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Principal Cloud Data Architect (Aether Solution Owner)

Aggregate function:  Technology
Business Area:  VT IT Ops,Infrastr.&Techn.VOIS
Posting Country:  United Kingdom
Date Posted:  25 Mar 2026
Full Time / Part Time:  Full Time
Contract Type:  Permanent

At Vodafone, we’re working hard to build a better future. A more connected, inclusive and sustainable world. As a dynamic global community, it's our human spirit, together with technology, that empowers us to achieve this. 

We challenge and innovate in order to connect people, businesses, and communities across the world. Delighting our customers and earning their loyalty drive us, and we experiment, learn fast and get it done, together.

With us, you can be truly be yourself and belong, share inspiration, embrace new opportunities, thrive, and make a real difference.

Who we are

VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions) is a strategic arm of Vodafone Group Plc, creating value for customers by delivering intelligent solutions through Talent, Technology & Transformation.
As the largest shared services organisation in the global telco industry with 30,000 FTE, our portfolio of next-generation solutions and services are designed in partnership with customers across Vodafone Group, local markets, and partner markets to simplify and drive growth. With our strategic partner Accenture, we work alongside our Vodafone customers, other Telco and tech companies to drive transformation, meet the challenges of our industry and ensure we stay relevant and resilient. This partnership is a unique, industry-first model which brings together the best of in-house and 3rd party capability.
We work with customers across 28 countries from 10 VOIS locations: Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, Germany, Ireland, and with a network of teams in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Portugal.
#VOIS #BeUnrivalled #CreateTheFuture

About this Role

We are seeking a knowledgeable and forward‑thinking Principal Cloud Data Architect to lead the vision, evolution, and delivery of our enterprise Data Fabric platform on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). As the Solution Owner for the Aether platform, the individual will define architecture standards, influence platform direction, and guide multidisciplinary teams in building a unified, metadata‑driven data ecosystem.
This role sits at the intersection of architecture, governance, platform innovation, and hands‑on exploration. The individual will shape the semantic, integration, and governance layers that enable data connectivity across on‑premises systems, cloud services, SaaS applications and multi‑cloud environments. The position requires close collaboration with Product and Service Managers, Platform Engineers, Data Engineers, and senior stakeholders to develop platform roadmaps, deliver continuous improvements, and enable the organisation to adopt advanced analytics and AI solutions at scale.
The individual will contribute directly to Vodafone’s cloud transformation strategy by ensuring that data platforms are secure, governed, scalable, self‑service, and designed for broad adoption across domains. It is an ideal opportunity for someone passionate about driving impactful architectural change across a global organisation.

What you’ll do

  • Define the strategic vision and target architecture for the enterprise Data Fabric built on GCP.
  • Develop architectural blueprints covering data integration, metadata management, data governance and data quality.
  • Design a unified semantic layer to provide a consistent business view of data assets.
  • Select and evaluate GCP-native and third‑party services required for the Data Fabric’s functional components.
  • Guide engineering teams in delivering robust cloud‑native data pipelines, including batch and streaming ingestion.
  • Architect storage solutions using Cloud Storage and BigQuery for enterprise-scale analytics and reporting.Implement Everything as Code (EaC) practices for automated provisioning and management of GCP infrastructure.
  • Lead the adoption of Dataplex for governance, metadata harvesting, lineage and automated data quality monitoring.
  • Mentor technical teams and promote best practices in data architecture and cloud engineering.
  • Collaborate with Product and Service Managers to define platform roadmaps and develop investment cases.
  • Engage with senior internal stakeholders to support AI, advanced analytics and the Agentic Mesh platform.

Who you are

  • Expert-level understanding of GCP services such as BigQuery, Google Cloud Storage, Cloud Pub/Sub and Dataplex.
  • Strong knowledge of Data Fabric principles, active metadata, semantic knowledge graphs, data virtualisation and modern data architectures including Data Mesh and Lakehouse.
  • Skilled in designing data models for data lakes and warehouses.
  • Hands‑on experience with Terraform, Ansible and open‑source data technologies such as Apache Spark, Apache Airflow or Apache Beam.
  • Strong communication skills, able to explain technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
  • Proven ability to influence architectural decisions across diverse stakeholders.
  • Analytical, collaborative and solution‑oriented approach to complex data challenges.
  • Must‑have experience:
    • 7+ years in data architecture, data engineering or related fields.
    • 3+ years building cloud‑native data platforms, ideally on GCP.
    • Proven experience architecting enterprise-scale integration and governance solutions.

Not a perfect fit?

Worried that you don’t meet all the desired criteria exactly? At Vodafone we are passionate about empowering people and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their personal or professional background. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align exactly with every part of the job description, we encourage you to still apply as you may be the right candidate for this role or another opportunity.

What's in it for you

  • Opportunity to shape Vodafone’s global Data Fabric platform and influence enterprise-wide data strategy.
  • Exposure to GCP’s most advanced data and governance capabilities, including Dataplex-driven metadata intelligence.
  • Collaboration with senior leaders, data specialists, engineering teams and cross‑market stakeholders.
  • Continuous learning through hands‑on innovation in AI, agentic systems and self‑service data ecosystems.
  • An inclusive environment that supports personal development, skill advancement and long-term career growth.

What skills you will learn

  • Advanced cloud data architecture with a focus on metadata‑driven design and governance automation.
  • Deep expertise in GCP and Dataplex for metadata intelligence, lineage tracking and data quality.
  • Strategic architectural leadership and roadmap ownership for enterprise platforms.
  • Designing interoperable, multi‑domain data ecosystems for analytics and AI.
  • Enhanced collaboration and stakeholder management skills across a global organisation.

VOIS Equal Opportunity Employer Commitment

Vodafone recognises and celebrates the value of diversity in building a workforce that reflects the customers and communities it serves. No form of discrimination is tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, colour, age, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, political affiliation, trade union membership, nationality, citizenship, indigenous status, medical condition, HIV status, neurodiversity, social origin, cultural background, marital or civil partnership status, or socio-economic background.

Join Us

At Vodafone, we’re not just shaping the future of connectivity for our customers – we’re shaping the future for everyone who joins our team. When you work with us, you’re part of a global mission to connect people, solve complex challenges, and create a sustainable and more inclusive world. If you want to grow your career whilst finding the perfect balance between work and life, Vodafone offers the opportunities to help you belong and make a real impact.

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Vodafone is committed to attracting, developing and retaining the very best people by offering a motivating and inclusive workplace in which talent is truly recognised and rewarded. We are committed to promoting Inclusion for All with the belief that diversity plays an important role in the success of our business. We actively encourage everyone to consider becoming a part of our journey.

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