Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect – Cloud | Event-Driven | Financial Crime Transformation – London/Edinburgh (Hybrid)

We’re supporting a major financial institution as they modernise the data foundations underpinning their Financial Crime capabilities. This is a unique opportunity to own and define the architectural vision for one of the bank’s most sensitive and high-profile domains driving transformation at scale across an evolving enterprise data landscape.

Operating within the Financial Crime technology organisation, this role blends deep technical expertise with strategic influence. While firmly rooted in technology, it has a significant business-facing component shaping and steering the architecture with stakeholders across risk, compliance, operations, and regulatory engagement.

What You’ll Do

• Define and own the end-to-end data architecture strategy for Financial Crime
• Design cloud-native, event-driven architectures that enable scale, resilience, and real-time insights
• Champion architectural modernisation, from legacy data estates to streaming-first, modular platforms
• Promote modern data architecture approaches such as data mesh, data federation, and data as a product.
• Represent architecture in senior governance forums and influence enterprise-wide strategy
• Lead design conversations, challenge thinking, and bring clarity to ambiguous problem spaces
• Collaborate cross-functionally with business, product, engineering, and regulatory stakeholders

What We’re Looking For

• Extensive experience as a Lead or Principal Data Architect in complex enterprise environments
• Demonstrable thought leadership across data lifecycle management, from data creation to governance
• Deep expertise in AWS cloud, event-driven architecture, and streaming technologies like Kafka
• Familiarity with data tooling such as Snowflake, Databricks, S3, and broader ecosystem awareness
• Strong grasp of architectural frameworks (e.g., TOGAF) and enterprise design principles
• Confident communicator with the ability to engage exec-level audiences and cross-functional stakeholders
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and leading architecture in domains undergoing rapid simplification and re-platforming
• Prior experience in Financial Services or Financial Crime is beneficial, but not essential, core architecture credentials and the ability to operate at scale are what matter most

This is a permanent role based in London with hybrid working (2–3 days in the office)