Senior Data Architect (8-month FTC)

<p></p><p>I'm hiring a Senior BI Data Architect to join a global SaaS organisation and take ownership of a <strong>large-scale data platform transformation</strong>.</p><p>This is a <strong>hands-on architecture role</strong> sitting at the intersection of data engineering and BI - where your work will directly shape how the business uses data to make decisions.</p><strong>The company</strong><p>A global technology business operating in the <strong>data and insights / research space</strong>, serving major clients worldwide and processing hundreds of millions of data points annually.</p><p>They are investing heavily in modernising their <strong>data platform and analytics capabilities</strong>, with a strong focus on performance, scalability, and self-serve analytics.</p><strong>The role</strong><p>You'll take full ownership of the <strong>Databricks Lakehouse</strong> and BI architecture, leading the migration away from legacy systems while building a clean, governed and scalable platform.</p><p>This is not just a design role - you'll be <strong>deep in the detail</strong>, refactoring SQL, building pipelines, and optimising performance.</p><strong>What you'll be doing</strong><ul><li>Design and implement a <strong>governed Databricks Lakehouse architecture</strong> (Unity Catalog, schemas, volumes)</li><li>Lead migration of <strong>complex legacy SQL logic</strong> into modular, scalable pipelines</li><li>Build and optimise <strong>data transformation frameworks</strong> using Spark / Python / SQL pipelines</li><li>Act as the go-to expert for <strong>query performance optimisation</strong> (Spark execution plans, data skew, joins)</li><li>Design and implement <strong>dimensional data models</strong> (star / snowflake schemas)</li><li>Architect the <strong>semantic layer</strong> for BI (Omni or similar tools like Looker)</li><li>Build CI/CD pipelines to automate testing and deployment</li><li>Work with stakeholders across Product, Finance, and Commercial teams to deliver scalable solutions</li></ul><strong>What you bring</strong><strong>Must-haves</strong><ul><li>8+ years in <strong>data engineering / data architecture</strong></li><li>Deep experience with <strong>Databricks (Lakehouse, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog)</strong></li><li>Expert <strong>SQL and distributed computing knowledge</strong></li><li>Strong experience with <strong>data modelling (star / snowflake schemas)</strong></li><li>Proven experience <strong>migrating legacy data platforms</strong></li><li>Ability to optimise performance across large datasets</li><li>Experience with modern <strong>BI semantic layers (e.g. Looker, Omni, Superset)</strong></li><li>Experience with <strong>CI/CD and version control (Git)</strong></li></ul><strong>Nice to have</strong><ul><li>Experience with <strong>dbt or similar transformation frameworks</strong></li><li>Exposure to AI/BI or natural language querying tools</li><li>Experience in multi-tenant or embedded analytics environments</li></ul><strong>Why this role</strong><ul><li>Own and shape a <strong>modern data platform at scale</strong></li><li>High-impact project with visible business outcomes</li><li>Combination of <strong>architecture + hands-on engineering</strong></li><li>Work on performance, scalability, and governance challenges</li><li>Flexible, remote-friendly working</li></ul><strong>What success looks like</strong><ul><li>A clean, <strong>governed Lakehouse architecture</strong></li><li>Improved performance and reduced cost across the platform</li><li>Scalable, reusable data pipelines</li><li>A robust <strong>semantic layer enabling self-serve analytics across the business</strong></li></ul><p></p><img src="https://www.jobg8.com/Tracking.aspx?VZ6agKFPodvdI8Rmcr2ifEcb7lZUL%2bFbl" width="0" height="0" />