Job Description

About us

Halfords is on a journey - building the future of motoring and cycling and looking for people who want to help shape what comes next. We’re a place for cocreators: people who want to make a real impact, take ownership and be part of something that’s still evolving.

Technology at Halfords is at a turning point. We’re modernising our foundations, sharpening our delivery, and ensuring every technology decision is connected to real commercial and customer outcomes.

We're looking for people who act as trusted advisors to the business, take end-to-end accountability for outcomes, and can balance pace with long-term architectural integrity. Innovation here means practical, scalable solutions, not ideas that stay on whiteboards.

Halfords operates a hybrid working policy – this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.

About the role

As Data Architect within our Technology Architecture function, you’ll step into a newly created role at a pivotal point in our data journey. Data has previously sat outside formal architectural governance; this role brings strategic direction and clear guardrails as it becomes central to the organisation. With a major Customer Data Platform and a multi‑year ERP programme ahead, you’ll shape the data architecture from the ground up rather than inherit an existing blueprint.

Day to day, you’ll define and govern the enterprise data architecture, chair the Data Design Authority, and set technical direction across Azure Fabric, Data Lake, Databricks, Informatica MDM, and Salesforce Data Cloud. Working closely with the Head of Data Governance, you’ll ensure standards are embedded in delivery. This is new ground rather than a finished product, so strong Databricks and Azure expertise, strategic thinking, and the appetite to build something with real commercial impact are essential.

Key responsibilities

• Define and own the enterprise data architecture strategy, principles, and roadmap, ensuring a coherent target state across analytics, operational, and customer data domains
• Chair and lead the Data Design Authority, providing architectural decision-making, assurance, and risk management across data initiatives
• Provide architectural guardrails and technical direction to the Director of Data and Analytics and associated delivery teams, ensuring solutions align to enterprise standards across Azure Fabric, Data Lake, Databricks, Informatica MDM, and Salesforce Data Cloud
• Lead the architectural design and governance of the key technology and data programmes, bringing proper structure and ownership to this area of the function
• Drive adoption of modern cloud-native data practices, embedding DataOps, automation, and CI/CD approaches to improve resilience, scalability, and delivery pace
• Ensure security, privacy, and regulatory compliance is embedded by design across all enterprise data architecture patterns and platform capabilities
• Line manage the Platform Architect for Data, working in close partnership with the Head of Data Governance to ensure architectural standards are embedded in practice
  
  

About you

• Demonstrable experience defining and governing enterprise data architecture within a complex, multi-domain organisation, with strong hands-on Databricks and Azure stack experience is essential
• Proven track record shaping and implementing data architectures on Microsoft Azure data platforms, including Fabric, Data Lake, and Databricks
• Deep expertise in data modelling, enterprise integration patterns, and master data management, including platforms such as Informatica MDM and Salesforce Data Cloud
• Experience establishing and leading architectural governance forums or design authorities, with the confidence to set standards and hold teams to them
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including line management and development of architecture or platform specialists
• Able to translate complex data architecture into clear commercial outcomes, influencing senior stakeholders and supporting strategic investment decisions
• Comfortable working in an environment that isn't yet fully formed, with the initiative to build something well from the ground up
  
  

Reward & benefits

• A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, car allowance, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and enhanced family leave.
• Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations.
• We offer hybrid working with a blend of working in our Support Centre and from home.
• You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.
• Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords.

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family.

Note: Halfords operates a hybrid working policy – this position will be based 3 days per week at our support centre in Redditch, West Midlands.