Senior Data Architect - Databricks

Job Title: Data Architect – Databricks Specialist
Location : Remote (UK-based candidates preferred)
Engagement : Contract – Status determination TBC
Start Date : ASAP
Sector : Financial Services / Consultancy

About the Role We’re looking for an experienced Data Architect with deep expertise in Databricks to join a high-profile data transformation programme within a leading financial consultancy. You will be instrumental in the design and delivery of a scalable, secure, and high-performing data platform leveraging the Databricks Lakehouse architecture.
This is a critical project where you’ll step into a mature environment, helping to define architectural direction and ensure best practices in data engineering, governance, and performance optimisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of a next-gen data platform using Databricks and Delta Lake
• Collaborate with stakeholders including data engineers, analysts, and business leads to define data requirements and architecture patterns
• Ensure the platform is scalable, secure, and aligned to financial regulatory standards
• Develop architectural artefacts (diagrams, documentation, guidelines)
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to engineering teams
• Champion best practices in data quality, lineage, governance , and performance tuning
• Integrate with a wider Azure ecosystem (e.g. Azure Data Lake, Synapse, Power BI)

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Data Architect in enterprise environments
• Extensive hands-on experience with Databricks (including SQL, PySpark, Delta Lake)
• Solid background in data warehousing , data lakes , and big data frameworks
• Strong knowledge of Azure cloud services , especially in data integration
• Experience working in regulated environments (e.g. financial services, insurance, banking)
• Excellent communication skills, capable of engaging with technical and non-technical stakeholders alike
• Comfortable working in agile, fast-paced delivery environments

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines , Infrastructure as Code (e.g. Terraform, ARM)
• Exposure to data governance tools like Unity Catalog, Purview, Collibra
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations (GDPR, financial compliance)

Why Join?

• Join a respected financial consultancy at the forefront of data innovation
• Work on a greenfield Databricks implementation with high visibility
• Collaborate with top-tier engineering and architecture professionals
• Long-term potential with future project opportunities