SC Cleared Data Architect

Up to £750 per day | Inside IR35 | London | Hybrid (3 Days Per Week)

Rate: Up to £750 per day
IR35: Inside IR35
Location: London (3 Days Per Week Onsite)
Contract Length: Initial 3 Months with Strong Extension Potential
Clearance: Active SC Clearance Required

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced SC Cleared Data Architect to join a high-profile data and technology programme, providing hands-on architecture leadership across a complex enterprise environment.

This is a delivery-focused role, working closely with software engineering, data engineering and business teams to design and implement enterprise-aligned data solutions. You will play a key role in ensuring data architectures, integration patterns and solution designs meet business requirements whilst aligning with architecture standards, governance frameworks and strategic objectives.

The successful candidate will combine strong data architecture and modelling expertise with a broad understanding of Microsoft Azure data technologies and modern data platforms, enabling them to guide delivery teams and make informed design decisions across a diverse technology landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide practical data architecture consultancy to software and data delivery teams.
• Design and review conceptual, logical and physical data models.
• Undertake data profiling and source system analysis, translating findings into actionable architecture recommendations.
• Define data architectures and integration patterns that support enterprise objectives and target architecture.
• Produce and maintain architecture artefacts including ERDs, UML diagrams, data flows and solution models.
• Provide architecture assurance, governance and design guidance across multiple projects and programmes.
• Collaborate with engineers, architects and suppliers to ensure successful solution delivery.
• Support the adoption of data standards, governance frameworks and data management best practices.
• Contribute to the development of scalable, secure and maintainable data solutions.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Active SC Clearance (mandatory).
• Strong consulting and communication skills with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience designing conceptual, logical and physical data models.
• Strong knowledge of relational and dimensional modelling techniques.
• Experience undertaking data profiling and source system analysis.
• Experience designing enterprise data architectures and integration patterns.
• Ability to produce and review architecture artefacts using tools and frameworks such as Visio, MooD, Erwin, UML and TOGAF.
• Understanding of metadata management, data catalogues and data lineage concepts.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, data standards and data management practices.
• Experience providing architecture assurance and design leadership to software delivery teams, suppliers and data product teams.
• Broad understanding of APIs, integrations, cloud technologies, security, data engineering and modern data architecture patterns.

Technical Environment

Candidates should have experience working within Azure-based environments and be comfortable making architecture decisions involving technologies such as:

• Azure SQL / SQL Server
• Microsoft Fabric
• Azure Databricks
• Dataverse
• Microsoft Purview
• API-led integration architectures
• Structured and unstructured data platforms

Deep engineering expertise across every technology is not required. However, candidates must be capable of recommending appropriate architectural approaches and collaborating effectively with specialist engineers and platform teams.

Desirable Experience

• Microsoft Purview
• DAMA DMBoK
• TOGAF
• Government Digital & Data Data Architect Capability Framework
• Enterprise data governance and metadata management frameworks

What’s on Offer?

• Up to £750 per day
• Inside IR35
• Hybrid working, 3 days per week onsite in London
• Initial 3-month contract
• Strong likelihood of extension
• Opportunity to work on a large-scale enterprise data transformation programme
• Significant architectural influence across multiple delivery teams