Microsoft Data Practice Lead

Microsoft Data Practice Lead Ready to shape not just enterprise data platforms, but the capability and strategy behind them? We’re looking for a senior Microsoft Data Practice Lead / Lead Data Architect to help grow and mature our Microsoft Data capability while advising clients on some of their most complex data, analytics and AI transformation challenges. You’ll connect business strategy, data governance, analytics and AI ambitions with pragmatic target architectures and executable roadmaps, leading the architecture of enterprise-scale data platforms across Microsoft Fabric, Azure and the wider data ecosystem. This is a senior client-facing leadership role combining enterprise architecture, consulting, practice development and people leadership, with the opportunity to influence how organisations build the data foundations needed for analytics, machine learning, generative AI and agentic solutions. What you’ll be doing: - Shape enterprise data strategies, target architectures and transformation roadmaps that connect technology decisions to measurable business outcomes. - Advise senior client stakeholders on the data foundations needed to enable advanced analytics, machine learning, generative AI and agentic architectures. - Lead architecture across data ingestion, lakehouse, warehouse, semantic, master data, metadata, governance and data-serving capabilities. - Define fit-for-purpose architectural patterns across Microsoft Fabric, Azure data services, Databricks and the wider enterprise data ecosystem. - Own non-functional architecture across security, privacy, data sovereignty, resilience, performance, scalability and cost optimisation. - Provide architecture governance and assurance across multiple client engagements and complex delivery programmes, ensuring consistency, quality and strategic alignment. - Chair design governance, manage architecture risk and provide direction across multiple technical workstreams. - Work with senior client stakeholders to shape opportunities, proposals and estimates, connecting data-platform investment to analytics and AI outcomes. - Grow our Microsoft Data practice through capability development, recruitment, mentoring, reusable assets and thought leadership. - Develop architects and engineers, setting high standards while building the next generation of data architecture and engineering capability. What we’re looking for: You’ll bring: - Extensive experience leading enterprise data architecture and cloud transformation within large, complex organisations. - Deep expertise across Microsoft Fabric, Azure data platforms and modern cloud-native data architecture patterns. - Strong knowledge of data modelling, distributed data processing, integration, governance and analytical architectures. - A track record of defining current-state assessments, target architectures, architecture principles and executable transformation roadmaps. - Experience leading complex programmes and providing architecture governance and assurance at scale. - The credibility to advise and influence C-suite, technology and senior business stakeholders, connecting technical architecture decisions to strategic priorities. - Strong consulting and commercial capability, including experience shaping opportunities, proposals and solution estimates. - Proven people leadership, with experience developing teams, mentoring senior technical talent and growing architecture capability. - The ability to operate confidently across strategy and delivery, moving from an executive conversation to detailed architecture decisions when required. Even better if you have experience with: - Microsoft Fabric architecture and relevant advanced certifications - Enterprise AI architecture - Microsoft Purview - Databricks - Data mesh and domain-oriented data architecture - FinOps for enterprise data platforms - Real-time analytics architectures - AI platform architecture - Advanced Microsoft Azure, Data or Fabric certifications - Why this role? The next generation of AI depends on organisations getting their data foundations, architecture and governance right. This role puts you at the centre of that challenge. You’ll help senior leaders determine how data should support their wider business, analytics and AI strategy, while ensuring those ambitions translate into architectures and roadmaps that can genuinely be delivered. At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to shape and grow a Microsoft Data practice, developing people, creating reusable capability, influencing new opportunities and setting the architectural standards across major client engagements. If you’re an experienced data architecture leader who can move confidently between executive strategy, enterprise architecture and complex delivery, and you’re excited by the opportunity to shape how organisations prepare their data estates for the AI era, we’d love to hear from you. #MicrosoftFabric #DataArchitecture #EnterpriseArchitecture #AzureData #DataStrategy #DataLeadership #DataAndAI #GenerativeAI #MicrosoftData #DataTransformation