Data Platform Architect

Data Platform ArchitectLondon | HybridUp to 95,000We're working with a globally recognised consumer brand that is investing heavily in its enterprise data platform as part of a wider technology transformation. The business is growing its data estate quickly and is looking for an experienced architect to own the next phase of platform strategy.The RoleAs Data Platform Architect, you will own the technical architecture of the enterprise data platform, defining the standards, patterns and guardrails that Data Engineers and Platform Engineers build against. You'll work closely with Solution Architects, Data Governance and Cyber Security to keep the platform scalable, secure and cost efficient as it grows. This is a specialist architecture role rather than a delivery or line management role, sitting within a central architecture function that engages flexibly across several data and engineering teams.Key ResponsibilitiesOwn the platform's technical architecture, including compute and storage design, ingestion frameworks, access control, performance tuning and capacity planningDefine and maintain architectural standards and guardrails covering naming conventions, environment management, deployment pipelines, partitioning strategies and cost optimisationOwn platform cost modelling and FinOps governance, identifying optimisation opportunities and defining cost allocation patternsDesign data ingestion architecture across batch, micro-batch and streaming, with clear boundaries for system to system integrationDefine the architecture for the semantic layer and self-serve analytics infrastructureDefine non-functional standards covering resilience, backup and restore, disaster recovery, observability and operational readinessDefine platform security and privacy architecture in partnership with Cyber Security and Data Governance, including PII handling, access recertification and audit loggingOwn the data platform roadmap from an architectural perspective, including legacy system transition planning and platform maturationRepresent data platform considerations in enterprise architecture governance forumsMaintain comprehensive documentation of design decisions, patterns, standards and trade offsRequirements7 to 10+ years' experience in data platform architecture, data engineering or cloud data infrastructureDeep expertise in Databricks (Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Spark, Databricks SQL) or an equivalent Lakehouse platform, including administration, cost management and performance optimisationStrong understanding of cloud native architecture principles, cost models and CI/CD pipelinesProven experience implementing data security including encryption, RBAC, column and row level security and data maskingExperience with SAP data landscapes is highly desirableExperience defining architectural standards that engineering teams implement, comfortable setting direction without hands on deliveryExperience working within a centralised architecture function that engages flexibly with delivery squadsStrong communication skills, able to translate architectural decisions for both technical and non-technical stakeholdersBenefitsHybrid working (4 days/week) from a London officeCompetitive pension and bonus schemeGenuine influence over a major enterprise data transformationWhy Apply This is a rare opportunity to take architectural ownership of a large scale enterprise data platform at a well established consumer brand, with real budget and senior backing behind the transformation. You'll have the autonomy to set technical direction, work across a mature but evolving data estate, and shape how the platform supports the next generation of AI and analytics use cases.**We anticipate a high volume of applications for this role. If you have not received a response within 14 days, please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.**