SQL Architect
Posted 2 days ago by Derisk360
Negotiable
Inside
Hybrid
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom
Summary: The SQL Architect role requires a highly experienced professional with over 10 years of expertise in the Microsoft data stack to design and deliver scalable data platforms. The position involves hands-on technical leadership and end-to-end delivery from discovery to production support. The role is hybrid, based in Birmingham, and classified as inside IR35 for a fixed-term contract of one year. The ideal candidate will possess strong architectural thinking and the ability to optimize data solutions effectively.
Key Responsibilities:
- Architect and design enterprise-scale SQL Server and Azure-based data solutions.
- Lead end-to-end delivery of data platforms including requirements analysis, design, development, deployment, and support.
- Design and optimize data models using normalization, dimensional modeling, and proven data architecture patterns.
- Drive performance tuning, capacity planning, and HA/DR strategies for SQL Server environments.
- Design and implement data ingestion and transformation pipelines using SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric.
- Establish DevOps and CI/CD best practices for database and data engineering solutions.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into robust technical designs.
- Act as technical authority and escalation point for complex SQL and data platform issues.
Key Skills:
- 10+ years of experience in data engineering, DBA, or data architecture, with strong focus on SQL Server and Microsoft data platforms.
- Expert knowledge of SQL Server 2016 & 2022, including engine internals, query optimization, and performance tuning.
- Advanced T-SQL development skills including stored procedures, functions, triggers, and indexing strategies.
- Hands-on experience with SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Microsoft Fabric, and Databricks.
- Strong data design principles including normalization, dimensional modeling, and scalable data architecture patterns.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, delivering solutions from discovery to production.
- Experience with Git and Azure DevOps, including CI/CD for data solutions.
- Nice to have skills in Azure Synapse Analytics, Power BI, data governance, security management, and scripting using PowerShell and Python.
- Preferred certifications: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate and Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate.
- Behavioural competencies: Autonomous & accountable, design-first mindset, clear communicator.
Salary (Rate): undetermined
City: Birmingham
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: hybrid
IR35 Status: inside IR35
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: IT
Job Title: SQL Architect
Experience: 10+ Years
Employment Type: Contract 1 year (FTC) (Inside IR35)
Location: Birmingham
Work Mode: Hybrid (2 days work from office)
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced SQL Architect with deep expertise in the Microsoft data stack to design, build, and deliver scalable, high-performance data platforms. This role requires strong architectural thinking, hands-on technical leadership, and the ability to own end-to-end delivery from discovery through production support.
Key Responsibilities
- Architect and design enterprise-scale SQL Server and Azure-based data solutions.
- Lead end-to-end delivery of data platforms including requirements analysis, design, development, deployment, and support.
- Design and optimize data models using normalization, dimensional modeling, and proven data architecture patterns.
- Drive performance tuning, capacity planning, and HA/DR strategies for SQL Server environments.
- Design and implement data ingestion and transformation pipelines using SSIS, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, and Microsoft Fabric.
- Establish DevOps and CI/CD best practices for database and data engineering solutions.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into robust technical designs.
- Act as technical authority and escalation point for complex SQL and data platform issues.
Mandatory Skills & Experience
- 10+ years of experience in data engineering, DBA, or data architecture, with strong focus on SQL Server and Microsoft data platforms.
- Expert knowledge of SQL Server 2016 & 2022, including: Engine internals, Query optimization and performance tuning, High Availability & Disaster Recovery (Always On, Failover Clustering, etc.), Advanced T-SQL development: Stored procedures, functions, triggers, indexing strategies.
- Hands-on experience with: SSIS – package design, orchestration, and deployment, Azure Data Factory – pipelines, triggers, integration runtimes, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 – security, access patterns, folder structures, Microsoft Fabric – Lakehouse, OneLake, Data Engineering workloads, Databricks – Spark SQL, Delta Lake, notebooks, integration with ADF/Fabric.
- Strong data design principles: Normalization, Dimensional modeling, Scalable data architecture patterns.
- Proven ability to work autonomously, delivering solutions from discovery to production.
- Experience with Git and Azure DevOps, including CI/CD for data solutions.
Nice to Have Skills
- Azure Synapse Analytics
- Power BI semantic models
- Data governance and cataloging using Microsoft Purview
- Security and secrets management: RBAC / ABAC, Azure Key Vault
- Scripting and automation using PowerShell and Python
- Experience with event-driven architectures and Change Data Capture (CDC)
Preferred Certifications
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate (DP-203)
- Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600)
Behavioural Competencies
- Autonomous & Accountable: Owns delivery with minimal supervision.
- Design-First Mindset: Prioritizes simplicity, scalability, and maintainability.
- Clear Communicator: Effectively documents architecture and influences stakeholders.