At a Glance
- Tasks: Stabilise and document critical data engineering pipelines for seamless operations.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking organisation focused on data architecture.
- Benefits: Competitive pay, flexible working, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Fast-paced role with excellent potential for career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by optimising data pipelines in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Data Architect with strong data engineering skills.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
This Data Architect role is focused on stabilizing, documenting, and enabling BAU operation of critical data engineering pipelines. The Architect will operate in a delivery-led, time-bound engagement, supporting Phase 1 and Phase 2 pipeline operations by producing clear architectural artefacts, data flow analysis, and operationally usable documentation that reduce risk, enable service continuity, and support handover into managed BAU support. The role is hands-on and outcomes-driven, requiring the contractor to be productive from day one, work with partially documented systems, and extract critical knowledge from data engineering SMEs.
Objectives for the Role
- The Data Architect will be accountable for:
- Rapidly understanding how critical data pipelines work today
- Making implicit and tribal knowledge explicit
- Producing architecture and data flow artefacts that are operable, supportable, and transferable into BAU
- Enabling service readiness rather than defining long-term future-state platforms
This role does not own platform modernization and must operate within clearly defined project boundaries.
Key Deliverables & Responsibilities
- Critical Pipeline Architecture Support
- Analyze and document existing critical data engineering pipelines.
- Contribute directly to:
- Critical Pipeline Inventory
- Service criticality and operational risk assessments
- Identify architectural dependencies, single points of failure, and knowledge concentration risks
- Ensure architectural documentation aligns with operational continuity needs, not just design intent.
- Data Flow & Source System Analysis
- Produce end-to-end data flow mappings for critical pipelines, covering:
- Source systems and data collection mechanisms
- Processing stages and centralized transformations
- Intermediate storage and handoffs
- Downstream consumers and dependencies
- Document submission triggers (scheduled, event-driven, manual), data volumes, cadence, and SLA sensitivities, and source system availability and dependency risks.
- Explain and contextualize the current heavy central processing model, identifying statutory or regulatory drivers and legacy or convenience-driven complexity.
- Business Logic & Architectural Knowledge Capture
- Capture and structure business rules, transformations, validations, and aggregations per critical pipeline.
- Clearly distinguish regulatory/statutory logic from operationally required logic and legacy technical debt.
- Populate and maintain a Business Logic Repository suitable for incident resolution, knowledge transfer, and ongoing BAU support.
- BAU Service Model Enablement
- Ensure architectural outputs support the defined BAU service model, including operational playbooks, incident response procedures, and escalation and dependency clarity.
- Provide architectural input into SLA/OLA alignment, change management and release controls, and disaster recovery (DR) robustness assessments.
- Validate architectural readiness for handover into managed operations.
- Knowledge Transfer & Handover Support
- Actively support knowledge transfer activities with data pipeline SMEs and operational and support teams.
- Ensure all architectural artefacts are clear, complete, and validated with SMEs.
- Support shadow and supervised operation periods as required.
- Enable formal handover and sign-off for BAU readiness.
- Pipeline Improvement Identification (Architectural Input)
- Identify pipeline-level improvement opportunities with an operations-first mindset.
- Assess recommendations against immediate operational benefit, risk reduction, and alignment with platform modernization boundaries.
- Support classification of improvements as tactical (Do Now) or strategic (Defer to Platform Modernization).
- Ensure no recommendations create rework or conflict with future platform changes.
Essential Experience
- Proven experience as a Data Architect on complex, legacy data estates.
- Strong background working with data engineering pipelines, batch/scheduled processing, and centralized data processing models.
- Demonstrated ability to rapidly understand undocumented or poorly documented systems and produce operationally usable architecture and data flow artefacts.
- Experience supporting BAU operations, service transition, or operational handover.
- Comfortable working under time-boxed delivery constraints with minimal onboarding.
Desirable Experience
- Experience within healthcare, public sector, or other highly regulated data environments.
- Familiarity with SLA/OLA-driven service models and incident, problem, and change management processes.
- Previous involvement in knowledge transfer or service transition engagements.
- Ability to work effectively alongside service management and operational teams.
Working Approach (Contractor Expectations)
- Delivery-focused and self-directed
- Low dependency on management direction
- Pragmatic rather than theoretical
- Comfortable engaging with technical SMEs and senior stakeholders
- Produces documentation that is usable in live operations, not just design reviews
Senior Data Architect in Leeds employer: Thrive IT Systems Ltd
As a Senior Data Architect with us, you'll thrive in a dynamic and collaborative environment that prioritises innovation and operational excellence. We offer competitive benefits, a strong focus on employee development, and opportunities for meaningful contributions to critical data engineering projects. Our culture fosters teamwork and knowledge sharing, ensuring you have the support needed to excel in your role while making a tangible impact in a highly regulated sector.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Data Architect in Leeds
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company and its culture before your interview. Research their projects, values, and recent news. This will help you tailor your responses and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of their team.
✨Tip Number 2
Practice your technical skills and be ready to discuss your past experiences with data pipelines. Be prepared to explain how you've tackled challenges in previous roles, especially in complex environments. We want to see your hands-on experience shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. This can give you insider info about the role and might even lead to a referral. Remember, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
✨Tip Number 4
When you apply through our website, make sure to highlight your relevant skills and experiences in your profile. This helps us match you with the right opportunities and makes it easier for us to see how you fit into the role!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Data Architect in Leeds
Some tips for your application 🫡
Know the Role Inside Out:Before you start writing your application, make sure you really understand what the Senior Data Architect role is all about. Dive into the job description and highlight the key responsibilities and skills required. This will help you tailor your application to show us you're the perfect fit!
Showcase Your Experience:When detailing your experience, focus on your past roles that align with the responsibilities mentioned in the job description. Use specific examples of how you've tackled similar challenges, especially around data engineering pipelines and operational continuity. We want to see how you can hit the ground running!
Be Clear and Concise:We love a well-structured application! Make sure your writing is clear and to the point. Avoid jargon unless it's relevant, and ensure your architectural artefacts and data flow analysis examples are easy to understand. Remember, we’re looking for usability in live operations, not just theory.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen to join the StudySmarter team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Thrive IT Systems Ltd
✨Know Your Pipelines Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you thoroughly understand the critical data pipelines mentioned in the job description. Be ready to discuss how you would document and stabilise these systems, and think about any past experiences where you've tackled similar challenges.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
This role is all about being productive from day one. Prepare examples of your hands-on experience with data engineering pipelines, especially in environments with minimal documentation. Highlight how you've extracted knowledge from SMEs and turned it into actionable insights.
✨Prepare for Operational Continuity Discussions
Since the role focuses on operational continuity, be ready to discuss how your architectural outputs can support BAU service models. Think about how you've previously aligned documentation with operational needs and how you ensure smooth handovers.
✨Emphasise Your Problem-Solving Skills
The interviewers will want to see your ability to identify risks and improvement opportunities. Prepare to discuss specific instances where you've assessed operational risks or identified single points of failure in previous projects, and how you proposed solutions that were both tactical and strategic.
