Data Architect (SC Cleared)

Data Architect 6-Month contract - Inside IR35 - up to £700 per day London based - hybrid working - 2/3 days onsite Candidates must hold current and active SC Clearance We are seeking a Data Architect to lead the design and delivery of secure, cloud-based data platforms for the client. The role combines architectural strategy with delivery oversight - shaping target-state architectures while ensuring they are implemented pragmatically within regulated, security-conscious environments. This position will suit an architect who can move comfortably between traditional enterprise data approaches and modern patterns such as lakehouse, streaming, data mesh and ML-enabled platforms - and who values clarity, governance and technical rigour. Candidates must hold active SC clearance. What experience you'll bring: Leadership: Recent experience as a Lead Data Architect / Data Solutions Architect or equivalent senior role. Ability to build relationships and operate at a senior stakeholder level with clients. Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end data platform design and delivery. Experience operating in consulting, systems integration, or delivery partner roles. Experience working within the Government sector strongly preferred. Modern and Enterprise Data Architecture: You should have practical architecture experience across both established enterprise approaches and modern data patterns, including: Azure data systems (must have). Oracle / AWS experience is ideal. Knowledge of Databricks and Snowflake is ideal. Experience of large-scale data migration programmes. Data lake and lakehouse architectures. Event-driven and streaming architectures. Data Mesh and/or Data Fabric principles (applied pragmatically, not theoretically). Data product-oriented design approaches.You understand where traditional patterns remain appropriate - and where modern approaches add measurable value. Data Engineering & Platform Understanding: Strong knowledge of distributed processing (e.g. Apache Spark). Familiarity with Hadoop ecosystem components. Working knowledge of SQL and NoSQL technologies. Understanding of ETL/ELT design trade-offs. Awareness of DevOps practices and CI/CD for data platforms. Understanding of how ML/AI workloads integrate into data architectures.Hands-on coding ability (e.g. Python, Java, R) is beneficial but not required. Governance, Security and Data Management Experience leading a discovery phase for a data transformation programme. Experience designing within structured architectural governance frameworks. Familiarity with government assurance processes and design authorities. Strong understanding of data governance frameworks and metadata management. Experience designing for GDPR and UK public sector data protection requirements. Appreciation of infrastructure considerations and security boundaries in regulated cloud environments. Stakeholder Engagement Ability to influence architectural direction at senior stakeholder level. Clear and structured communicator - able to explain trade-offs and risks. Experience leading and mentoring architects and engineers. Comfortable operating within programme governance structures. Familiarity with Agile delivery models (SAFe, Scrum, Kanban).Disclaimer: This vacancy is being advertised by either Advanced Resource Managers Limited, Advanced Resource Managers IT Limited or Advanced Resource Managers Engineering Limited ("ARM"). ARM is a specialist talent acquisition and management consultancy. We provide technical contingency recruitment and a portfolio of more complex resource solutions. Our specialist recruitment divisions cover the entire technical arena, including some of the most economically and strategically important industries in the UK and the world today. We will never send your CV without your permission. Where the role is marked as Outside IR35 in the advertisement this is subject to receipt of a final Status Determination Statement from the end Client and may be subject to change