Data Architect

Details Reference number 426761 Salary £55,575 Roles based in London will receive an additional London Weighting Allowance of £4,218 per annum, subject to annual review. This position attracts a Recruitment and Retention Allowance (RRA) of £3,000 per annum as an addition to the advertised salary, subject to annual review. A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% GBP Job grade Senior Executive Officer NCA Grade 3 / Police Inspector Contract type Permanent Fixed term Loan Secondment Length of employment This role is available on a permanent basis. Candidates may opt for a 24-month Fixed Term Appointment, Loan or Secondment if appropriate. Business area NCA - DDaT Type of role Architecture and Data Working pattern Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time Number of jobs available 7 Contents Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information Location Belfast; Birmingham; Bristol; Calder (Normanton); Leicester; London • ; Warrington For roles based in London, your contractual place of work will be Stratford. While the Stratford site is expected to become operational from November 2025 – March 2026, you will be required to carry out your contractual duties from Vauxhall or another reasonable location on a temporary basis during the interim period. Please note that, as Stratford will be your contractual place of work, any subsequent move from a temporary location will not entitle you to payments for travel time or costs under the Relocation and Excess Travel Policy. About the job Job summary We are currently looking to recruit a Data Architect to play a role in shaping the Agency’s transformation roadmap and driving forward its data strategy. Working at the heart of mission-critical programmes, this role will ensure that the NCA’s data platforms and services are scalable, secure and designed to meet the complex needs of a multi-tier operational environment. You will support the evolution of our data architecture to support intelligence-led operations, national-level coordination and cross-government collaboration, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture and HMG standards. This role aligns to Data Architect within the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework. If you would like to find out more about this role and the application process we will be holding a virtual opening evening via MS Teams on Wednesday 17th September 2025 at 6.00pm. This event is by invitation only. To register, please click on the following link DDaT VIRTUAL EVENT. You will be asked for your name and email address. Please ensure that you spell your email address correctly. Registration will close on Tuesday 16th September at 12:00pm. You will not be able to register after this date and time. Please see our Privacy Policy for details on how your data is handled. Job description The Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Directorate is responsible for creating a cutting-edge technology and information environment that connects, empowers and enhances our Officers’ crime fighting capabilities. We are responsible for defining and delivering our data and technology strategy, policy and architecture, building and sustaining resilient services which are critical to our mission success. We work closely with our operational teams to help them do their job in the most effective and efficient way, understanding their challenges and combining this with emerging technologies/techniques to obtain and exploit data in innovative ways to ensure we stay ahead of the criminals who are committing some of most serious crimes and inflicting harm to our society. Are you ready to join the team? Duties and Responsibilities: Provide specialist technical and data support to the Chief Architect, the architecture team and wider NCA stakeholders, taking a lead role on all matters relating to data technologies, including ETL, data integration, enrichment and modelling. Provide architectural leadership across the agency’s data landscape, including ownership and ongoing refinement of the corporate data model. Define and maintain enterprise-wide data standards, design patterns and best practices, ensuring alignment with the enterprise architecture strategy, HMG policies and recognised industry frameworks. Create and maintain a strategic roadmap for the Agency’s data architecture and supporting technologies, ensuring alignment with overall transformation goals and long-term business objectives. Lead or assure the design of the data elements of systems and solutions, including database structures, file systems, schemas, metadata models and data flows. Establish and promote standards for data quality, integrity and lineage, ensuring there are clear methods for their measurement and improvement. Ensure compliance with architectural principles, standards and data governance practices across programmes and projects, escalating exceptions to senior design authorities as necessary. Facilitate workshops and consultations with users, data owners and delivery teams to understand user needs, data behaviours and content classification across operational contexts. Continuously scan the agency and the external landscape to identify, assess and incorporate developments and trends in data and information architecture. Person specification Experience leading the data architecture workstream within complex, multi-phase transformation programmes, including defining strategic direction, shaping delivery approaches and assuring technical quality throughout the lifecycle. Ability to design and implement scalable, interoperable data platforms that operate effectively across hybrid environments — including on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, and public cloud services — while supporting real-time, transactional and analytical use cases. Experience in data modelling across conceptual, logical and physical layers, coupled with a strong grasp of data standards, metadata management, master data management and data stewardship frameworks. Understanding of data lifecycle management, from ingestion and processing to archival and destruction, alongside fluency in modern analytics platforms, data warehousing architectures and information security principles relating to sensitive and regulated datasets. Desirable criteria, only to be assessed in the event of a tie break: The ability to make and guide effective technical and data decisions, explaining clearly how the decision has been reached. The ability to understand and resolve technical disputes across varying levels of complexity and risk. Experience using current and emerging analytical tools and technologies both on-premises and using public cloud (specifically AWS and/or Microsoft Azure). Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Leadership Seeing the Big Picture Technical skills We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: Ability to design/implement scalable, interoperable data platforms that operate across hybrid environments, inc. on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, & public cloud services, while supporting real-time, transactional, & analytical use cases. Experience leading the data architecture workstream within complex, multi-phase transformation programmes, including defining strategic direction, shaping delivery approaches, and assuring technical quality throughout the lifecycle. Benefits Alongside your salary of £55,575, National Crime Agency contributes £16,100 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays. If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day). Other benefits include: Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements). Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum. Learning and Development opportunities. Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits. Housing schemes - Key Worker status. Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway, Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes. Staff support groups/networks. Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC). Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills. How we will assess you Your application will be assessed against the following: Experience - This will be assessed by the following: CV Please include your full career history, training, qualifications, key responsibilities, and achievements. Explain any employment gaps in the last two years. Ensure all accreditation dates are accurate. Details of what is expected within you CV are as follows: Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills including any key achievements in each role. It will be used to provide further context on your personal statement and scored against the skills and experience set out in the person specification, detailed in the job description. Statement of Suitability Please provide a 1250 word personal statement demonstrating how you meet the criteria below: The Personal Statement should be aligned to and demonstrate how you meet the skills and experience set out in the person specification, detailed in the job description. A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above. You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted. We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended. Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage. For guidance on the application process, visit: NCA Applying and Onboarding Assessment 1 The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section. Success Profiles at Assessment Behaviours Leadership Seeing the Big Picture Technical Ability to design and implement scalable, interoperable data platforms that operate effectively across hybrid environments — including on-premises infrastructure, private cloud, and public cloud services — while supporting real-time, transactional, and analytical use cases. Experience leading the data architecture workstream within complex, multi-phase transformation programmes, including defining strategic direction, shaping delivery approaches, and assuring technical quality throughout the lifecycle. Experience Architectural thinking, relevant experience and how you approach complex delivery within the given domain, aligned to the person specification, detailed in the job description. Presentation Applicants that are invited to interview will be asked to deliver a presentation based on the below criteria: You will be asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation at interview. This will be on the Experience criteria listed within the advert. The presentation scenario will be provided ahead of the interview. Assessment Outcome Outcomes will be communicated via the NCA recruitment portal. If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months. In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order: Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience) If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised) If still tied, application sift scores will be used Feedback is provided only to those who attend an assessment. You will be subject to vetting and pre-employment checks before appointment. Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be accessible. Please save a copy for your records. We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA Careers Page for more information. Full advert details for this vacancy can found on the advert on the NCA Recruitment Portal. Please follow the link to apply at advertisers' site. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. Security Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting . See our vetting charter . People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements This job is broadly open to the following groups: UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service Further information on nationality requirements Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles . The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy . Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job contact : Name : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk Further information If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference). If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.