Data Architect

Location: Two Snowhill – Birmingham OR Podium, Euston London

Salary Base salary: c£41092 pa to £48,344 pa to (Birmingham) or c£44380 pa to £52212pa (London) depending on skills and experience. In addition, we offer flexible benefits fund of 15% which is paid on top base salary and is fully pensionable, as well as a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives, and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish, and providing personal and professional development opportunities. 

As a Data Architect at HS2 you will be responsible for delivering the vision of the organisation as set out by the Head of Information Management including designing and building data models and structures.

About the role:

• To be accountable for developing HS2's enterprise data model, ensures strategic alignment, and enabling integration with wider business and technology architectures. 
• To be responsible for supporting and contributing to the development of information and data strategy. 
• To be responsible for governance and management of data and information, working closely with IT Security and Assurance colleagues to ensure HS2 Information if managed safely, securely, and legally. 
• To be accountable for planning, directing, and coordinating activities with IPTs, Joint Ventures and Tier 1 contractors to ensure deliverables meet HS2 contractual requirements. 
• To be responsible for assuring the quality of data, working with Information Asset Owners to agreed processes and standards. 
• To be responsible for networking and communicating with senior stakeholders across HS2, proactively seeking out opportunities for digital transformation. 
• To be responsible for supporting multiple teams, finding, and using the latest best practice. 
• To be responsible for guiding and supporting other architects and IT colleagues to help them understand how to deliver the goals of the organisation. 

Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies, and procedures on EDI.

About You:

Skills:

• Communication skills (data). You can listen to the needs of technical and business stakeholders and interpret them. You can manage stakeholder expectations and be flexible. You know how to manage proactive and reactive communication. You can facilitate difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 
• Data analysis and synthesis. You can undertake data profiling and source system analysis. You can present clear insights to colleagues to support the end use of the data. (Relevant skill level: working) 
• Data communication. You understand the appropriate mediums to communicate findings; you can shape communications for the audience. (Relevant skill level: working) 
• Data governance. You can evolve and define data governance and take responsibility for collaborating and supporting in wider governance. You know how to assure and integrate data services to meet the needs of multiple business services. You work proactively to ensure the organisation designs architecture that considers data. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 
• Data innovation. You understand the impact of emerging trends on the organisation in data tools, analysis techniques and data usage. (Relevant skill level: working) 
• Data modelling. You understand the concepts and principles of data modelling and can produce relevant data models across multiple subject areas. You know how to reverse-engineer data models from a live system. You understand industry recognised data modelling patterns and standards and know when to apply them. You can compare and align different data models. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 
• Data standards. You can develop and set data standards across multiple subject areas. You can act as the escalation point for breaches of data standards and make recommendations about how the organisation should resolve that breach. 
• (Relevant skill level: practitioner)
• Metadata management. You can design an appropriate metadata repository and present changes to existing metadata repositories. You understand a range of tools for storing and working with metadata. You can provide oversight and advice to more inexperienced members of the team. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 
• Problem resolution (data). You can ensure that the most appropriate actions are taken to resolve problems as they occur. You coordinate teams to resolve problems and implement solutions and preventative measures. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 
• Strategic thinking (data architecture). You work within a strategic context and communicate how activities meet strategic goals. (Relevant skill level: working) 
• Turning business problems into data design. You can design data architecture by dealing with problems that span different business areas. You can draw links between problems in order to reach common solutions. You can work across multiple subject areas, a single large or complicated subject area. (Relevant skill level: practitioner) 

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of agile methods and their implications for Data Architecture. 
• Knowledge of strategic and emerging technology trends, and their practical applications. 
• Knowledge and understanding of defining and building information/data models to provide a full understanding of data and expose relevant issues, risks, and opportunities. 

Types of Experience

• Experience of leading the design of data models and enterprise master data management solutions. 
• Experience of defining complex technical data models and communicating technical models clearly to stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience of successfully working with Technical and Enterprise Architects ensuring that the organisations systems are designed in accordance with the appropriate data architecture and fully governed. 
• Experience of using Data Architecture tooling, integration, or notation 

The post-holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity, and Respect

It is expected that you will actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies, and procedures on EDI.

As HS2 Ltd do not hold a sponsorship license from the Home Office, we are not able to provide sponsorship to any applicant. Applicants must already have the Right to Work in the UK at the time of application and our process involves a Right to Work validation prior to the interview stage. Note, there are certain types of time-bound visas that we cannot accept.

Any offers made to applicants will be subject to satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks which include Nationality & Immigration Status, employment references, DBS, Financial and Education checks.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application; however, we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. In a further development of our efforts to create a more diverse workforce, your CV will be anonymised, and personal information will be removed during the first stage of the application review. This removes bias from the process and makes it even more important that you attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application ensuring you include evidence related to the criteria in the job advert.

Any applications received after the closing date will not be considered.