Senior Data Architect

Embark on a pivotal career move with Barclays as a Senior Data Architect, a role that places you at the forefront of shaping the bank's future data landscape. Based in the vibrant financial hub of London's Canary Wharf, this position offers a unique opportunity to define, direct, and govern the bank's target data architecture. You will be instrumental in establishing robust shared data environments, enterprise data models, and critical data standards, all in direct alignment with overarching business strategies. This is your chance to ensure data integrity, security, and accessibility, meeting the dynamic needs of both internal and external stakeholders.

For those seeking to advance their career in data architecture, this role presents several compelling advantages:

• Strategic Influence: You will have a direct hand in defining the data architecture strategy, translating broad business objectives into tangible architectural blueprints and transition plans.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with data operations, engineers, and analysts, sharing your expertise to foster a standardized, secure, and value-driven approach to data utilization.
• Governance and Standards: Take ownership of the bank's data architecture governance, developing and maintaining standards and protection policies that ensure data quality, accuracy, and the safeguarding of sensitive information.
• Project Alignment: Guide and monitor projects, ensuring they adhere to the target data architecture, thereby promoting efficient data solutions and progress.
• Innovation and Optimization: Define reusable data capabilities, assets, tools, and technologies to connect disparate data sources, optimize storage, and facilitate seamless data access.
• Architectural Custodianship: Act as the custodian of an overarching data model, dictating the logical and physical structure of the bank's data resources.
• Regulatory Foresight: Stay ahead of the curve by monitoring regulatory standards and industry developments, proactively assessing their impact on the bank's operations and controls.
• Technology Leadership: Identify and select best-in-class data technologies, ensuring compliance with service level agreements and quality standards.

Key Considerations for Your Career Path:

To thrive in this Senior Data Architect role, a strong foundation in several key areas is essential:

• Deep Data Architecture Expertise: You should possess advanced experience in data architecture or enterprise data modeling, ideally gained within a major banking or investment institution.
• Domain Knowledge: A profound understanding of banking products, risk frameworks, regulatory data obligations, and financial markets data is crucial for success.
• Tooling and Methodologies: Proven expertise in data modeling tools and methodologies is a must, along with a demonstrated ability to scale models across global business functions.

Furthermore, the following skills are highly valued and can significantly enhance your candidacy:

• Cloud Proficiency: Experience with AWS cloud services, particularly in areas like Lake Formation and Data Lake implementation.
• Automation Skills: Scripting capabilities in Python or Shell for data validation and automation tasks.
• Database Familiarity: A broad understanding of various database systems, including:
  • Relational: Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL
  • Columnar: Amazon Redshift, Snowflake
  • NoSQL: MongoDB and Cassandra

Your candidacy may also be assessed on critical skills such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking, and digital and technology expertise, in addition to your core technical skills.

Leadership Expectations:

As a Senior Data Architect at Barclays, you are expected to contribute to or set strategy, drive requirements, and make impactful recommendations for change. This role involves resource and budget planning, policy management, delivering continuous improvements, and escalating policy breaches. Whether you are leading a team or acting as an individual contributor, you will be expected to demonstrate strong leadership behaviors, such as listening authentically, energizing and inspiring others, aligning across the enterprise, and developing colleagues. As an individual contributor, you will be a subject matter expert guiding technical direction, leading complex assignments, and coaching less experienced specialists. A core expectation is the ability to advise key stakeholders, manage and mitigate risks, and demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of organizational functions to achieve business goals. Building and maintaining trusting relationships with internal and external stakeholders, utilizing influencing and negotiating skills, will be instrumental in achieving key business objectives.

In alignment with Barclays' values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence, and Stewardship, and the Barclays Mindset of Empower, Challenge, and Drive, you will play a vital role in shaping the bank's data future.