Contract Data Architect

Contract Data Architect (Insurance & Pensions)

📢 URGENT REQUIREMENT
Interviews taking place immediately with a view to commencing Monday 27th July.

Location: Fully Remote (occasional travel to London)
Contract Length: 6 Months Initial Contract
Day Rate: £600-£650 per day
Engagement: Outside IR35
Start Date: Monday 27th July

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to join a high-profile data modernisation programme within the insurance and pensions sector. This consultant will play a critical role in defining the target-state data architecture, supporting the migration of legacy data estates into a modern cloud-native platform, and shaping the architectural standards that underpin enterprise-wide data transformation.

This is an ideal opportunity for a Data Architect with strong insurance or pensions experience, a deep understanding of modern data platforms, and the ability to engage effectively with both technical and business stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

* Lead discovery, assessment and technical design activities for large-scale data modernisation programmes.
* Define conceptual architectures, logical data models and detailed low-level designs (LLDs).
* Design target-state Lakehouse and Medallion architectures, including Bronze, Silver and curated data product layers.
* Develop migration strategies for transitioning legacy and mainframe-based datasets into modern cloud-native platforms.
* Define data ingestion, profiling, mapping, validation, reconciliation and governance processes.
* Produce canonical data models across policy, member, scheme, contribution, benefit, payment, adjustment and reporting domains.
* Design scalable API and microservices-based integration patterns.
* Establish data quality, reconciliation and control frameworks to support regulatory and operational reporting.
* Produce architecture artefacts including:

* Solution designs
* Data models
* Source-to-target mappings
* API specifications
* Security models
* Migration plans
* Runbooks

* Work closely with engineering, platform, security and operations teams to ensure solutions are scalable, secure and production-ready.
* Provide architectural leadership and engage with stakeholders at all levels across business and technology functions.

Essential Experience

* Extensive experience as a Data Architect within insurance or pensions.
* Strong understanding of insurance and pension data domains.
* Proven delivery of enterprise-scale data architecture and modernisation programmes.
* Experience designing modern cloud-native data platforms.
* Strong knowledge of Lakehouse and Medallion architecture patterns.
* Experience migrating legacy, on-premise or mainframe data platforms into cloud environments.
* Ability to create conceptual architecture, logical data models and detailed LLDs.
* Strong understanding of enterprise data modelling and canonical data structures.
* Experience designing API-led and microservices architectures.
* Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
* Strong understanding of data governance, data quality, reconciliation and regulatory reporting requirements.

Highly Desirable

* Experience with:

* Bulk Purchase Annuities (BPA)
* Pension Risk Transfer
* Actuarial Reporting
* Scheme Administration Data
* Regulatory Reporting
* Operational Analytics

* Experience within highly regulated financial services environments.
* Exposure to enterprise data engineering and cloud transformation initiatives.

Key Skills

* Data Architecture
* Insurance & Pensions
* Data Modernisation
* Cloud Data Platforms
* Lakehouse Architecture
* Medallion Architecture
* Data Modelling
* Legacy/Mainframe Migration
* Conceptual Architecture
* Low-Level Design (LLD)
* APIs & Microservices
* Data Governance
* Data Quality & Reconciliation
* Stakeholder Management
* Solution Design