Senior Data Architect - Infected Blood Compensation Authority - G7

Location

Glasgow, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

About the job

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments. 

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is responsible for delivering a compensation scheme that has been long awaited by the infected blood community to provide financial compensation to victims of infected blood on a UK-wide basis. We are looking for an experienced Senior Data Architect who can shape a data ecosystem, where data is well-structured, secure and easily accessible to act as a fundamental pillar to our compensation service. You will be confident at working in a complex and pressured data delivery environment across products where you’ll be supporting the strategic objective of IBCA to pay compensation to those impacted by the infected blood scandal seamlessly. You will collaborate across the architecture function in data and digital to ensure the creation of solution designs keep data in mind meaning that data is accurate, accessible, and interoperable across systems. Working at IBCA gives you a huge opportunity to make an impact on those who deserve compensation, and this role will shape and support the development of safe and secure data solutions that provide a single source of truth for those going through their compensation journey.

Job description

As a Senior Data Architect, you will work on multiple projects across the data delivery programme on problems that require broad architectural thinking.
This post is within a data delivery setting, especially one focussed on managing and handling highly sensitive data.
You will:
• be responsible for leading the design of data models, data flow designs, and data dictionaries for systems and services, justifying and communicating design decisions
• work with technical architects to make sure that systems are designed in accordance with the appropriate data architecture
• regularly collaborate and find agreement with senior stakeholders, providing direction and challenge
• be proactive in working with Product Managers and Engineers to identify problems and translating these into data flows
• participate in architecture reviews, and technical workshops

Responsibilities

Data Model Design & Governance: You will define and oversee the overarching structural blueprints for the organisation’s data assets, ensuring that schemas remain scalable, standardised, and aligned with long-term business logic.
Data Governance, Security & Quality: You will act as the custodian of data integrity by implementing robust access controls, rigorous quality frameworks, and clear lineage to ensure all information is secure, compliant, and trustworthy through the full data lifecycle.
Integrating Data Systems and Flows: This involves designing and managing the seamless movement of data across systems, balancing real-time and batch processing to ensure a unified and efficient flow of information.
Agile Delivery & Stakeholder Translation: You will serve as the vital link between technical teams and business leaders, translating complex requirements into iterative, high-value technical deliveries within an Agile framework ensuring teams deliver scalable solutions that meet stakeholder expectations.

Regular travel expected for this role.

Person specification

• Data model design (conceptual to physical) selecting appropriate data modelling patterns.
• Data Storage Design & Management – expertise across diverse storage technologies including SQL, NoSQL and Data Lakehouse.
• Data Architecture Design - Master Data Management (MDM), Metadata Management, Data Lineage and Data Governance.
• Creation of data flow diagrams using clear notation and leading the development of data orchestration.
• Experience of working within and across product teams within Agile environments throughout the full delivery lifecycle of inception to go-live.
• Translating business requirements into tangible, compliant, technical solutions with traceability to the user value that can be demonstrated to stakeholders.
Desirable
• Experience using data modelling tools such as Erwin data modeller or equivalent.
• Experience architecting for AWS and Databricks solutions.
• Security Architecture Design – Data Security and Identity & Access Management