Data Architect - Data, AI & Analytics Transformation

Location: London (Hybrid, 2-3 days per week onsite)
Contract: 6 Months
Rate: £450 per day (Inside IR35)

The Opportunity

We're looking for an experienced Data Architect to play a key role in shaping and delivering a modern enterprise data and AI ecosystem for a leading pharmaceutical organisation.

This is a highly visible position sitting at the intersection of business strategy, architecture, data engineering, analytics, and AI. You'll be responsible for defining data architecture standards, designing future-state platforms, and ensuring the organisation is ready to leverage advanced analytics, machine learning, and Generative AI at scale.

The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to translate business objectives into scalable data solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and govern enterprise data architecture strategy and target-state roadmaps.
• Design scalable cloud-based data platforms leveraging AWS and Snowflake technologies.
• Lead architecture decisions across data ingestion, transformation, governance, analytics, AI, and GenAI initiatives.
• Establish architectural patterns supporting Data Mesh, Data Lakehouse, Semantic Layer, Knowledge Graph, and Streaming architectures.
• Drive data readiness initiatives to support AI and Generative AI adoption.
• Partner with business and technology stakeholders across the pharmaceutical value chain.
• Define governance, security, lineage, metadata, and data quality standards.
• Support delivery teams in implementing modern data engineering and analytics solutions.
• Provide architectural oversight across multiple concurrent transformation programmes.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on data strategy, platform investments, and emerging technologies.

Technical EnvironmentCloud & Data Platforms

• AWS (S3, EC2, IAM, EMR)
• Snowflake
• Snowpark
• Iceberg Tables
• Secure Data Sharing
• Snowflake Cortex

Data Integration

• Fivetran
• SnapLogic
• Enterprise SaaS integration patterns

Data Transformation & Orchestration

• dbt Cloud / dbt Core
• Apache Airflow (MWAA)
• CI/CD pipelines
• Event-driven orchestration

Data Governance & Observability

• Collibra
• Data Catalogue
• Data Lineage
• Data Governance Frameworks
• Acceldata
• Data Observability
• Data Quality Monitoring

AI, Machine Learning & Advanced Analytics

• Databricks
• MLflow
• Model Registry
• Feature Stores
• MLOps Frameworks
• Advanced Analytics

Cognitive Search & GenAI

• Sinequa
• Knowledge Graphs
• GraphRAG
• Hybrid Search
• NLP Solutions
• AWS Bedrock AgentCore
• LangChain
• OpenAI & Claude Agent Frameworks

Required Experience

• Significant experience as a Data Architect, Enterprise Data Architect, or Solution Architect within large-scale data environments.
• Strong expertise designing modern cloud data platforms using AWS and Snowflake.
• Experience delivering data lake, lakehouse, and advanced analytics architectures.
• Deep understanding of data governance, metadata management, lineage, and observability.
• Knowledge of AI/ML platform architectures and emerging GenAI capabilities.
• Experience defining enterprise data standards, principles, and operating models.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience operating within complex, matrixed organisations.

Pharmaceutical Experience

Experience supporting one or more of the following areas is highly desirable:

• Drug Discovery
• Clinical Development
• Regulatory Affairs
• Manufacturing
• Supply Chain
• Commercial Operations
• Post-Market Surveillance

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong architectural leadership capabilities.
• Able to balance long-term vision with practical delivery.
• Excellent communicator who can translate technical concepts into business outcomes.
• Comfortable challenging existing approaches and driving innovation.
• Collaborative and influential, with the ability to break down organisational silos.
• Passionate about emerging data and AI technologies.