Data Architect

Strong practical architecture experience with a modern cloud data platform, advanced SQL and engineering-led data delivery; candidates should be able to review designs at pipeline, schema and integration level.

OLAP & OLTP architecture experience - Snowflake and Oracle (or equivalent)

Data architecture and data engineering patterns across batch, event-driven and analytical workloads

Cloud data platform, warehouse and lakehouse architecture

Advanced SQL and strong understanding of ELT/data transformation patterns

Data integration, orchestration, APIs and event-driven architecture

Logical, physical and semantic data design

Data product schemas, interfaces and data contract design

Metadata, data catalogue and lineage implementation patterns

Data security engineering, privacy, identity and access-control patterns

Performance, scalability, workload and cost optimisation

DevOps/DataOps practices, version control, CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code awareness

Testing, reconciliation and automation patterns

Technology evaluation, architecture decision records and technical documentation

The type of candidate that we’re looking for:

We’re looking for a Data Architect who can combine strong technical knowledge with a practical, collaborative approach. You’ll have experience designing and delivering modern data solutions and be comfortable turning broad architecture principles into clear, workable approaches that engineering teams can use. You’ll understand how data moves through platforms, how systems integrate, and what good looks like when it comes to security, reliability, scalability and performance.

You’ll enjoy working closely with engineers, analysts and other technology teams, helping to shape standards and patterns that make delivery simpler and more consistent. Experience with modern cloud data platforms, data warehousing, SQL, integration and data modelling will be important, and familiarity with technologies such as Snowflake and Oracle would be beneficial. Most importantly, you’ll be someone who can balance technical depth with pragmatism and communicate your thinking clearly to a range of stakeholders.

Critical Skills • Data Literacy • Systems Thinking • Storytelling • Team Working • Improvement Mindset • Digital Effectiveness (incl. AI)

Should you choose to use AI tools to support your application, we ask that you do this thoughtfully. We encourage you to ensure your application reflects your own voice, experience, and motivations. We value authenticity and want to understand your individual strengths and perspectives.

At Baillie Gifford, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful culture in which each of our colleagues can thrive and develop. We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse workforce with the experiences, ideas and perspectives that this brings.

If you are currently working at Baillie Gifford as an employee or contractor please apply to this job from the firm's Workday internal career site.