Data Architect

Arriva is a leading European passenger transport partner, operating in 11 countries across the UK and Europe. The company employs around 35,000 people, delivering more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys connecting people and communities safely, reliably and sustainably. We have strong roots dating back to 1938, an ambitious growth and sustainability agenda, and a continuously developing relationship with I Squared Capital – a global infrastructure investment fund manager - who acquired Arriva in 2024.

We are looking for a Data Architect to join our BI Product Team on a full-time, permanent basis. We offer hybrid working. This role can be based in either our London or Sunderland office, with a minimum of three days per week on-site. The remaining time can be spent working wherever you can best deliver for your customers, while still maintaining a healthy work–life balance.

The Data Architect is responsible for defining and maintaining the overall data architecture strategy that enables Arriva’s BI and self-serve analytics capabilities. This role establishes the technical vision, standards and frameworks that enable scalable, efficient, and secure data solutions across the organisation. Working closely with the Lead BI Engineers, BI engineers, Lead BI Developer, and BI Developers, the Data Architect ensures that data models, pipelines, and storage solutions are designed to support current and future business needs and growth. They will act as a technical authority and strategic advisor, balancing architectural excellence alongside timely delivery, and play a critical role in evaluating new technologies. Ensuring that Arriva’s data infrastructure remains modern, performant and competitive with industry best practice.

Direct Responsibilities

• Architecture Design & Strategy

• Assess existing data architectures, documenting current-state models, pipelines, technologies, standards, and approaches.
• Define and maintain the enterprise data architecture vision and roadmap, ensuring alignment with business objectives and BI product strategy.
• Design logical and physical data models that support efficient reporting, analytics, and self-service BI capabilities.
• Establish architectural patterns and frameworks (e.g. medallion architecture, data vault, dimensional modelling) for consistent implementation across data solutions.
• Evaluate and recommend architectural approaches for data storage, processing, and consumption, including lakehouse, data warehousing, and data lake patterns.
• Design technical architecture for cloud-based data platforms (AWS preferred: Redshift, Athena, S3, Glue).
• Create and maintain architecture documentation, including data flow diagrams, architecture decision records, and design patterns.

• Research, evaluate, and recommend new technologies and tools that enhance Arriva's data and BI capabilities.
• Stay current with emerging trends including open table formats (Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake), data observability, real-time/streaming architectures, and cloud-native solutions.
• Conduct proofs-of-concept and technical assessments to validate new technologies before adoption.
• Monitor industry best practices and ensure Arriva's architecture remains competitive and future-proof.

• Define and document standard business entities, metrics, and KPIs to ensure consistency across reporting.
• Review and approve complex data models designed by BI Engineers, ensuring alignment with architectural standards.
• Design and implement data governance framework, ensuring clear accountability of data products within the platform.

• Work with Group BI & Data Director to define strategy and frameworks.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to BI Engineers and Lead BI Engineer on architectural decisions and complex data challenges.
• Collaborate with BI Developers to understand frontend requirements and ensure data architecture supports optimal dashboard performance.
• Partner with BI Product Manager to translate business strategy into technical architecture requirements.
• Facilitate architecture discussions and workshops with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Establish documentation standards and frameworks in collaboration with Lead BI Engineer and Lead BI Developer, ensuring practical adoption and accessibility for both technical teams and business stakeholders.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

Essential Experience

• Extensive experience in data architecture with proven track record of designing and implementing enterprise-scale data solutions.
• Deep expertise in data modelling techniques with strong SQL proficiency.
• Comprehensive knowledge of cloud data platforms (AWS preferred: Redshift, Athena, S3, Glue; Azure or GCP beneficial).
• Strong understanding of modern data engineering patterns including ETL/ELT, data lake architectures, and lakehouse approaches.
• Understanding of emerging technologies such as open table formats (Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake), data observability tools, and real-time/streaming architectures.
• Experience with data governance frameworks, data quality tools, metadata management, and ensuring compliance with security and regulatory requirements.

Personal Attributes

• Strong business acumen with ability to translate business requirements into technical architecture and understand how data enables business outcomes.
• Continuous learning mindset with curiosity about new technologies.
• Pragmatic approach that balances architectural excellence with practical delivery constraints and timely delivery.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 24th May 2026. Arriva Group reserves the right to close this vacancy early.