Data Architect - Pathogena

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford tackles humanity’s greatest challenges by turning science and technology into impactful global solutions. Focused on areas like health, food security, sustainable agriculture, climate change, clean energy, and AI-driven government innovation, EIT Oxford blends groundbreaking research with practical applications to deliver lasting results. A cornerstone of EIT Oxford’s mission is its upcoming 300,000-square-foot research facility at the Oxford Science Park, set to open in 2027. This cutting-edge campus will feature advanced labs, an oncology and preventative care clinic, and collaborative spaces to strengthen its partnership with the University of Oxford.

The Pathogen Mission highlights EIT’s transformative approach, using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and Oracle’s cloud technology to create a global pathogen metagenomics system. This initiative aims to improve diagnostics, provide early epidemic warnings, and guide treatments by profiling antimicrobial resistance. The goal is to deliver certified diagnostic tools for widespread use in labs, hospitals, and public health.

EIT Oxford fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and resilience, valuing diverse expertise to drive sustainable solutions to humanity’s enduring challenges. We are currently recruiting for a Data Architect to support the EIT Pathogen Programme. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in designing and implementing cutting-edge data architectures to support the pathogen mission. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and translate them into robust data models and architectures.

As a Data Architect, you will have the opportunity to shape the future of our data platform and collaborate with platform and product teams to deliver analytical and AI products to transform pathogen monitoring and diagnostics. You will be responsible for defining data standards, data models and best practices to ensure the integrity, security, and accessibility of our data assets. Additionally, you will play a key role in optimising data processes and workflows, driving efficiencies, and fostering a data-driven culture within the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Understand and manage the data requirements by working with stakeholders to analyse requirements and identifying those of architectural significance.
• Formulating the data model and standards to be used by the data platform to support interoperability and federation to support pathogen monitoring and research.
• Communicating the data architecture to various stakeholder groups within EIT.
• Developing data architectures including different data flows, data lifecycle, data security, durability, as well as applying consistent documentation standards and architecture methods.
• Supporting developers and making sure they can realise the data architecture by a combination of mentoring and direct involvement.
• Responsible for producing architecture artifacts and presenting the work through architecture governance.
• Verifying implementations and ensuring the delivered systems are consistent with the agreed architecture and meet requirements.
• Defining architecture data standards to ensure compliance, which may include Medical Device Accreditation (where relevant).
• Ensuring that squads have available a set of standard patterns, guidance, and technical standards to help them deliver.
• Ensuring solutions are documented and assured through defined architecture governance processes.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge and experience of architecting and delivering modern data platform standards, tools and patterns including data lakes, lake houses, iceberg, data mesh.
• Experience of architecting, building, and delivering modern data platforms at scale.
• Familiar with TOGAF and other enterprise architecture frameworks.
• Experience and knowledge of data governance, data quality, and data cataloguing.
• Knowledge of master, metadata and reference data management.
• An understanding of Agile working practices and sprint-based methodology.
• Capable of actively contributing to knowledge sharing.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge of genomics.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms preferably Oracle OCI or equivalent AWS and Azure services.
• Understanding of federation standards for genomics (ga4gh).
• Understanding of data standards for pathogen data interoperability PHA4GE.
• Experience of architecting data standards for research environments.
• Experience with healthcare clinical data and associated standards OMOP, snowmed.

Key Attributes:

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to learn and cross train/upskill in new technology.
• Willingness to be hands-on to explore new technology or develop POCs.

We offer the following salary and benefits: Competitive Salary on offer, Enhanced holiday pay, Pension, Life Assurance, Income Protection, Private Medical Insurance, Hospital Cash Plan, Therapy Services, Electrical Car Scheme.

Why work for EIT: At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!

Terms of Appointment: You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford. During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.