Senior Data Architect

Job summary

Are you passionate about shaping data architectures that drive better decisions and public services?

Can you turn complex business challenges into innovative, scalable data solutions?

Would you like to lead the future of data architecture and innovation across the Department for Transport (DfT)?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Design the foundations. Influence the future. Unlock the value of data.

Join us as a Senior Data Architect and shape the data architecture that supports innovation, insight and better outcomes across DfT.

This is an exciting time to join the Digital, Information and Security Directorate within the DfT as we restructure our directorate to ensure we are ready for future challenges, building a more sustainable, skilled and in-house capability.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday

• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Department for Transport Central - Department for Transport Careers and within the Government Digital and Data Profession.

Job description

As a Senior Data Architect, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the Department for Transport's data architecture, ensuring data is structured, governed and managed to support innovation, digital transformation and better decision-making across the organisation. You'll lead the design and development of enterprise-scale data models, standards and architectures that enable the effective use of data across a growing and diverse digital ecosystem.

Working within the Advance Service Line, you'll collaborate with architects, analysts, engineers and senior stakeholders to develop data solutions that support advanced tooling, digital services and emerging technologies. You'll provide expert advice and assurance, ensuring data architecture aligns with organisational priorities, industry best practice and wider government standards.

You'll influence strategic decisions, develop data architecture roadmaps, and establish governance frameworks that maximise the value, quality and accessibility of data. Leading teams and working with third-party partners, you'll drive the delivery of scalable, repeatable solutions that support business needs today and into the future.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence how data is used across DfT, shaping the foundations that enable insight, innovation and better public services.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Being responsible for all data architecture within DfT providing designs for data solutions and understanding the interdependencies between different data stacks.

• Developing DfT’s data architecture strategy, roadmap and plans, working closely with data engineering teams to ensure delivery plans are aligned and that the underlying data architecture supports the goals of the department and government overall.

• Leading and developing DfTc’s data architecture to support a growing data eco-system with multiple analyst users and third-party builders.

• Influencing data decisions throughout policy lifecycles through demonstrating technology value, risk and opportunity.

• Developing data solutions aligned to business need, business capability, and the DfTc digital and technology strategy.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Additional Information

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.

The base pay is £59,816. In addition to this the role includes a Digital and Data allowance of up to £19,700.

The value of allowance awarded will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated through the selection process. Here are more details on the pay framework.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Interpret an organisation’s needs, providing oversight and advice, designing data models and producing data artefacts

• Design and support the management of data assets

• Make sure that your teams are working to the standards set for the organisation

• Work with technical architects to make sure that the organisation’s systems are designed in accordance with the appropriate data architecture

• Develop data architecture strategies, policies, and designs, and support their implementation within complex organisations.

• Create and review conceptual and logical data models to ensure alignment with overall data strategy and accurate representation of data requirements.

• Data architecture governance principles and experience acting as a key stakeholder in review and sign-off processes (e.g., Data Architectural Reference Authority)

• Data modelling and governance, covering conceptual, logical, and physical architectures, metadata management

• Data architecture, data modelling, database design, or a related area such as application architecture is expected.

• Data modelling tools and methodologies.

• Lead data architecture projects and/or teams.

• Working with enterprise data platforms, including relational databases, cloud-native analytical platforms and modern data architectures such as data lakes, lakehouses and NoSQL solutions

• Using cloud services such as Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Yo