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