Data Architect

About Us At Oakland, we help businesses unlock the power of their data. Whetherit'sdata strategy, governance, engineering, analytics, or AI, we work with our clients to turn data into real, impactful results. Our team is made up of friendly, hands-on experts who love solving problems and making a difference. Wedon’tjust advise - we roll up our sleeves and get stuck in, working alongside our clients every step of the way. Founded in 1986 out of our Leeds HQ, we work with a diverse range of clients across all sorts of industries including Utilities, Telecommunications, Media, Financial Services, Public Sector, and many more! Our projects range from multi-year data transformations to specific, shorter-term assignments, soyou’llhave plenty of opportunities to diversify your skillset. We meethigh standardsfor social and environmental impact, transparency, and accountability. We believe businesses should be a force for good, so we make sure our decisionsdon’tjustbenefitthe bottom line but also our people, communities, and the planet. Andit’snot just us sayingwe’rea great placeto work... we were recently nameda Top 5Best Consultancy to work for in the UK through Best Companies!We’reall about creating an environment where people can grow, do meaningful work, and enjoythejourney. The role As a Data Architect at Oakland, you will work closely with our clients to design innovative data solutions that address complex operational challenges and deliver meaningful business value. You will often act as the technical lead in the early stagesof engagements, using yourexpertiseto shape solution direction, define architectures, and guide the delivery of robust, working data platforms aligned to client needs. Your work will span a diverse range of clients and problem spaces. At Oakland, weoperateacross Data Platforms, Data Management, Data Strategy, AI, and Analytics and Insight, so a strong understanding of these areas and how they come together in a cohesive architecture is important. You will design end-to-end data solutions across a variety of technologies, working in both public cloud environments such as Azure and AWS, and hybrid cloud landscapes. You will apply strong data architecture principles to create solutions that are scalable, maintainable, and readily adoptable by client teams. While the primary focus of the role is the design and delivery of client solutions, you will alsohave the opportunity tocontribute to technical pre-sales, shape our internal offerings, and influence the evolution of Oakland’s data capabilities. The person We are looking for a Data Architectwith experience designing modern, scalable data solutions to helporganisationsunlock the full value of their data. You will be a technologist at heart, with a genuine interest in unpicking complex business challenges and translating them into effective, pragmatic data solutions. You will bring structure to ambiguity, whether that is shaping enterprise-wide data models or diving into source systems tovalidateassumptions. This is a hands-on, client-facing role. Some days you will work top-down, engaging stakeholders to understand business processes and data flows.Otherdays you will work bottom-up,analysingdata with SQL to assess quality, conformance, and fitness for purpose. You will be comfortable designing end-to-end data architectures spanning ingestion, storage, transformation, and consumption, and will have experience delivering these solutions in public or private cloud environments. You will also be a strong communicator, able to bring technical concepts to life for non-technical audiences through clear storytelling andvisualisation. We value principled thinking, so you will always act in the client’s best interests, balancing ideal architecture with real-world constraints. What you will be doing Designing scalable, secure, and cost-effective data architectures across cloud and hybrid environments Translating business requirements into conceptual, logical, and physical data models Defining data platform strategies, patterns, and standards Working closely with engineers, analysts, and stakeholders to ensure solutions are practical and deliver value Assessing data quality, lineage, and governance considerations across systems Supporting delivery teams with architectural guidance and oversight Communicating complex ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences Skills and Experience As our projects vary, we are looking for a T-shaped individual, someone with depth in architecture and breadth across the wider data ecosystem. You do not need everything below, but experience in several areas is expected. Core skills Ability to autonomously design andoptimiseconceptual, logical, and physical data models Experience designing complex cloud and hybrid-cloud data platforms, balancing performance, scalability, resilience, and cost Strong understanding of data governance, data management frameworks, and best practices such as data quality, lineage, and metadata Advanced SQL skills and experience working directly with source data Broad knowledge of data engineering principles and modern data architectures such aslakehouse, and medallion architecture Experience producing high-level architectures and translating them into implementable designs Strong understanding of cloud-native architecture including security boundaries, networking, identity, and access control Awareness of infrastructure and deployment practices such as CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and DevOps principles Commercial awareness and the ability to make informed trade-offs between cost, performance, and maintainability Nice to have: Experience with real-time or streaming architectures Exposure to data privacy and regulatory considerations such as GDPR Familiarity with BI and analytics consumption patterns Technology Experience (Desirable): Azure-based data platforms such as Fabric, Synapse, or Data Factory Databricks Snowflake Dell Private Cloud or similaron-premiseor hybrid platforms Certifications (Desirable): Azure certifications such as AZ-305, DP-700, or AI-focused exams SnowflakeSnowProCore What we are looking for: Someone who enjoys solving problems, not just designing systems A pragmatic architect who can balance idealism with delivery reality Strong stakeholder skills and the ability to influence decision-making A collaborative mindset, working effectively across multidisciplinary teams Blended Working: We operate a blended working model, with colleagues spending at least two days per week in the office, aligned to project team requirements. Occasional travel to client sites may also be required. This balance helps us stay connected, learn from each other, and build strong relationships - both within our team and with the businesses we support. Benefits That Put You First At Oakland, we believe in taking care of our people, both inside and outside of work.Here’swhat you can expect when you join us: Health