Senior Lead - Data Architecture

Scottish Environment Protection Agency Provided Pay Range

This range is provided by Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

We are recruiting for a full‑time Senior Lead – Data Architecture on a permanent basis.

Your passion has never had a greater purpose.

Here at SEPA, we’re connected by a passion that drives us to be purposeful in every action we take - to protect our environment. Through our expertise, we lead projects that make a difference for Scotland, and our workplaces are grounded in respect for that expertise.

That’s why, when you join us as a Senior Lead – Data Architecture, you’ll discover enriching benefits, meaningful support, and opportunities to learn every day. That’s what it means to be Passionately Purposeful – for our environment, and for your career.

• Lead and develop a team of data architects and governance specialists.
• Ensure that data assets, platforms, integrations and operational solutions are designed and delivered to maximise organisational value.
• Build strong partnerships with stakeholders to prioritise, structure, and address data and analytics needs.
• Shape and evolve the organisation’s enterprise data architecture, covering strategic platforms, principles, data models, data flows, and data management processes.
• Define and embed standards for data architecture, governance, quality, metadata and master data across the organisation.
• Provide architectural assurance across projects, ensuring that delivered solutions align with enterprise principles and meet regulatory expectations.

• Degree in a relevant discipline or equivalent experience.
• Extensive leadership experience designing and implementing enterprise data architecture and governance frameworks, ideally in complex organisations.
• Expertise across architecture domains (business, data, application, technology, security) with hands‑on knowledge of Azure services, Fabric, Power BI, and Purview.
• Broad subject‑matter expertise in data governance, quality, metadata, master data, and lifecycle management.
• Strong track record of delivering traditional and modern data architectures to drive organisational change influencing senior stakeholders to do so (data warehouse, data lake, data mesh, data platforms, APIs).

• Hybrid and Flexible working opportunities.
• Up to 35 days annual leave and seven additional public holidays each year (pro rata).
• Paid time off to support your wellbeing and enable you to volunteer in your community.
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).
• Progressive family‑friendly policies.
• Training & development to enable colleagues to improve their skills, competencies and knowledge to perform at their best.

Plus many more lifestyle benefits such as 24/7 access to an online employee discount platform, credit union facilities and access to a Cycle to Work Scheme.

SEPA is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and good relations in everything it does - as a community leader, as a provider and commissioner of services, and as an employer.

We recruit solely based on merit. Our shortlisting process is conducted on an anonymous basis. Please ensure that you include all relevant information when you apply.

We support flexible working arrangements to help you maintain a healthy balance between career and home life. This includes working part‑time, reduced hours, job sharing, and working remotely. As a flexible first employer we are open to having conversations about flexible working arrangements that work for you and SEPA from day 1 of your employment with us.

We are proud to be a ‘Disability Confident’ employer and will work to identify and implement reasonable adjustments and equipment to support you in the role that you do.

Applicants with a visual impairment can request job descriptions and application forms in Braille, large print or on tape.

For the security and wellbeing of our colleagues, successful candidates will undergo Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) pre‑employment checks including a level one Disclosure Scotland check.

If you have questions or need any assistance with the recruitment process please contact SEPA’s Recruitment Team at .

Apply now to join a Passionately Purposeful workplace