Job Description

About the role.

As part of the development of our Digital Services function, we are strengthening internal digital capability within the Data Team. These roles are central to building sustainable in-house expertise that supports the design, development, and delivery of digital solutions across the transport network.

A key focus of this campaign is creating new opportunities, and as a result, we are recruiting Lead Data Architects. This is a pivotal role within the organisation.

In this role, you will work closely with stakeholders to define data strategies, principles, and objectives. You will take an active role in technical and business design authorities, ensuring systems are designed, upgraded, managed, decommissioned, and archived in line with data policies across the full data lifecycle.

You will lead the design of data flows and translating business requirements into effective data architecture, while providing oversight and guidance to other data architects. Working in partnership with technical architects, you will ensure consistency, strong governance, and that the organisation’s systems align with agreed data architecture principles, enabling better use of trusted data for decision-making.

This is a hybrid role, requiring two days per week in the office, based at any National Highways office location.

• Take an active role in technical and business design authorities, approving data strategies and ensuring alignment with organisational objectives.
• Work with business unit representatives and senior stakeholders to define data strategies, principles, and objectives that meet business needs.
• Provide assurance through verification and validation that systems are designed, upgraded, managed, decommissioned, and archived in line with data policies across the full data lifecycle.
• Lead the design of data flows and translating business requirements into effective data architecture and supporting the interpretation of needs at a strategic level.
• Provide oversight and guidance, ensuring consistent standards are applied, supporting data dictionary management, and working with technical architects to align systems with agreed data architecture principles.
• Embed data governance, quality, and assurance across the full data lifecycle, ensuring compliance with organisational policy, responsible use of AI, strong metadata management, and high data quality standards. Governance is enabled through Unity Catalog and Microsoft Purview.

About you.

• Ability to communicate effectively between technical and non-technical stakeholders, translating complex data concepts into clear insights, facilitating discussions across multidisciplinary teams, and confidently managing differing perspectives.
• Strong understanding of data modelling, covering the design, how they interact over multiple subject areas and industry standards.
• Experience in metadata management and data standards, including maintaining accurate repositories, conducting impact analysis, and ensuring data is governed, consistent, and compliant across systems.
• Proven capability to translate business challenges into scalable data architecture solutions, working across multiple domains to identify common approaches and deliver coherent, end-to-end designs.
• Demonstrated leadership behaviours, including driving continuous improvement and innovation, building collaborative relationships, communicating a clear vision, and making informed, evidence-based decisions that align with organisational objectives.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England’s motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

The Digital Services Directorate is helping to reshape the way National Highways operates by delivering digital, data, and technology services across all areas, from frontline to back office, in a modern and efficient manner. Our vision is to develop integrated information and technology that empowers our colleagues and provides real-time information to our customers, as well as integrating with intelligent vehicle and transport systems as they evolve, to enhance journey safety and reliability.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Why you should join us

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation.

A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package

• Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year

If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:

• Right to work check
• 3 year employment history references
• DBS criminal record check
• Social media and adverse journalism check
• Driving licence check (if applicable)
• Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
• Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)

And finally

We reserve the right to close before the advertisement expires.