work closely with data engineers to design and optimise ETL/ELT pipelines for structured and unstructured data

Ensure data quality, consistency, security, and compliance across platforms

Collaborate with business stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into technical solutions

Oversee data integration across cloud and on-premises environments

Support and lead data governance initiatives, including metadata management, MDM, and regulatory compliance

Evaluate and recommend new data technologies, tools, and platforms

Provide technical leadership and mentorship to data engineering and analytics teams

Skills and Experience Required

Active SC Clearance (mandatory)

Bachelor's degree in STEM, Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field (Master's preferred)

Strong experience in data architecture, database design, or senior data engineering roles

High proficiency in SQL and database technologies (e.g. Oracle, SQL Server, Postgre

SQL, MySQL)

Strong knowledge of data warehouse, data lake, and lakehouse architectures

Experience with ETL/ELT frameworks and orchestration tools (e.g. Informatica, Talend, Apache Airflow)

Proven experience establishing and maintaining data governance frameworks

Strong understanding of data security, access controls, and compliance requirements

Excellent problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills

Familiarity with AI/ML data pipelines and analytics platforms

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Experience with big data technologies (Hadoop, Spark, Kafka)

Familiarity with UML / SysML

Strong understanding of API integration and microservices data flows