Kainos is recognised as one of the leading AI and data businesses, with a decade-long track record of delivering impactful, production-grade AI solutions for clients across government, healthcare, defence and commercial sectors. Kainos is at the forefront of AI innovation, trusted by Microsoft, AWS, and others to deliver advanced AI and data solutions at citizen scale. 

Our 150-strong AI and Data Practice brings together deep expertise in machine learning, generative AI, agentic AI and data. We are an award-winning practice and pioneers in Responsible AI, and we partner with leading organisations to ensure AI is deployed responsibly and with measurable business value. Our teams are at the cutting edge of AI research, and delivery, it is truly an exciting team to join Kainos as we further grow our Data and AI capability. 

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE BUSINESS: 

As a Data Solution Architect (Manager) in Kainos, you’ll be responsible for a multi- skilled agile team to design and deliver contemporary data solutions. You will be a quality orientated pragmatist, where you balance trade-offs to successfully deliver complex solutions. You will be viewed as an authority figure for data technology solutions, providing strong technical and thought leadership 

You will be responsible for articulating the opportunity and the value it can bring in ways understood by all stakeholders - both business and technical. 

• Successfully implementing functional and non-functional designs  

• Working closely with Ops and Infrastructure architects to productionise robust, resilient, and maintainable data solutions 

• Working closely with customer architects to agree functional and non-functional designs. Advising, questioning, informing, and helping the customer in making sound solution design outcomes. 

• Working with your peers to develop policy and standards, share knowledge and mentor those around you 

• Managing and estimating timelines underpinning solution delivery 

• Owning technical solution design as part of a pre-sales process and able to sustain key customer relationships with decision makers 

• Broad business and technology understanding of Data & AI landscape and a proven awareness of industry trends 

• Making a significant contribution to the data community and wider data and AI capability 

• Managing, coaching and developing a small number of staff, with a focus on managing employee performance and assisting in their career development. You’ll also provide direction for your team as you solve problems together 

MINIMUM (ESSENTIAL) REQUIREMENTS: 

• Experience of leading multiple teams as the data solution architect, with ownership of a system of systems 

• Experience in designing, building and productionising modern data-intensive applications including orchestration and operation 

• Broad knowledge of the full spectrum of data technologies (data ingestion, transformation, storage, presentation, consumption) being able to integrate these into successful solutions 

• Strategic design thinking experience, including problem conceptualisation, approach and roadmap definition, architecture realisation and risk management 

• Comfortable with traditional and contemporary data warehousing concepts 

• Experience of deploying data-processing platforms from vendors such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Databricks. 

• Comfortable in one or more of Java, Scala, or Python with the ability to be ‘hands on’ when  

DESIRABLE: 

• Knowledge of wider Data Architecture concepts, for example Master Data 

• Management, Masking, Data Governance, Provenance and Lineage 

• Experience of Technical Evaluation and product selection 

• Comfortable with data integration techniques such as messaging, queuing, change data capture or data virtualisation 

• Domain experience across Healthcare, Government or Commercial sectors 

• Experience designing AI/ML products. 

• Active participant in communities of interest (e.g. online groups, speaking at conferences etc.) 

• Has advised customers on how to improve their data maturity and is able to identify compelling data opportunities 

• Experience in stakeholder management, comfortable challenging decisions when appropriate and tailoring collaboration and communication styles where necessary 

• Familiar with trends in data science and engineering, including techniques, competitors, partners and technology trends 

• Good commercial awareness, always delivering within project constraints 

• Able to work flexibly and to tight deadlines 

• Experience contributing to sales activities (e.g. working on bids, writing sales proposals etc.) 

• Good verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate with a variety of stakeholders.