The RoleProject Foundry is partnering with a large, complex enterprise organisation to expand its data and analytics capability as part of a major technology and digital transformation programme.We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to take technical ownership of an enterprise-scale data platform, shaping how data is engineered, governed and exploited across the organisation. This role sits at the heart of the data ecosystem and will play a critical part in enabling advanced analytics, AI use cases and data-driven decision making.You will work alongside senior engineers, product teams, AI specialists and enterprise architects to design secure, scalable and high-performance cloud-based data platforms that support both current and future needs.Key ResponsibilitiesData Architecture & Platform DesignLead the design and evolution of an enterprise data platform, covering data lakes, warehouses and lakehouse architectures.Define architectural patterns for batch, streaming and near-real-time data processing.Select and implement core data technologies and services aligned to cloud-native best practice.AI & Advanced Analytics EnablementArchitect data solutions that support machine learning, predictive analytics and intelligent automation.Enable MLOps capabilities including model lifecycle management, deployment and monitoring.Collaborate closely with data science and analytics teams to operationalise AI use cases.Engineering Standards & GovernanceDefine and enforce data architecture standards, engineering best practices and design blueprints.Establish strong approaches to data governance, lineage, quality, security and privacy.Ensure compliance with GDPR and European data residency requirements.Enterprise Delivery & DevOps IntegrationWork with cloud engineering and DevOps teams to embed infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD and monitoring practices.Ensure data platforms are resilient, observable and cost-effective at scale.Drive continuous improvement across performance, reliability and operational maturity.Stakeholder Collaboration & MentorshipTranslate business and product requirements into scalable, future-proof data solutions.Act as a technical mentor to data engineers and analysts, promoting modern data engineering and architecture practices.Required Experience & SkillsProven experience designing and leading enterprise-scale data platforms in Microsoft Azure.Strong hands-on knowledge of Databricks, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 and Azure Data Factory.Deep understanding of Lakehouse architecture, Delta Lake, PySpark and SQL.Experience supporting AI/ML workflows, including MLOps and production data pipelines.Strong knowledge of data governance, security, lineage and privacy frameworks.Solid background in data modelling, ETL/ELT design and metadata management.Familiarity with Power BI, Azure DevOps or Jira, GitHub and CI/CD pipelines.Experience operating in large, complex enterprise environments.QualificationsDegree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, STEM or a related discipline.Relevant Azure and Databricks certifications highly desirable.Experience with high-volume transactional data, geospatial data or IoT/telemetry data is a strong advantage.