Data architect - Contract role

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities. Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 talented people dedicated to doing extraordinary work for our clients. We operate in over 100 countries, with corporate headquarters in New York, London and Singapore. WPP is a world leader in marketing services, with deep AI, data and technology capabilities, global presence and unrivalled creative talent. Our clients include many of the biggest companies and advertisers in the world, including approximately 300 of the Fortune Global 500. Our people are the key to our success. We are committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.

• Strategic Data Architecture & Design: Define and design the future state data architecture for WPP Open reporting, forecasting, and analysis products, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives and data strategy.
• Lead the design and build of new data models and pipelines to efficiently deliver financial results and operational insights to senior management and business stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain processes, standards, policies, guidelines, and governance to ensure a consistent framework and set of standards across the company's data ecosystem.
• Create and maintain conceptual, logical, and physical data models to identify key business entities and visual relationships, ensuring data integrity and usability.
• Evaluate data-related tools and technologies, and recommend appropriate implementation patterns and standard methodologies to keep the data ecosystem modern, secure, and efficient.

• Data Platform Development & Optimization: Design and manage data integration into a central data lake, develop robust ETL pipelines, optimize cloud data warehouses, and ensure data quality and accessibility.
• Data Governance & Quality: Implement data quality checks and governance policies to ensure data integrity and compliance.
• Visualization Enablement: Prepare and model data for self-service analytics in visualization platforms, empowering business users with accessible insights.
• Provide the foundational data layer for all other squads, acting as the engine room for data provision.

• Analytics Platform Optimization & Support (SQUAD | DIGITAL PULSE - BAU):
• Reporting Curation: Refine what is reported, focusing on high-impact KPIs and deprecating low-value metrics.
• Data Identity & Enrichment: Solve GA4 UserID masking challenges and enrich analytics by integrating with HR data sources in BigQuery.
• Looker Experience Enhancement: Consolidate dashboards into a unified, intuitive Looker experience.
• Platform Reliability: Ensure stability, data quality, and governance of the GA4 → BigQuery → Looker pipeline.
• Collaborate with HR & IT for data source integration and provide feedback for dashboard improvements to business stakeholders.
• Contribute to the roadmap for migration and decommissioning of the BAU platform.

• Collaboration & Leadership:
• Partner with Technology, Data Stewards, and Product teams in an Agile work stream; engage with lines of business to gather process improvements and data requirements.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Data Architects to establish enterprise standards and perform POCs.
• Provide technical mentorship to Data Engineers and Data Analysts; translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Maintain a data dictionary and review data models with technical and business audiences.

• Essential Education: Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a similar quantitative field. Additional Certification in Data Management or cloud data platforms like Snowflake preferred.
• Essential Experience & Job Requirements: 10-12+ years of IT experience with a major focus on data warehouse/database projects; extensive experience with Cloud Big Data technologies in a multi-cloud environment (Azure, AWS, GCP); expertise in modern data platforms like Databricks and cloud databases like Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, or similar; proficiency in Data Warehousing Architecture, BI/Analytical systems, Data cataloguing, MDM, and data governance; proficiency in conceptual, logical, and physical data modelling; experience with data storage, ETL/ELT, and analytics tools (AWS Glue, DBT/Talend, Fivetran, APIs, Tableau, Power BI, Looker, Alteryx, etc.); and experience with agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) in cross-functional teams.
• You're Good At: Designing, documenting, and training teams on data architecture processes; resolving technical challenges; building relationships for data and security awareness; reviewing others' work and providing growth feedback; implementing data security policies; and delivering clear architecture presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.

You're open, optimistic, and extraordinary: we are inclusive and collaborative; we celebrate diverse views and new ideas. We value creativity, technology, and talent to create brighter futures for our people, clients, and communities.

• Passionate, inspired people – a culture where you can do extraordinary work.
• Scale and opportunity – chance to influence and complete projects at industry-leading scale.
• Challenging and stimulating work – unique projects for creative problem solvers.
• Hybrid work model with offices around four days a week; discuss accommodations or flexibility during the interview process.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect where everyone belongs and has equal career progression opportunities. Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Full-time

Job function: Engineering and Information Technology

Industries: Advertising Services