Lead Data Architect

Job summary

Closing Date: 23rd October 2026

Interviews from week commencing 9th November

12 month Fixed Term Contract/Internal secondment

As the Government’s housing and regeneration agency, we work with partners to tackle housing challenges and enable the delivery of new homes. Our Data and Analytics Directorate plays a vital role in this mission, providing the data, insights, and intelligence necessary to support both existing operations and new opportunities that make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.

Joining the Data and Analytics Directorate means becoming part of a dynamic, forward-thinking team that is committed to making a tangible impact on the housing landscape in England. We are looking for professionals who are passionate about data, motivated to solve complex challenges, and eager to contribute to the success of one of the nation’s most important public agencies.

Job description

As the Lead Data Architect supporting the Help to Buy Programme within Homes England, you will play a pivotal role in enabling the effective management, reporting, and optimisation of one of the Agency’s most significant home ownership initiatives. You will lead the development, maintenance, and documentation of high-quality, standardised information assets that align with architectural principles and data governance standards, ensuring data solutions are scalable, secure, and sustainable. Through your expertise, you will help maximise the value of programme data, support informed decision-making, and enable the successful delivery of strategic and operational outcomes across the Help to Buy Programme.

You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, including data engineers, analysts, and business subject matter experts, to design and manage data models and structures that meet corporate standards and enable seamless integration across internal and external applications. As the senior technical authority for data architecture, you will shape and refine the agency’s data assets, enhancing cross-system connectivity and supporting data-driven decision-making.

This is a unique opportunity to lead the data architecture for one of Homes England’s most significant programmes, delivering high-quality data solutions that support effective programme management, informed decision-making, and the successful stewardship of a major home ownership initiative.

Person specification

You are an experienced and confident data leader with a strong track record of delivering effective, scalable, and sustainable data architecture in complex and fast-moving environments. You have deep expertise in data architecture frameworks, tools, and best practices, alongside hands-on experience designing and building data models and solutions across both cloud and on-premises platforms.

You understand how to develop data architecture from high-level concepts through to practical implementation. You know how to govern, maintain, and continuously improve high-quality, standardised information assets that are secure, accessible, and designed to stand the test of time.

You thrive on collaboration and naturally build strong, trusted relationships with colleagues across technical and non-technical teams. You are able to explain complex technical ideas in a clear and straightforward way, helping senior stakeholders and business partners understand how data can drive better decisions and deliver real value.

You are proactive, resilient, and solution-focused. You can manage competing priorities and are always looking for ways to improve, streamline, and strengthen data practices. You are comfortable working in a dynamic environment where things can change quickly, and you are ready to lead through those changes with confidence.

You understand the commercial and operational impact of your work, particularly when supporting high-profile, socially important programmes like the Help to Buy Programme. You are passionate about the power of data to improve lives and motivated by the chance to make a real difference.

As a Lead Data Architect, you will play a key role in setting direction, guiding others, and embedding a strong, positive data culture across the organisation.

Benefits

Homes England is an executive non-departmental public body with its own terms and conditions, benefits and pension scheme. We are a government agency working in partnership with the private sector and want to employ and retain great people. In return we offer a range of excellent benefits, some of the key benefits include:

Holiday - Homes England offers all staff 33 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 statutory bank holidays.

Working Flexibly - At Homes England we have a strong culture of flexible working and encourage all employees to have a healthy work/life balance. We offer a wide range of potential working patterns, including part time, job share and compressed hours.

Health and Wellbeing - We offer health screening with Nuffield Proactive Health Clinics, a free Employee Assistance Programme which offers confidential support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as well as access to Occupational Health.

Professional Development - At Homes England we are committed to your continued professional and personal development with learning as one of our core values. We pay for one job-related professional membership subscription per year for our employees.

We also offer an excellent range of family friendly benefits, for example, maternity, paternity, shared parental leave.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

To apply please follow the links to our careers page.

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Selection process details

For more information on the role, please see the attached Job Description.

Successful applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application and interviews held as soon as practical after the closing date. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this role and Homes England.

Please note – Homes England has a responsibility to ensure compliance with HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard to address the potential problems of identity fraud, illegal working and deception generally. To ensure compliance we will carry out a pre-employment Personal Identity and Vetting Report through Experian to meet the standard and you will therefore be asked to provide certain information in order that the verification check can be carried out if you are successful in your application.

Homes England are an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. Our aim is to be an employer of choice, enabling everyone to reach their full potential.

Homes England is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal data. For further information please refer to our Privacy Notice which can be viewed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about/personal-information-charter

Nationality requirements

Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals. Further information on whether you are able to apply is available here.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a guaranteed disability confident interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment Team
• Email : recruitmentinfo@homesengland.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitmentinfo@homesengland.gov.uk