At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead data architecture projects and mentor teams to drive innovative solutions.
- Company: Join a £100M+ IT consultancy transforming the public sector in the UK.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, 25 days annual leave, wellness support, and professional development.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with strong leadership and exciting project opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on society through data-driven decision-making and innovative projects.
- Qualifications: Deep knowledge of Fabric architecture and Azure data stack required.
The predicted salary is between 61650 - 75350 £ per year.
About Methods: Methods is a £100M+ IT Services Consultancy who has partnered with a range of central government departments and agencies to transform the way the public sector operates in the UK. Established over 30 years ago and UK-based, we apply our skills in transformation, delivery, and collaboration from across the Methods Group, to create end-to-end business and technical solutions that are people-centred, safe, and designed for the future. Our human touch sets us apart from other consultancies, system integrators and software houses - with people, technology, and data at the heart of who we are, we believe in creating value and sustainability through everything we do for our clients, staff, communities, and the planet.
Methods is recruiting for a Data Architect with deep knowledge of Fabric architecture to join our team on a permanent basis. This role will be mainly remote but require flexibility to travel to client sites, and our offices based in London, Sheffield.
What You'll Be Doing as a Data Architect:
- Be the senior technical authority for the programme, responsible for defining technical direction, priorities, standards and decision-making.
- Be accountable for creating and maintaining the Data Transformation Programme roadmap and ensuring all workstreams align to the target architecture and business objectives.
- Setting priorities
- Guiding technical workstreams
- Identifying incorrect or low-value activities
- Redirecting effort towards programme outcomes
- Uplift the capability of the existing team
- Mentor architects and engineers
- Establish good engineering practices
- Develop Fabric knowledge within both Methods and the customer team
- Chair or lead Architecture reviews, Design authorities, Technical governance forums and Data platform standards reviews
- Advocate the business benefit of data standards, championing and governing those standards across projects and the organisation
- Demonstrate an overall perspective on business issues and activities, determining patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements
- Make and guide effective decisions, explaining clearly how decisions have been reached and resolving technical disputes across varying levels of complexity and risk
- Communicate effectively across organisational, technical and political boundaries, making complex technical information accessible for non-technical audiences
- Design how to expose data from systems (APIs, real-time streams), link data from multiple systems, and deliver modern data services
- Ensure that risks associated with deployment are adequately understood and documented
- Design end-to-end data solutions from requirements through implementation, including technical documentation and architecture blueprints
- Lead complex data migration projects from legacy systems to modern cloud-native platforms
- Evaluate and recommend appropriate technologies across the modern data stack to meet specific client needs
Your Impact:
- Enable transformative business decisions through robust, scalable data architectures
- Drive adoption of modern data platforms and AI-enabled analytics solutions
- Establish technical standards and architectural patterns that ensure quality, security, and maintainability
- Help cultivate a data-driven culture within client organisations and internally
- Deliver architectures that seamlessly integrate traditional and modern data systems
Requirements You Will Demonstrate:
- Deep knowledge of Fabric architecture, governance, OneLake, Real-Time Intelligence, Data Engineering, Warehousing and Power BI integration
- Capability to influence senior stakeholders, programme sponsors and project boards.
- Ability to communicate technical decisions to non-technical executives and secure agreement on technical direction.
- Deep knowledge of the Azure data stack (Azure SQL Server, CosmosDB, Azure Data Factory, Purview, Synapse, Event Hub, Azure Databricks/Fabric)
- Extensive data modelling experience: both normalised relational models and de-normalised Star Schema/dimensional models
- Excellent relational database design skills with expertise in diagnosing and optimising performance across SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and cloud databases
- Proven track record with complex data migration projects (terabyte+ datasets, multiple legacy source systems, structures and unstructured data)
- Proficiency with Parquet/Delta Lake or other modern data storage formats
- Experience with streaming architectures using Kafka, Event Hubs, or Kinesis for real-time data processing
- Knowledge of data architectures supporting AI/ML workloads, including vector databases, feature stores and MLOps pipelines
- Experience processing and managing unstructured data types (text, images, logs, sensor data)
- Understanding of Lambda and Kappa architectural patterns and when to apply each
You May Also Have:
- Exposure to high-performing, low latency or large volume data systems
- Knowledge of and/or experience with Government Digital Service practices across Discovery/Alpha/Beta/Live phases
- Understanding of vector databases and similarity search for AI applications
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code and modern DevOps practices
- Knowledge of how to design and analyse operational logs for data processing, and triage incidents
- Awareness of advances in AI technologies, data services, and architectural practices
- Industry specialisation in specific sectors (Engineering, Manufacturing, Healthcare etc.)
- Public sector or defence experience
- Understanding of data mesh or data fabric architectural approaches
- Relevant industry certifications such as TOGAF 9, CDMP (Certified Data Management Professional), or Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
Security Clearance: UKSV (United Kingdom Security Vetting) clearance is required for this role, with Security Check (SC) as the minimum standard, either already held or with a willingness to undergo the process.
Benefits Working at Methods:
- Development access to LinkedIn Learning, a management development programme and training
- Wellness 24/7 Confidential employee assistance programme
- Social - office parties, pizza Friday and commitment to charitable causes
- Time off - 25 days of annual leave a year, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy 10 extra days each year
- Volunteering - 2 paid days per year to volunteer in our local communities or within a charity organisation
- Pension Salary Exchange Scheme with 4% employer contribution and 5% employee contribution
- Life Assurance of 4 times base salary
- Private Medical Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependents included)
- Worldwide Travel Insurance which is non-contributory (spouse and dependents included)
Data Architect (Fabric) in London employer: Methods Business and Digital Technology
Methods Business and Digital Technology Limited is an exceptional employer that prioritises the growth and well-being of its employees. With a strong focus on collaboration, autonomy, and professional development, team members are encouraged to enhance their skills while contributing to meaningful projects that positively impact public services. The supportive work culture, combined with flexible working arrangements and a commitment to employee wellness, makes Methods a standout choice for those seeking a rewarding career in IT consultancy.
Contact Details:
Methods Business and Digital Technology Recruitment Team
