Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world.
JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.
We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives.
Lead Data Architect
Role overview:
We are seeking a visionary and hands-on Lead Data Architect to shape and drive the data architecture strategy across the JD Group. This role is pivotal in enabling scalable, secure, and high-performing data solutions that support our business transformation, customer experience, and AI-driven innovation.
You will lead the design and governance of our data platforms, ensuring alignment with business goals, regulatory requirements, and emerging technologies. Collaborating with engineering, analytics and business teams, you'll be instrumental in building a modern data ecosystem that powers decision-making and operational excellence.
Responsibilities:
Architectural Leadership
* Build a comprehensive understanding of JD Group's current data architecture, continuously reviewing and advising on improvements as technology evolves
* Define and evolve enterprise data architecture, including data models, pipelines, storage, and integration patterns establishing standards and a blueprint for the future
Platform Strategy
* Lead the design and implementation of our cloud-native GCP data platform ensuring scalability, performance, and cost-efficiency
* Define our target architecture on GCP and planning out the roadmap to transition from our current setup to this end state
Governance & Standards
* Establish and maintain data governance frameworks, metadata management, and data quality standards across the JD Group to build robust foundations for AI enablement
* Drive improvements in GCP estate security, monitoring, and FinOps practices
* Create and maintain a Data Architecture Playbook for wider Group data functions to follow
Collaboration & Influence
* Partner with engineering, analytics and business stakeholders to translate strategic goals into technical data requirements and solutions
* Represent the Data & AI function on the Technical Design Authority reviewing and inputting into proposed solutions to ensure that designs align to JD standards
* Support project scoping to ensure data considerations are considered and review supplier integration approaches to ensure these align with internal best practice
Innovation & Enablement
* Evaluating and introducing emerging technologies to future-proof our data landscape
* Collaborating with key partners to align on how we adopt best practice approaches across the group
Mentorship
* Guiding and mentoring team members across the Data & AI team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning
* Promote knowledge sharing and technical leadership across the Data & AI team and wider business
Skills and Experience:
* Proven cloud-native data architecture experience, with deep GCP expertise
* At least five years of relevant experience in design and implementation of data architecture including data pipelines, models, storage, and integration patterns
* Deep knowledge of GCP products including GCS, Dataform, BigQuery, and Vertex AI
* Proven ability to share knowledge and mentor technical teams
* Strong integration and analytics expertise, experience with FinOps best practice desirable
* Knowledge of data security controls and best practice
* Ability to collaborate and excel in complex, cross-functional teams involving data scientists, business analysts, and stakeholders
* Skilled at simplifying complexity and embedding standards balancing technical excellence with business pragmatism and cost considerations
* Familiarity with modern data architectures including event driven architectures
* Effective communicator who can influence and engage senior stakeholders across business and technology domains who can provide authoritative guidance
* Ability to simplify existing data architecture, delivering reusable services and cost-saving opportunities aligned with company standards
* Experience of data migrations between cloud platforms - ideally to GCP
* Retail experience preferred, with an understanding of data landscapes in large-scale global enterprises; private sector experience required
* Ability to regularly learn and adopt new technology, especially in the ML/AI realm
We know our colleagues work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits including staff Discount On JD Group and other brands within the organisation and personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work.
Thank you for your time
JD