Data Architect

Contract Length - 12 months with view to extend

Location - 1 day per week on-site Brussels

Rate - Competitve market rate

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to lead the design, governance, and optimization of our data landscape. The ideal candidate has a strong background in enterprise data architecture, cloud platforms, data modelling, and modern analytics ecosystems. You will work closely with engineering, analytics, and business stakeholders to shape a scalable, secure, and future-proof data environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain enterprise data architecture, reference architectures, and data standards.
• Design data models, schemas, and integration patterns for transactional, analytical, and real-time systems.
• Lead architecture for data pipelines, ETL/ELT, and data platform components (e.g., warehouses, lakes, lakehouses).
• Define and implement data governance, metadata, lineage, quality frameworks, and security controls.
• Partner with engineering teams to drive best practices across data ingestion, modelling, storage, and consumption.
• Conduct architecture reviews, solution design assessments, and technical oversight of data deliveries.
• Work with Cloud/DevOps teams to optimize data platform performance, cost, and scalability.
• Support business stakeholders in defining data requirements, analytics needs, and architectural solutions.
• Document architecture diagrams, technical decisions, and data standards.

Required Skills & Experience

• 7+ years in data architecture, data engineering, or related roles.
• Strong experience with data modelling (OLTP, OLAP, dimensional, 3NF, Data Vault advantageous).
• Hands-on expertise with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP (specify preferred).
• Skilled in modern data tech such as:
• Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, Synapse
• Spark, DBT, Kafka, Airflow, Terraform
• Solid understanding of data governance, lineage, cataloging, and security (e.g., Purview, Collibra).
• Proficiency in SQL and at least one scripting language (Python preferred).
• Experience designing scalable enterprise-grade data platforms and integrations.
• Knowledge of APIs, event-driven architectures, microservices, and modern integration patterns.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certification in cloud architecture (Azure Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, GCP equivalent).
• Experience with MDM, data mesh, or data fabric approaches.
• Industry experience in finance, healthcare, retail, or other regulated sectors.
• Strong stakeholder management and architectural communication skills.