Data Architect Jobs

Design and oversee the creation of complex data systems. A critical role in shaping how organisations store, process, and utilise data.

Open roles
45
Salary range
£60k – £125k
Hiring companies
36

Data Architects are the visionaries behind an organisation's data infrastructure. They design, model, and implement the data architecture that underpins data pipelines, warehouses, and lakes. This role is crucial for ensuring that data is accessible, secure, and scalable, enabling businesses to make informed decisions. Data Architects work closely with data engineers, data scientists, and business stakeholders to align technical solutions with strategic goals.

What the role does

Inside the role of a Data Architect

A typical week for a Data Architect is a mix of strategic planning, technical design, and collaboration with cross-functional teams.

  1. 01
    Design and optimise data models and schemas.
  2. 02
    Collaborate with data engineers to implement data pipelines.
  3. 03
    Review and approve data architecture designs.
  4. 04
    Conduct data governance and compliance checks.
  5. 05
    Engage with business stakeholders to understand data needs.
  6. 06
    Document and communicate data architecture decisions.
Salary on the board

£60k – £125k

Based on advertised midpoints across the 159 UK listings priced in pounds in the last 12 months. Base salary only.

Salary visibility
57% of listings advertise a salary — up from 0% the year before.
By seniority
£k base
Senior
58
125
95 jobs
Lead
80
122
8 jobs
Director
82
140
7 jobs
Skills & tools

What hiring managers ask for

% of 173 listings posted in the last 12 months that mention each skill, extracted from job descriptions.

Data Architecture
73%
Data Governance
65%
Data Modelling
53%
Azure
26%
SQL
20%
Metadata Management
19%
Data Quality
19%
Databricks
18%
AWS
18%
Data Integration
15%
Python
14%
Enterprise Architecture
12%
Career ladder

From Junior to Principal

A typical UK progression for data architects. Years are guidance — strong people move faster, and many senior folks sidestep into research, product or management.

  1. Level 1

    Junior Data Architect

    0–2 yrs

    Assists in designing and documenting data architecture components under supervision.

  2. Level 2

    Data Architect

    3–5 yrs

    Leads the design and implementation of data architecture for specific projects or domains.

  3. Level 3

    Senior Data Architect

    6–8 yrs

    Oversees the entire data architecture strategy and ensures alignment with business objectives.

  4. Level 4

    Principal Data Architect

    9+ yrs

    Provides strategic direction for the organisation's data architecture and mentors junior architects.

Pathway

How to become a Data Architect

There's no single route, but most people follow some version of these steps.

  1. 1

    Learn Data Fundamentals

    Gain a solid understanding of data structures, databases, and data management principles.

  2. 2

    Specialise in Data Architecture

    Focus on data architecture concepts, tools, and best practices. Consider certifications like Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP).

  3. 3

    Gain Practical Experience

    Work on real-world projects to design and implement data solutions. Collaborate with data engineers and scientists.

  4. 4

    Lead Data Projects

    Take ownership of data architecture projects, ensuring they meet business requirements and technical standards.

  5. 5

    Strategic Role

    Move into a strategic role, shaping the organisation's data architecture strategy and leading a team of data professionals.

  6. 6

    Mentor and Innovate

    Mentor junior architects and drive innovation in data architecture practices and technologies.

Live jobs

45 live roles

See all 45 roles →

Data Architect

Today

Experis Baltimore, United States £700 pw

Six-month contract guiding technical design for a data migration discovery within a Legacy Tech Debt programme. Involves assessing data extraction feasibility, analysing 54 Oracle database instances, overseeing reverse engineering and assuring technical artefacts, while aligning design decisions with wider architecture standards.

Remote Contract Clearance Required

Data Architect

Last month

Innova Solutions London £50 pa

Documents and designs enterprise data architectures for large financial systems, spanning Oracle/PostgreSQL relational platforms and distributed NoSQL stores like Cassandra and YugabyteDB. Produces domain, conceptual, logical and physical models, defines integration patterns, and supports governance, migration and modernisation planning in a hybrid team.

Hybrid Contract

Data Architect

3 days ago

Lynx Recruitment London £70,000 – £90,000 pa

Designs scalable, secure data architectures and builds data platforms, lakes and ETL/ELT pipelines, translating business needs into technical roadmaps. Works with cloud stacks such as AWS, Azure, GCP or Snowflake and applies data governance, quality and security principles, typically within regulated financial services settings.

Data Architect

5 days ago

ARM Glasgow £600 pd

Defines the target-state data architecture, integration patterns, and governance framework for a solution supporting operational reporting, analytics, and future AI initiatives. Sets data models, security, quality, and retention standards while providing architectural oversight across data engineering and analytics delivery teams. Cloud-based work with a strong Azure and Databricks focus.

Hybrid Contract

Data Architect

5 days ago

TRIA Milton Keynes £700 – £730 pd

Defining and evolving enterprise data architecture within a multi-year technology modernisation programme, assessing legacy platforms and designing scalable, secure, well-governed cloud-based data architectures. Works alongside enterprise and solution architects, delivery teams and systems integrators on data migration, integration and platform modernisation, setting architectural standards and advising senior stakeholders. Requires a commercially aware architect comfortable at both strategic and solution design levels.

Hybrid Contract

Data Architect

Last week

The Guinness Partnership London £86,897 pa

Lead and evolve the enterprise data architecture capability, defining enterprise data models, domain architectures and architectural standards across a complex organisation. Work hands-on with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Fabric and governance tooling such as Purview or OneTrust, covering integration architecture, master data management, metadata and data quality. Hybrid role split between London or Oldham offices, influencing stakeholders at all levels.

Hybrid Permanent

Data Architect

2 weeks ago

SoCode London £700 – £900 pd

Hands-on data engineering role focused on building and optimising pipelines that consolidate client and market data from multiple sources, with ownership of data logic, transformations and validation. Involves data modelling, reconciliation, quality monitoring and Snowflake performance tuning, applying Medallion Architecture to a growing wealth management platform.

Hybrid Permanent

Data Architect

3 weeks ago

NonStop Consulting Birmingham £750 – £800 pd

Long-term contract refreshing enterprise data warehouse models, redocumenting diagrams and building version-controlled how-to guides. Involves data cataloguing and lineage mapping across applications using tools like Sparx Enterprise Architect or Orbus iServer, plus conceptual and logical data modelling support for new initiatives. Focus is on architecture and modelling rather than hands-on engineering.

Hybrid Contract Flexible Clearance Required
FAQs

Common questions

  • Essential skills include a strong understanding of data models, database design, ETL processes, and data governance. Proficiency in SQL and data warehousing tools is also crucial.

  • Data Architects collaborate with data engineers to ensure that the designed data architecture is implemented correctly. They provide technical guidance and review the implementation to align with strategic goals.

  • A Data Architect focuses on designing the overall data infrastructure, while a Data Engineer builds and maintains the data pipelines and systems based on the architect's designs.

  • A Senior Data Architect oversees the entire data architecture strategy, ensures alignment with business objectives, and mentors junior architects. They also engage with business stakeholders to understand and meet data needs.

  • For specific salary information, please refer to the salary section on this page, which is updated with live job listings.

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