Principal Data Architect (GCP)

Location: Hybrid (must be onsite 2 days per week in Bristol)

Salary: £100,000 – £160,000 Basic + Bonus + Benefits (dependant on skills/exp)

Employment: Permanent

We are working with one of the world’s leading IT services and consulting firms to appoint a Principal Data Architect to play a key role in the delivery of a major Financial Services transformation programme.

This is a senior, client-facing position combining enterprise data architecture, technical leadership and consulting, with responsibility for shaping and delivering complex, enterprise-scale data solutions on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

The successful candidate will work closely with senior client stakeholders, architects, engineering teams and business leaders to define target-state data architecture and ensure solutions are scalable, secure, governed and aligned with wider business transformation objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and design of enterprise-scale GCP data platforms and solutions
• Define target-state data architectures aligned to business and technology strategy
• Lead data modelling across conceptual, logical and physical layers
• Architect modern ETL/ELT frameworks, data pipelines and data products
• Provide leadership across MDM, data governance, metadata management and lineage
• Establish architecture standards, technical governance and engineering best practices
• Provide oversight across CI/CD, DevOps and DataOps environments
• Work with Data Science and AI teams to establish robust data foundations for AI and machine learning
• Lead and mentor multidisciplinary teams of architects, engineers and technical specialists
• Engage with senior client stakeholders to shape solutions, manage delivery risk and drive successful programme outcomes

Required Experience

• Extensive experience in Data Architecture within complex enterprise environments
• Deep expertise in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and cloud-native data technologies
• Strong technical understanding of Python, SQL and dbt
• Strong experience across modern data platforms, ETL/ELT and enterprise data modelling
• Knowledge of MDM, data governance, metadata, lineage and integration architecture
• Experience taking enterprise data products from architecture and design through to production
• Strong consulting, communication and senior stakeholder management skills
• Proven experience providing technical leadership across large-scale transformation programmes

Ideally, you will bring a blend of Financial Services industry and consulting experience, with exposure to major transformation programmes across banking, insurance or wider financial services.

Experience with AI/ML, Generative AI, MLOps, DataOps or modern lakehouse architectures would be advantageous.

Why Join?

• Join one of the world's leading IT services and consulting organisations
• Play a key architectural role on a major Financial Services transformation programme
• Opportunity to shape the target-state data architecture, rather than simply deliver against an established design
• Work with modern GCP, Data and AI technologies at significant enterprise scale
• High level of exposure to senior client stakeholders and major transformation decision‑making
• Combine technical architecture, consulting and leadership rather than moving into a purely managerial position
• Work alongside experienced global Data, Cloud and AI specialists
• Strong opportunity for continued career progression within a major international consulting environment

Hybrid working:

Candidates must be able to work onsite in Bristol 2 days per week.