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As a Senior Data Architect (SDA) you will be responsible for aligning the organisation’s data architecture to the overall data strategy.

The role involves developing and managing data architecture policies and standards at Irwin Mitchell, championing data management, and ensuring data quality. It includes designing business-critical changes to align with the overall data strategy, assessing the impact of industry trends, and collaborating with the CIO team and Data department to drive changes that achieve business goals, maximise value, and reduce risks.

Reporting to the EDA, you will define the semantic data layers, ensuring quality and efficiency of our data through consistency and governance.

What You’ll be Doing

• Work with InfoSec, Technology, GCT and Information & Records to establish data policies and standards.
• Manage the logical data model at Irwin Mitchell, including metadata, business glossary, data flows, and data storage, to ensure efficient, compliant, and value-maximising use of data.
• Manage physical data models, and promote efficient data capture, processing, storage, and deletion to optimise resources and support our strategic goals.
• Lead architectural assurance for business-critical changes and projects, collaborating with various teams (CIO Architecture, Change Team, Service Transition, and IT Security) to translate solution designs into actionable plans. Evaluating designs against standards, advising on enhancements, and conducting impact analysis with mitigations when breaches are necessary.
• Provide consultancy to technology teams to ensure the integration strategy and implementation align with data design, including master data management, data modelling, and metadata management.
• Oversee project approach to data deliverables including migration and analytics.
• Promote Data Architecture through thought leadership and expertise, providing training and mentoring colleagues in data skills and complex data projects.
• Identify data opportunities that offer business benefits and collaborate with stakeholders to realise their impact.
• Asses the business and technical impact of emerging industry and technology trends on data architecture designs and strategic initiatives.
• Build effective relationships with third parties, including external consultants and key suppliers, to drive timely adoption of new capabilities

• Appropriate professional qualifications (DAMA membership/certified would be desirable).
• Proven experience in developing and implementing Data Architecture artefacts, policies, and standards.
• Excellent knowledge of data management disciplines including master data management and metadata management, data governance and quality, data migration, data flows, data storage, business intelligence and analytics, data security and privacy and data integration.
• Strong knowledge of industry and business data domains and processes, including compliance and regulatory requirements.
• Expertise in data modelling (conceptual, logical, and physical schemas) and an understanding of transactional, analytical, and relational models. Experience of implementing and working with data models in multiple technologies including RDBMS and APIs.
• Extensive experience producing data architecture artefacts including ERDs, data models, star schemas, data dictionaries, and data ontologies/taxonomies.
• Experienced in metadata management and maintaining metadata repositories for complex tasks like data and systems integration impact analysis.
• Skilled in complex analytical and interpretative thinking to define problems and architect innovative solutions.
• Significant experience translating business problems into data designs aligned with enterprise-wide standards and principles.
• Ability to manage a range of tasks and priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present, discuss, and explain issues clearly and logically

• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too.
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported.  This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over a hybrid way of working subject to role, team and client requirements.

We have been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2024!

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim. 

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono.

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, colleagues, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

We carry out pre employment screening to establish your eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record and financial checks ­with our trusted 3rd parties.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.