Data Architect (SFIA 5)

Zaizi is looking for a Data Architect to lead the design and evolution of data architectures for complex digital services across the UK public sector. The role combines hands-on architectural design with leadership, assurance and stakeholder engagement, ensuring data solutions align with user needs, organisational strategy, and government standards.

Requirements

• Define and own data architecture designs that support digital services, analytics and operational decision-making.
• Set data architecture principles, standards and patterns that enable consistency across teams while allowing appropriate autonomy.
• Ensure data architectures address the full data lifecycle, including acquisition, storage, usage, sharing, retention and decommissioning.
• Provide technical leadership and assurance across delivery teams, reviewing designs and guiding implementation.
• Align data architecture decisions with user needs, business outcomes, security requirements and organisational risk appetite.
• Support and influence data governance, including metadata management, data quality, lineage and ownership.
• Engage with senior stakeholders and customers to explain architectural trade-offs and support informed decision-making.
• Applying security-by-design and privacy-by-design principles to data architectures, including access control, classification and auditability.

Benefits

• 25 days paid holiday, plus bank holidays
• Vitality medical insurance
• Workplace Pension 5% employer contribution
• Group Life Assurance
• Cycle scheme
• 5 days a year for approved Training
• WFH equipment allowance
• Buy / Sell Holiday
• 2 days paid volunteering days