Contract Data Architect - Senior SME (Modern Data Platform)Contract Length: 12-18 months (strong potential to extend or move permanent) It will be Inside IR35
Day Rate: £600-£700
Location: UK-based, primarily remote
Ad hoc travel to Stratford-upon-Avon & London for workshops and occasional travel to Bucharest the main office is in Stratford.
OverviewWe are seeking a Senior Data Architect to act as a subject matter expert for the design and build of a modern, enterprise-scale data platform. This is a high-impact contract role with full ownership of the data domain, supporting a multi-year roadmap to transform an existing platform into a cloud-native, federated data architecture on Azure.
The organisation is in the process of lifting and modernising a large-scale data landscape into Azure, with a strong likelihood of winning a major government contract, making this a long-term and strategically critical engagement.
This role requires a hands-on architect - someone who can define strategy and architecture, but also work closely with delivery teams to ensure successful execution.
Key Responsibilities*Own and shape the end-to-end data architecture and data strategy, treating the data platform as a product
*Design and build a modern Azure-based data platform supporting large-scale data processing
*Define and implement modern federated data architecture principles
*Lead the adoption of Medallion Architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold)
*Design and oversee robust data ingestion and data pipeline frameworks, including ingestion of poor-quality and complex data
*Provide architectural leadership for:*Data lakes and lakehouse patterns
*Analytics and reporting platforms
*Master Data Management (MDM)

*Act as a hands-on technical authority, supporting and mentoring engineering teams
*Collaborate with business and technical stakeholders across the UK and near-shore teams in Bucharest
*Ensure platforms are scalable, secure, and fit for future government and enterprise needs
Technical EnvironmentYou will work extensively with:
*Azure Data Platform
*Databricks (Lakehouse architecture)
*Cosmos DB
*Azure Data Factory
*Talend (ETL)
*Power BI & Qlik
*Large-scale data processing and analytics
*Master Data Management (MDM) concepts and tooling
Required Experience*Proven experience as a Senior / Lead Data Architect on complex data transformation programmes
*Strong background designing and delivering modern cloud data platforms on Azure
*Hands-on experience with Databricks, Azure data services, and modern ETL pipelines
*Deep understanding of data architecture patterns, including lakehouse and federated models
*Experience working with imperfect and complex data sources
*Comfortable operating as the single point of ownership for a data domain
*Ability to translate strategy into detailed, actionable architecture
*Strong stakeholder engagement skills
Desirable*Experience working in regulated or government-aligned environments
*Prior exposure to long-term platform rebuild programmes
*Mentoring or leadership of multi-disciplinary data teams
Why Apply?*Long-term 12-18 month contract with strong extension or permanent potential
*Opportunity to own and architect a modern data platform end-to-end
*Significant influence on a multi-year data transformation roadmap
*Flexible day rate
*High-profile programme with future government exposure