Data Architect (Metadata, Governance & Semantics)

We are looking for a Data Architect (Metadata, Governance & Semantics) to design enterprise metadata and data discovery architectures across large and diverse data estates. The role focuses on federated metadata architectures, data catalogues, lineage, data governance, semantic layers, business glossaries, entity resolution, and knowledge graphs. The ideal candidate combines strong data architecture and governance expertise with hands-on experience in metadata platforms, semantic modelling, and client-facing architecture, with financial services, asset management, market data, or fund reporting experience being a strong plus.

Requirements:

• 8+ years in data architecture or data platform roles, including 3+ years in metadata management, data governance or data cataloguing across a large and diverse data estate.
• Architectural experience with enterprise data catalogues (e.g. DataHub, OpenMetadata, Collibra or similar); understanding of the concepts matters more than any specific product.
• Solid knowledge of metadata and lineage standards (e.g. OpenLineage, Open Data Contract Standard or similar) and experience integrating with proprietary in-house metadata and event models.
• Proven design of federated (hub-and-spoke) metadata architectures: a central layer for identity, hierarchy and links, domain-level catalogues with rich local detail, and a clear contract between the two.
• Practical experience with data governance operating models: ownership and stewardship roles, sensitivity classification, metadata quality measurement.
• Semantic layer design: business glossaries and concept registries, resolution of term conflicts between departments, entity resolution, knowledge graph modelling; design-level knowledge of graph databases.
• Strong consulting and client-facing skills: leading working sessions, defending design decisions in written reviews, negotiating boundaries between teams with overlapping catalogue initiatives.
• Able to produce client-ready architecture documents and written review responses without editorial support.

Will be a plus:

• Knowledge of financial-industry ontologies (e.g. FIBO or similar) and a realistic view of their practical limitations.
• Familiarity with semantic search over metadata based on embeddings.
• Domain experience in asset management, market data or fund reporting.
• Experience in on-premise or regulated environments: data residency, auditability, licence-scoped data entitlements.
• Experience designing metadata and discovery layers consumed by AI agents.
• Pre-sales or discovery and solutioning experience; experience joining an engagement already in progress.

Responsibilities:

• Own the federated metadata architecture: the central discovery layer, the domain catalogues for market data and curated reporting, and the federation contract that binds them.
• Design domain metadata models in working sessions with the client teams that own the data, extending the client's existing catalogue model instead of replacing it.
• Define the approach to machine-derived metadata: what is harvested automatically, what is drafted by LLMs and approved by human stewards, what remains manual, and how its quality is scored.
• Design the semantic layer: shared business-term definitions with per-department mappings, entity resolution across sources, and the knowledge graph that supports guided discovery.
• Act as design authority for the engineering pod: review integration designs and keep parallel implementations aligned to one architecture.
• Represent the design in client governance: reviews, written responses to senior stakeholders, coordination with the client's own initiatives and with the parallel entitlement and security workstream.
• Shape phased delivery plans, effort estimates and data-readiness prerequisites for the implementation phase.

At Intellias, where technology takes center stage, people always come before processes. We're dedicated to cultivating a tech-savvy environment that empowers individuals to unlock their true potential and achieve extraordinary results. Our customized benefits not only prioritize your well-being but also charge your professional growth, making this opportunity an ideal match for tech enthusiasts like you.