Contract Data Architect - Senior SME (Modern Data Platform)Contract Length: 12-18 months (strong potential to extend or move permanent) It will be Inside IR35Day Rate: £600-£700 Location: UK-based, primarily remoteAd hoc travel to Stratford-upon-Avon and London for workshops and occasional travel to Bucharest the main office is in Stratford.OverviewWe are seeking a Senior Data Architect to act as a subject matter expert for the design and build of a modern, enterprise-scale data platform. This is a high-impact contract role with full ownership of the data domain, supporting a multi-year roadmap to transform an existing platform into a cloud-native, federated data architecture on Azure.The organisation is in the process of lifting and modernising a large-scale data landscape into Azure, with a strong likelihood of winning a major government contract, making this a long-term and strategically critical engagement.This role requires a hands-on architect - someone who can define strategy and architecture, but also work closely with delivery teams to ensure successful execution.Key ResponsibilitiesOwn and shape the end-to-end data architecture and data strategy, treating the data platform as a productDesign and build a modern Azure-based data platform supporting large-scale data processingDefine and implement modern federated data architecture principlesLead the adoption of Medallion Architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold)Design and oversee robust data ingestion and data pipeline fra