Lead Data Architect (3rd Party Contractor)

Position:         Lead Data Architect

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The successful individual would be responsible for using data to determine market and business trends for companies to increase profitability and efficiency.

The function of this role is twofold, with a specific focus on clients and technical practice development. The employed individual will be responsible for delivering advanced technical guidance and overall architectural design support for outsourced projects and professional services teams, ensuring the highest quality, implementation of best-practices, and adherence to solid development and operations principals in all client engagements.

Additionally, the employed individual would be responsible for the development, training, coaching, mentoring and upskilling of consultants to enhance and improve their current technical capabilities and skillset, with the aim of delivering better quality service to our clients. The employed individual will further be responsible for enhancing the client experience through consulting and providing relevant industry advice and best practice guidance.

Internal responsibilities would include driving presales for the practice, embedding a culture of constant learning and best-practices through initiatives such as DVT’s Architecture Forum, providing guidance on DVT’s internal projects, providing extensive technical support to the Practice Head / Executive with regards to the Data & Analytics capabilities and targeted partnerships such as Microsoft, Databricks and AWS.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Lead person responsible for the technical design and assisting with architecting of data and integration solutions.
• Development and delivery of complex data and integration solutions.
• Assistance to other data engineers in the team to ensure that they are able to deliver on their requirements and resolve technical impediments.
• Provide technical guidance and support of existing products and platforms within the data environment.
• Implement data strategy, planning and delivery of strategic data initiatives.
• Collaboration within the data team to help bring about improvements and efficiencies relating to the technical data environment.
• Facilitate solution delivery and planning.
• Collaboration with our security and risk teams to ensure that deliverables meet industry standards.
• Implement systems to monitor data quality and integrity
• Ensuring that technical tasks are correctly outlined, assigned to the most
• appropriate technical resource and delivered according to requirements (quality control).
• Senior mentorship to staff within the data team, technical coaching, and assisting with staff performance development and evaluation.
• Assist and own defining technical standards and team procedures.
• Assist and own the documentation of the data landscape and enterprise data model.
• Assess potential technical products and services that can enable our data strategy and improve our data capabilities.
• Assist the Team Leader with technical and resource requirements.
• Scope of services included Strategic and Technical Data Strategy, Governance, Platform Architecture and Migration
• Coordinate with clients, data users, and key stakeholders and develop and achieve various long-term objectives for data architecture.
• Coordinate with project supervisors and business regarding data architecture, governance, design and technical implementation components.
• Design short term resolutions to achieve all goals and prepare data roadmap for management
• Design and implement effective database/data warehouse/Lakehouse solutions and models to store and retrieve company data.
• Design conceptual and logical data models and flowcharts for Data Architecture.
• Design and provide support to all data management methodologies according to required standards.
• Assess database/data warehouse/Lakehouse implementation procedures to ensure they comply with regulations.
• Determine procedure to identify and collect all required data, validate process and recommend improvements.
• Administer mapping of all data sources and movement and analyse it to ensure appropriate quality of all data.
• Develop key metrics for tests on data and support integrity of the data architecture.
• Prepare documents for data architecture and maintain knowledge on large data structure as well.
• Analyse information flow and recommend appropriate technology to provide support to all business processes.

ATTITUDES

•  Passion for people
•  Enthusiastic and committed
•  Work with minimal supervision
•  Work in a team environment
•  Ability to work under pressure
•  Delivery focused
•  Work to achieve tight deadlines
•  Professionalism (conduct and appearance)
•  Motivated
•   Show initiative
•   Awareness of the environment
•   Strategic thinking

Core competencies

Identify Various Client Needs and Delivering at Client sites

•  Advise clients on the best data solution for their products
•  Solution architecture with a focus on technical pre-sales as well as delivery
•  Advising clients on best practices and guiding the DVT or clients’ teams to success
•  Identify requirements from client meetings to help formulate proposals
•  Implementing Data and Analytics Solutions for clients

Consulting and Providing Relevant Industry Advice and Best Practice Guidance to Clients

