Data Architect

Department: Data Location: Haddenham Description • This role can be filled via fixed term contract or via daily rate (Inside IR35) via umbrella company. • Up to 6 months Role Overview: This is a focused, high-value engagement to lead the data architecture of Defaqto's redesigned market data model. We have an initial view of the logical structure we need, and we are looking for an experienced architect to test, challenge, and refine that thinking - then translate it into a signed-off logical model with implementation recommendations. What you'll do • Logical model design for the market data product estate - core entities, relationships, and attributes • Technology implementation recommendation - physical implementation approach suited to the existing stack, presented to CTO and Head of Data • Compatibility view specification for research platform continuity during transition • Business rule formalisation for deduplication, ratings hierarchy, and attribute priority logic • Stakeholder workshops and sign-off facilitation • Data dictionary and handover documentation Out of Scope • Transformation layer build and implementation (owned by Senior Data Engineer) • Research platform frontend adaptation (Phase 2 workstream) • Full estate migration beyond the initial market data scope (Phase 2+) • Ongoing data governance or catalogue ownership • Graph database design or implementation What you'll need to succeed: Essential requirements • Experience leading logical and physical data model design • Demonstrable experience leading conceptual and logical data model design for canonical, master data, or operational data environments, with the ability to serve both transactional ingestion and analytical consumption requirements • Strong command of entity-relationship modelling, normalisation, and dimensional design • Experience with cloud data warehouse platforms - hands-on experience with BigQuery or equivalent (Snowflake, Redshift, Databricks) is expected • Ability to produce technology-agnostic logical models and translate them into well-reasoned implementation recommendations • Proven ability to facilitate workshops with mixed technical and non-technical stakeholders and produce signed-off artefacts • Experience producing data dictionaries and technical documentation to a standard usable by engineering teams • Comfortable presenting architecture options and trade-offs to senior technology leadership • Ability to work independently and manage delivery to milestone-based timelines Desirable requirements: • Experience in financial services, insurance, or fintech data domains • Familiarity with dbt - sufficient to design a schema that a dbt-based transformation layer can implement effectively • Experience designing compatibility or migration layers for legacy platform transitions • Exposure to data cataloguing tools (Google Dataplex, DataHub, Atlan) • Understanding of product data or market intelligence data structures • Experience working within a phased, non-big-bang migration approach Important to know: Location: This is a hybrid working role usally with 2 days each week in the office - office base can be London or Haddenham. From time-to-time if there are workshops, you may need to be in the office more frequently. Right to Work: Applicants must already hold a legal right to work in the UK without time restrictions and without the need for future sponsorship. We are unable to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Fintel plc and all the businesses within it adopt a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination on any of the protected grounds in the Equality Act 2010. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to all current and prospective employees regardless of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to have a diverse workforce because, in our view, diversity enables better business outcomes. We also believe that a more inclusive workplace, where people of different backgrounds work together, ensures better outcomes for all staff. From application to interview, we place inclusion at the heart of all we do.