Senior Manager - Data Architect

Job Title: Senior Manager Data Architect
Department: FaaS - Digital Finance - Data & AI
Reports To: Director / Partner Data & AI Practice

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Data Architect to lead the design and implementation of enterprise-wide data architectures driving our clients digital and AI transformation initiatives. Based in Dubai you will work with C-suite leaders and technical teams to architect scalable secure and business-aligned data ecosystems across industries including government financial services energy and retail.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Data Architecture Strategy:
• Define enterprise and solution-level data architecture strategies.
• Design modern data platforms (data lakes warehouses lakehouses) on cloud (Azure AWS GCP).
• Champion data mesh data fabric or other advanced architectural patterns.
• Engage with Business & Technology Stakeholders:
• Collaborate with business units to understand their data needs and translate them into technical solutions.
• Support data governance security lineage and catalog initiatives in partnership with Data Officers and CDOs.
• Architecture Delivery & Oversight:
• Guide design of scalable data pipelines (batch/real-time) master data management and analytics layers.
• Oversee data platform modernization and cloud migration programs.
• Provide architectural governance and quality assurance throughout project lifecycle.
• Team Leadership & Capability Building:
• Mentor and manage a team of data engineers and solution architects.
• Contribute to internal knowledge assets accelerators and reusable frameworks.
• Client Engagement & Business Development:
• Support pre-sales and proposal activities by shaping data architecture solutions.
• Build trusted relationships with client executives and technology teams.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science Information Systems Engineering or related field.
• 10 years of experience in data architecture data engineering or information management.
• Proven experience with:
• Cloud-native data platforms (e.g. Azure Synapse Databricks Snowflake BigQuery)
• ETL/ELT tools (e.g. Informatica Talend dbt)
• Data governance tools (e.g. Collibra Alation Purview)
• Big data and streaming technologies (e.g. Kafka Spark)
• Strong knowledge of data modeling API management security/privacy frameworks (e.g. GDPR NDMO).
• Experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams in complex consulting or enterprise environments.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to engage senior stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications in cloud (Azure AWS or GCP) architecture or data engineering.
• Experience working in the GCC region with clients in public sector banking or oil & gas.
• Familiarity with AI/ML lifecycle and integration of data platforms with analytics/ML pipelines.

What We Offer

• Competitive tax-free salary and performance bonus
• Exposure to cutting-edge data transformation projects in the region
• Fast-paced collaborative and diverse working environment
• Opportunities for leadership growth and continuous learnin