•  Conducting data audits and technical assessments of existing client systems
•  Guiding clients and their teams in the form of workshops of best practices
•  Helping of on-site DVT team in achieving client satisfaction
•  Helping clients implement industry standards for their development teams

Evaluate the Impact

•  Ability to meet KPI’s in all aspects of the job
•  Conducting peer reviews of technical solutions including code (client needs & consultant training)
•  Technical assessment of job candidates

Networking and Thought Leadership

•  Proactively investigating new techniques and not only producing content but sharing content with the relevant teams within DVT
•   Speaking and/or attending conferences to help get the DVT name out there amongst developers
•   Work with Marketing and participate in BrightSparx and Insight events

Development, Training, Coaching, Mentoring and Upskilling Of Consultants

•  Identify the latest trends in the market and create awareness thereof within the Data, AI & Automation Practice
•  Identifying areas of development for consultants to upskill
•  Establish, facilitate training programs and develop PDP for consultants that are relevant to their clients and/or career goals
•  Recommend certificates that are relevant to consultants to help advance their knowledge and career trajectory
•  Mentor staff in-house and externally on any technical issues
•  Help with the execution of the graduate program
•  Assist with technical requirements on internal projects
•  Assist mentors with technical queries from the Data, AI & Automaton Practice

 Practice Capability Development

•   Developing a Data & Analytics strategy with support from the Practice Head
•  Support sales and account management teams in building & maintaining relationships with clients.
•   Support sales and account management teams with technical client interactions.
•   Collaborate with the sales and account management teams in the preparation of proposals.
•   Provide recruitment with up-to-date job specs and necessary information needed to enable recruitment to find appropriate candidates and all varying levels.
•   Work with recruitment to manage and update a funnel of possible candidates to hire at all levels.
•   Drive certifications programs across relevant vendors and technologies.
•   Collaborate with other Practices Leads to achieve success across DVT

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or other related qualifications
• 10+ years’ experience in BI and Data Analytics with 5+ experience as a as a Data Architect
• Preferably in a consulting, banking, insurance & telecoms industry
• OEM Certification in Data Cloud Platforms (Microsoft & Databricks). Or the commitment to completing two within every 12 months
• Experience with Microsoft, Databricks & AWS Cloud Data Architecture components from Ingestion, to Warehouse, Transformation and Analytics
• At least 4 years' experience technical presales and solution selling
• Architecture and design (UML, OO, SOA, etc.)
• Software frameworks and methodologies (Agile, TOGAF, etc.)
• Experience using BI solutions, decision support systems, OLAP technology.
• Experience with modern cloud data warehousing/Lakehouse technologies.
• A good track record of data migration project delivery for large scale projects
• Strong communication skills and the ability to connect with data analysts, engineers, leadership, and customers 
• Proficiency with data cloud development platforms
• Experience with working on projects in highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary development teams
• Capability in Data Solution Design, Architecture, Governance, Migration & Implementation
• Broad know-how on project management, systems integration and software development practices, processes and methodologies,
• Good knowledge of Agile and Agile practices

• Knowledge of global software trends affecting DVT and its market

TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL NEED:

• Deep knowledge of Data Engineering, Governance, Architecture, Migration in Data Cloud Technologies (Microsoft, Databricks & AWS)
• Passion for Data, training and mentoring
• Extensive knowledge and use of Data Frameworks for their expertise
• Ability to form “Trusted advisor” relationships with the Client
•  Ability to learn new technologies quickly and demonstrate a hands-on understanding 
•  Strong understanding of design patterns, integration patterns/practice, data modelling principles and best practices 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Skilled in facilitating workshops and meetings with clients, colleagues and staff
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Creative eye for detail
• Positive attitude
• Able to multitask effectively
• Display excellent time management, task planning and prioritization skills
• Able to adapt quickly to changing client requirements
• Able to work effectively with minimal supervision
• Work under pressure
• Mentor and coach junior consultants
• Must be able to assist the business in growing and maintaining client relationships