Principal Data Architect Full Time

We are Haefele Software. We are a boutique software development firm, established in London 2006, with a growing team of 50 between London and Cape Town.

We are engineering-focused and build high-performance Agile teams, enjoying complex problems, serving a variety of industries and clients, generally abroad.

As a collective, we strive to be surrounded by equally personable, sharp, and growth-minded people, in a space that values relationships, people first, and pragmatic process, to foster the mentor and the mentorable.

Principal Data Architect

The Role

A Lead/Principal Data Architect at Haefele Software is a technical leader who combines strategic thinking, deep architecture expertise, and a strong delivery mindset to help clients unlock the full value of their data. These individuals operate confidently at the intersection of business and technology—crafting secure, scalable, and high-impact data platforms using the modern Microsoft data stack.

They bring years of hands-on experience working across diverse industries, guiding teams through complex data challenges, and delivering intelligent, future-ready solutions. Their toolkit spans Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Synapse, and Power BI—and they’re just as comfortable in a whiteboarding session with a CTO as they are modelling data in a Lakehouse environment. Lead Data Architects at Haefele are not just builders—they’re advisors, coaches, and problem-solvers. They help teams adopt best practices, avoid pitfalls, and move faster with confidence. They’re critical to pre-sales, delivery, and internal capability growth, and they serve as role models for what quality technical leadership looks like.

Your First 6 Months at Haefele Software

Your journey at Haefele kicks off with full support from our staff experience team, who’ll make sure you’re fully equipped with your hardware, access, and everything else you need from Day one.

You’ll go through a series of structured induction touchpoints across your first few weeks – These include introductions to key people, our ways of working, and our internal delivery practices — all designed to help you land smoothly and start adding value confidently.

You’ll meet your direct lead, connect with your client team, and get introduced to the broader leadership team. You’ll start contributing to real work, with support from your Practice Lead and peers to guide you along the way. We’ll also help you set some initial professional goals and check in regularly to track your progress, offer feedback, and support your growth in the role.

Your Mission

• Architect and lead the delivery of modern data platforms (lakehouse, RTI, warehouse) using the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Own end-to-end data solutioning for clients—from discovery to go-live.
• Define data models, flows, governance, and security practices that scale.
• Support pre-sales and proposal efforts by crafting compelling, scalable architecture strategies.
• Translate technical ideas into business value during stakeholder engagements.
• Provide technical oversight across multiple projects and delivery teams.
• Mentor other architects, engineers, and analysts across the data discipline.
• Contribute to internal accelerators, methodologies, and reference architectures.
• Represent Haefele’s data expertise through thought leadership and industry participation.

Essential Experience

• 10+ years in data architecture or engineering roles, including leadership experience on enterprise projects.
• Proven track record with the Azure Data Platform: Data Lake, Synapse, Fabric, Data Factory, and Purview.
• Experience architecting and delivering lakehouse, data mesh, and real-time data streaming solutions.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks, Delta Lake, SQL, and Spark.
• Strong working knowledge of Power BI, including DirectLake and OneLake features.
• Deep understanding of data governance, security, and regulatory compliance.
• Experience supporting pre-sales, scoping workshops, and architecture whiteboarding.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience engaging technical and non-technical audiences.
• Prior experience working in consultancy or agency environments is highly advantageous.

Essential Personal Skills

• Strategic thinker with the ability to zoom in and out between architecture and delivery.
• Effective communicator and facilitator—able to translate between business and technical worlds.
• Comfortable leading teams while remaining hands-on with design and problem solving.
• Collaborative mindset—values knowledge sharing and team success over individual wins.
• Curious and proactive—constantly learning, exploring, and staying ahead of tech trends.
• Calm under pressure—navigates ambiguity and solves problems with clarity and empathy.
• High sense of ownership—sees projects through from vision to execution.
• Passionate about data as a strategic enabler, not just a backend utility.
• Enjoys mentoring and contributing to the growth of others.
• Brings a can-do attitude and positivity into every engagement.

Principal Data Architect

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