Data Architect

Originally named, Great British Nuclear, Great British Energy – Nuclear is an arm’s length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, dedicated to supporting the development and deployment of new nuclear technologies in Great Britain. We play a crucial role in advancing nuclear new build, ensuring the UK’s energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Great British Energy – Nuclear focuses on fostering innovation, facilitating investment, and coordinating efforts across the nuclear industry to build a resilient and sustainable energy future.

Great British Energy – Nuclear’s first step was to start the technology selection process for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in 2023. SMRs can potentially be quicker to deploy and less expensive to build than traditional nuclear power plants because they are smaller, have factory-based modular manufacturing and more flexible deployment options. In June 2025, Great British Energy – Nuclear announced that Rolls-Royce SMR had been selected as the preferred bidder to build the UK’s first SMRs, following a technology selection process that began in 2023.

Great British Energy – Nuclear is aiming to deliver fast, based on a supportive and collaborative culture which values equality and diversity and creates an inclusive workplace. We draw on deep nuclear expertise – our Executive Committee has over 100 years of nuclear experience at home and abroad. GBE-N will unlock billions of pounds of private and public investment from design to operation, helping to get sites ready for development, and working to grow manufacturing capacity and skills capability.

Our activities will be driven by our values, which are:

Trust – We prioritise safety, we act responsibly and with integrity.

Collaboration – We work as a team; we value diversity and expertise.

Challenge – We are curious and courageous in the way we think and act.

Care – We are thoughtful, inclusive and respectful of others.

Drive – We get things done and we make a difference.

If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format or would like us to make reasonable adjustments to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at recruitment@greatbritishnuclear.uk and we will talk to you about how we can assist.

Job Profile:

The Data Architect supports the Lead Data Architect in designing, developing and maintaining the organisation’s enterprise data architecture, data models, metadata structures, and ontologies. This role contributes directly to ensuring high‐quality, secure and structured data flows across engineering, regulatory, operational and business systems within the GBE‐N SMR programme.

The Data Architect operates with growing autonomy, handling defined architectural tasks and work‐packages while escalating complex or strategic matters to the Lead Data Architect. The role will steadily increase in scope as capability deepens, providing a clear development pathway toward more senior architectural responsibilities over time.

You will work closely with engineering, systems, digital delivery and information management teams to support lifecycle‐wide data needs—from concept design through to commissioning and operations of a first‐of‐a‐kind UK SMR. The role requires strong analytical ability, evolving architectural judgement, and comfort working within a fast‐paced and technically complex environment.

Responsibilities

Working under the direction and mentorship of the Lead Data Architect:

Enterprise & Domain Architecture

• Contribute to the design and documentation of enterprise data architectures, domain models, taxonomies and metadata standards that support the SMR Project’s operational, regulatory and safety requirements.
• Support the identification and prioritisation of information needs across engineering, regulatory, operational and business domains.
• Develop and maintain domain data models—structured and unstructured—ensuring consistency, integration readiness, and alignment with enterprise requirements.

Ontology & Semantic Modelling

• Assist in designing ontology structures and contribute to semantic modelling activities that promote data reuse, interoperability and traceability across systems.
• Support iterative refinement of ontologies and domain models based on stakeholder feedback, engineering constraints and evolving system architecture decisions.

Common Data Environment (CDE) & Metadata Framework

• Support the development and governance of the Common Data Environment, ensuring consistent metadata, classification structures and relationships between engineering content and enterprise data.
• Catalogue and classify data assets, ensuring alignment to business, regulatory and lifecycle needs.

Systems Engineering & Digital Delivery Integration

• Collaborate with enterprise architecture and systems engineering teams to align data models with system integration, digital twin, PLM and digital engineering requirements.
• Support the definition and documentation of data lineage, traceability, provenance and integration logic across digital systems.

Data Quality, Security & Compliance

• Apply data quality, information security and digital engineering standards—including ISO 8000, ISO 27001 and ISO 19650—under guidance from the Lead Architect.
• Contribute to ensuring data architecture meets cybersecurity, data protection and configuration management requirements.

Stakeholder Engagement & Continuous Improvement

• Gather business requirements and support working groups, design sessions, and model validation workshops.
• Participate in data governance and best‐practice initiatives aligned to DAMA‐DMBOK.
• Support capability building by contributing to guidance, training materials or process documentation.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience required:

• Experience in data modelling, information management, data engineering or early‐level data architecture roles in engineering, infrastructure or digital organisations.
• Competence in SQL and at least one scripting or data query language (e.g., Python).
• Understanding of domain modelling, metadata design, ontologies and data integration principles.
• Familiarity with standards such as ISO 8000, ISO 27001 and/or ISO 19650.
• Ability to collect and translate business requirements into data structures and model components.
• Strong analytical reasoning, structured problem‐solving and attention to detail.
• Effective communication with both technical and non‐technical audiences.

Desirable skills and experience:

• Experience with engineering data environments (e.g., Bentley ProjectWise) or other CDE platforms.
• Exposure to systems engineering approaches such as Arcadia/Capella or SysML.
• Experience in regulated or safety‐critical industries (energy, aerospace, nuclear, defence).
• Understanding of DAMA‐DMBOK or data governance frameworks.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, Engineering or related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).
• Relevant professional development or training in data modelling, cloud technologies, metadata/ontology design or systems engineering is beneficial.
• Commitment to progressing toward architectural certifications (e.g., TOGAF, cloud architecture) as part of career development.