Data Architect

Data Architect – AWS Location: Remote Clearance: SC & NPPV3 Role Type: Permanent or 12 month Fixed Term Contract About the Role Amber Labs is looking for an experienced Data Architect to join our growing team, supporting the design and delivery of secure, scalable and modern cloud solutions across complex technology environments. This role will suit an architect with strong AWS experience, a solid understanding of cloud-native architecture and a track record of providing technical leadership across engineering, DevOps and data teams. You will play a key role in defining architecture standards, supporting cloud transformation and modernisation, and ensuring solutions are secure, resilient, cost-effective and aligned with business objectives. Key Responsibilities Cloud Solution Design

• Design scalable, secure and highly available architectures using AWS services including EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, IAM, VPC and CloudFront.
• Select appropriate AWS services based on business requirements, performance, security and cost considerations.
• Design modern cloud solutions using microservices, serverless, APIs and event-driven architectures. Architecture Governance & Standards
• Define and enforce cloud architecture principles, patterns, standards and best practices.
• Ensure solutions align with security frameworks, compliance requirements, IAM principles and the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
• Review solution designs and provide architectural assurance throughout the delivery lifecycle. Technical Leadership
• Provide technical direction and leadership to engineering teams, developers, DevOps engineers and data specialists.
• Support teams through complex implementation and architectural challenges.
• Act as a technical authority and provide guidance on architectural decisions and trade-offs. Security & Compliance
• Design and implement security controls covering IAM, encryption, network segmentation, monitoring and threat detection.
• Ensure AWS solutions meet relevant regulatory and security requirements, including GDPR, ISO 27001 and PCI DSS where applicable.
• Embed security and compliance considerations throughout the architecture and delivery lifecycle. Infrastructure as Code
• Lead and promote the adoption of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices.
• Experience with technologies such as Terraform, CloudFormation or AWS CDK.
• Develop and standardise reusable templates and modules to enable consistent and repeatable deployments across environments. Performance & Cost Optimisation
• Monitor and optimise AWS workloads using tools such as CloudWatch, Trusted Advisor and Cost Explorer.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, reliability, operational efficiency and cost effectiveness.
• Ensure architectures are designed with scalability, resilience and long-term sustainability in mind. Cloud Migration & Modernisation
• Define and support cloud migration strategies including rehosting, replatforming, refactoring and containerisation.
• Design modernisation approaches for legacy environments and identify opportunities to leverage cloud-native capabilities.
• Support the transition towards microservices, serverless and event-driven architectures. Stakeholder Engagement
• Act as a technical counterpart to Product Owners, Business Stakeholders and Delivery Managers.
• Translate complex technical and architectural concepts into clear, understandable language for non-technical stakeholders.
• Balance technical considerations with business objectives, delivery requirements and commercial constraints. Troubleshooting & Escalation
• Provide advanced technical support for complex issues across application, infrastructure and integration layers.
• Lead root cause analysis for high-priority incidents affecting AWS workloads.
• Provide architectural guidance to resolve technical challenges and prevent recurring issues. Continuous Improvement & Innovation
• Stay up to date with emerging AWS services, cloud technologies and architectural trends.
• Identify opportunities to modernise, automate, simplify and improve existing cloud environments.
• Champion continuous improvement across architecture, engineering and operational practices. About You We are looking for someone who can combine strong AWS architecture expertise with excellent technical leadership and stakeholder management skills. You will ideally have:
• Proven experience working as a Data Architect, Cloud Architect, Solution Architect or similar senior architecture role.
• Strong hands-on experience designing and implementing solutions within AWS.
• Strong understanding of AWS services including EC2, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, IAM, VPC and CloudFront.
• Experience designing secure, scalable and highly available cloud architectures.
• Strong knowledge of cloud security, IAM, encryption and network architecture.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code, ideally Terraform, CloudFormation or AWS CDK.
• Understanding of microservices, serverless, APIs, containerisation and event-driven architectures.
• Experience supporting cloud migration and modernisation programmes.
• Knowledge of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
• Experience with cloud monitoring, performance management and cost optimisation.
• Strong technical leadership and architectural governance experience.
• Excellent stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience working within regulated or security-conscious environments.
• Active SC and NPPV3 clearance. Why Amber Labs? At Amber Labs, we are committed to creating an environment where talented people can do their best work. We work across complex technology and transformation programmes, giving our people the opportunity to solve challenging problems, work with modern technologies and make a genuine impact. You'll be joining a collaborative, delivery-focused environment where innovation, continuous learning and technical excellence are encouraged. What You'll Get at Amber Labs You'll join a consultancy where ownership, curiosity and collaboration are central to how we work. Our teams work on programmes where quality, security and delivery really matter, alongside experienced specialists across data, cloud, digital and architecture. We offer:
• Permanent or 12-month FTC employment
• Private healthcare (Bupa)
• Company pension
• 25 days annual leave plus UK bank holidays
• Learning & development budget
• Perkbox rewards
• Flexible working
• Opportunities to work on complex, high-impact transformation programmes
• A collaborative environment with genuine opportunities to develop your expertise