Lead Data Architect

NPA WorldWide
Tewkesbury
1 day ago
Create job alert
Job description

We are recruiting on behalf of a specialist Defence and National Security consultancy delivering some of the UK Governments most sensitive and strategically important digital programmes. Their work supports intelligence operations, cyber defence, data-driven automation and national infrastructure protection.


With significant programme expansion underway, they are seeking a Principal Data Architect to take ownership of data architecture strategy and technical direction across multiple classified environments.


Regular London travel required.

  • Enterprise data architecture strategy and roadmaps

Governance, interoperability and compliance frameworks


Secure, scalable data models and integration architectures


Platform modernisation and cloud migration strategies


AI / ML and advanced analytics data enablement


Cross-domain secure data sharing patterns


Architecture standards, documentation and best practice

  • Senior-level Data Architect experience within complex, secure or regulated environments

Strong enterprise architecture and data modelling background


Experience delivering modernisation or transformation programmes


Data governance, ethics and compliance


Interoperability and data standards


Analytics and visualisation platforms


Secure cross-domain data sharing


Experience across Azure, AWS or GCP ecosystems


Scripting / automation capability desirable



  • British citizenship

UK residency for the last 5 years


Eligible for high-level UK security clearance



  • Premium salary & benefits

Hybrid working


Generous funded training & career coaching


Long-term secure Defence programmes


Highly collaborative, technically driven culture



  • You will architect platforms that protect national security, enable advanced intelligence capability and directly shape the future of UK Defence data strategy.

Qualifications

You will be an experienced Data Architect with a background in secure or highly regulated environments.


Why is This a Great Opportunity

Highly competitive salary (dependent on clearance & experience)


Hybrid & flexible working


Generous L&D budget, career coaching & funded training


Matched pension & healthcare


Supportive, collaborative culture with regular team socials


#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect

Lead Data Architect - 2 Days Either London or Peterborough/Rest Remote

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

How to Write a Data Science Job Ad That Attracts the Right People

Data science plays a critical role in how organisations across the UK make decisions, build products and gain competitive advantage. From forecasting and personalisation to risk modelling and experimentation, data scientists help translate data into insight and action. Yet many employers struggle to attract the right data science candidates. Job adverts often generate high volumes of applications, but few applicants have the mix of analytical skill, business understanding and communication ability the role actually requires. At the same time, experienced data scientists skip over adverts that feel vague, inflated or misaligned with real data science work. In most cases, the issue is not a lack of talent — it is the quality and clarity of the job advert. Data scientists are analytical, sceptical of hype and highly selective. A poorly written job ad signals unclear expectations and immature data practices. A well-written one signals credibility, focus and serious intent. This guide explains how to write a data science job ad that attracts the right people, improves applicant quality and positions your organisation as a strong data employer.

Maths for Data Science Jobs: The Only Topics You Actually Need (& How to Learn Them)

If you are applying for data science jobs in the UK, the maths can feel like a moving target. Job descriptions say “strong statistical knowledge” or “solid ML fundamentals” but they rarely tell you which topics you will actually use day to day. Here’s the truth: most UK data science roles do not require advanced pure maths. What they do require is confidence with a tight set of practical topics that come up repeatedly in modelling, experimentation, forecasting, evaluation, stakeholder comms & decision-making. This guide focuses on the only maths most data scientists keep using: Statistics for decision making (confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, power, uncertainty) Probability for real-world data (base rates, noise, sampling, Bayesian intuition) Linear algebra essentials (vectors, matrices, projections, PCA intuition) Calculus & gradients (enough to understand optimisation & backprop) Optimisation & model evaluation (loss functions, cross-validation, metrics, thresholds) You’ll also get a 6-week plan, portfolio projects & a resources section you can follow without getting pulled into unnecessary theory.

Neurodiversity in Data Science Careers: Turning Different Thinking into a Superpower

Data science is all about turning messy, real-world information into decisions, products & insights. It sits at the crossroads of maths, coding, business & communication – which means it needs people who see patterns, ask unusual questions & challenge assumptions. That makes data science a natural fit for many neurodivergent people, including those with ADHD, autism & dyslexia. If you’re neurodivergent & thinking about a data science career, you might have heard comments like “you’re too distracted for complex analysis”, “too literal for stakeholder work” or “too disorganised for large projects”. In reality, the same traits that can make traditional environments difficult often line up beautifully with data science work. This guide is written for data science job seekers in the UK. We’ll explore: What neurodiversity means in a data science context How ADHD, autism & dyslexia strengths map to common data science roles Practical workplace adjustments you can request under UK law How to talk about your neurodivergence in applications & interviews By the end, you’ll have a clearer sense of where you might thrive in data science – & how to turn “different thinking” into a real career advantage.