Senior Data Architect

Senior Data Architect – Senior Systems Architect – Data

Senior Data Architect:
Lead the design of enterprise-wide data architecture across platforms, integration and master data. Hands‑on technical leadership role shaping scalable, secure and modern data solutions. Hybrid working – 80% from home, 20% based in Stratford‑upon‑Avon.

We’re looking for a Senior Systems Architect – Data to join our Architecture team at NFU Mutual. This is a senior, hands‑on architecture role focused on designing and evolving our enterprise data landscape. You’ll take technical ownership of data architecture across operational systems, analytics platforms and integration services, ensuring data is modelled, governed, secured and structured to support business outcomes and long‑term strategy.

In this role, you will define and design comprehensive enterprise data architectures spanning core systems and platforms. You will take ownership of architectural patterns and standards for data modelling, integration, master data and the management of information life cycles.

You will shape and influence the technical roadmap; you will play a pivotal role in the modernisation of data platforms and the adoption of cloud technologies.

A key element of the role involves designing resilient integration strategies, including API‑led and event‑driven approaches, while also supporting the implementation and continuous improvement of Master Data Management (MDM) capabilities. It is essential that all data solutions you design are fully aligned with governance, regulatory and security requirements.

You will contribute actively to architecture governance forums, rigorously reviewing and challenging proposals to guarantee compliance with enterprise standards.

Your responsibilities also include producing clear architectural artefacts, such as data models, data flows and reference architectures. As the senior technical authority on complex or high‑risk data initiatives, you will collaborate closely with business stakeholders, IT leadership and delivery teams, ensuring that strategic objectives are translated into practical, actionable architecture.

This position offers the opportunity to fundamentally influence how data is recognised and managed as a valuable organisational asset across the enterprise.

You’re an experienced Data or Information Architect with strong enterprise exposure and a passion for hands‑on technical design. You combine strategic thinking with practical implementation experience and are confident influencing senior stakeholders while maintaining technical credibility with engineers and delivery teams.

With deep expertise in data modelling across conceptual, logical and physical layers, you’ve designed and evolved enterprise data platforms and integration architectures in complex environments, with a strong focus on Azure.

You bring a strong understanding of data governance, regulatory considerations and secure design principles, alongside experience implementing or evolving Master Data Management solutions.

You’re comfortable defining architecture standards, patterns and reusable reference models, and have worked across operational and analytical ecosystems.

Your technical expertise spans data integration approaches such as APIs, messaging and event‑driven architectures, as well as modern cloud data platforms and Dev Ops practices.

Experience in data migration or modernisation programmes, and enabling analytics, reporting or AI use cases, would be advantageous.

To join our team, you must also have:

• Significant experience in senior Data or Information Architecture roles within complex enterprise environments, with a strong focus on Azure
• Strong hands‑on experience designing enterprise data platforms and integration architectures
• Deep expertise in data modelling (conceptual, logical and physical)
• A strong understanding of data governance, regulatory considerations and secure design principles
• The ability to clearly communicate complex architectural concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences
• Experience enabling analytics, reporting or…