Data & BI Architect

We have an exciting opportunity for a Data & BI Architect to join our award-winning Business Change and Technology team on an 18 month FTC. Reporting into the Solution Architect Team Manager, you will lead the design and implementation of data solutions that support our reporting and business intelligence. You will produce roadmaps that align to the assigned business domains in line with Enterprise Architecture plans and Technology Strategy. You’ll participate in a cross-department centre of excellence for BI and reporting across all business functions. This role will involve a mixture of office and home working, with our Head Office based in Birmingham City Centre.

Working 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with flexibility with working hours to fit around your personal commitments. Benefits include:

• 33% off at all our brands, including our hotels.
• A pension that pays, where we’ll more than match your contributions (x1.5 of your contributions, up to a maximum of 5% of your salary).
• Private healthcare, dental plan, cycle to work, and keep fit schemes.
• 26 days annual leave plus bank holidays, plus option to buy up to 2 weeks extra holiday.
• Opportunity to opt in to Sharesave Plan, enabling you to save to buy shares or have money returned.

What you’ll be doing as our Solution Architect:

• Use MAB architecture method to lead the identification of potential solutions able to fulfil business requirements and make recommendations to the business based on architecture principles & guidelines.
• Present findings & recommendations to IT Architectural Forum, identifying where the proposed solution does not adhere to architecture principles and why.
• Ensure that all licensing implications are understood and documented in support of the detailed solution design.
• Identify opportunities for decommissioning legacy systems and document licensing implications.
• Maintain documentation on the current architecture (Application, Data, Infrastructure and Licensing) ensuring changes are reflected in a timely manner.
• Align with Enterprise architecture plans to support strategy execution.
• Member of the Architecture Forum responsible for supporting design and approvals.
• Design and build solutions in an iterative style, delivering business value in incremental phases.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to prioritize features and enhancements based on business needs.
• Continuously improve and refine the solution through feedback and iterative development cycles.

Team Leadership and Collaboration:

• Lead and mentor a team of data engineers, BI developers, and analysts.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within the team.

Cross-Department Centre of Excellence:

• Participate in a cross-department center of excellence for BI and reporting.
• Promote best practices and standards for BI and reporting across all business functions.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among different departments to ensure consistent and effective use of BI tools and data.

Security and Governance:

• Implement robust data security measures, including encryption, access controls, and sensitivity labels.
• Ensure compliance with data governance policies and regulatory requirements.
• Manage role-based access control (RBAC) and row-level security (RLS) for data access.

Capacity Planning and Performance Testing:

• Conduct capacity planning for Azure Cloud resources, including Power BI, data processing, and analytical services.
• Perform performance testing to ensure dashboards and reports can handle production-scale data loads.
• Monitor and optimize resource usage to prevent system overloads and ensure cost efficiency.

DevOps and CI/CD Implementation:

• Integrate DevOps practices into Power BI development, including automated build, test, and deployment processes.
• Use Git for version control and Azure DevOps for CI/CD pipelines.
• Ensure seamless collaboration and transparency across development, testing, and production environments.

What you’ll need to bring to this Solution Architect role:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate and influence at all levels.
• Proficiency in data modelling, SQL, and DAX.
• Strong understanding of data security, governance, and compliance.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to promote best practices and facilitate knowledge sharing across departments.
• Ability to think laterally and constructively question established processes.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Five years of experience in a data architecture role.
• Extensive experience with data integration, ETL processes, and data warehousing.
• Strong expertise in Azure Cloud services, including Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Synapse Analytics, and Power BI.
• Experience with SAP Business Objects and other BI tools.
• Demonstrable understanding of architecture methodologies.
• ITIL foundation – Appreciation of ITIL and Service Design techniques.
• Experience in participating in or leading a centre of excellence for BI and reporting.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and building solutions in an iterative style, delivering business value in incremental phases.

Could you be a great addition to our team? Apply for this Data and BI Architect role today and we’ll be in touch to explore how you could be part of our exciting future.