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.