Data Architect

**** ACTIVE SC REQUIRED - Contract ends 31 March (extension optional) ***

Permanent role available.

Company Description

Goaco is a global digital consultancy delivering secure, scalable solutions for government, enterprise and fast-growing tech companies. We specialise in software engineering, cyber security, digital identity, and cloud transformation. Our projects span across the UK, UAE and KSA with a proven record of delivery in complex regulated environments. We invest in our people and support flexible, high-performance work.

Role Purpose

The Data Architect provides senior technical leadership for the commission, operating within a security-cleared environment. The role is responsible for designing and assuring data architecture approaches that enable decision-ready outcomes while complying fully with security, classification and handling requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead data architecture and design activities within an SC-cleared environment.
• Assess data readiness, quality, ownership and interoperability for priority datasets in line with security and classification constraints.
• Define secure architectural patterns for analytics, federation and controlled data access.
• Ensure all proof-of-concept outputs comply with security, governance and assurance requirements.
• Provide architectural assurance and guardrails to support transition from discovery to MVP delivery.
• Document architecture decisions, risks and dependencies in a form suitable for secure handover.

Skills and Experience

• Extensive experience designing data architectures in secure government or defence environments.
• Proven understanding of working with sensitive and classified data under strict handling controls.
• Experience aligning data architecture with security, governance and assurance frameworks.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, including supporting senior decision-makers in secure forums.
• Ability to balance delivery pragmatism with security and compliance obligations.

Clearance Requirement

• Security Clearance (SC) required
• Role will operate in accordance with all applicable security, classification and information handling policies.