Data and AI Architect

NO RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

All applicants must have the right to work in the United Kingdom.

Location: UK wide. Hybrid working arrangement if within commutable distance to Glasgow office, otherwise home based. Travel to client sites when required.

Employment Type and Level: Permanent | Full Time

ABOUT SERVENT

Servent is a Microsoft Solutions Partner helping organisations harness the power of Cloud, Data, Security and AI to drive transformation and business growth. We specialise in designing and delivering modern Microsoft technology solutions that enable customers to become secure, data-driven and AI-enabled enterprises. As part of our continued growth, we are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect to help customers unlock the value of their data, accelerate AI adoption and shape the evolution of Servent's Data and AI capability.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As Servent continues to expand its Data and AI capability, we are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect to help grow our Data and AI practice and deliver transformative customer outcomes. This is a hands-on role combining customer advisory, solution architecture, technical leadership and business growth responsibilities. You will work with customers, Microsoft and Servent delivery teams to design modern Data and AI solutions, support pre-sales opportunities and deliver successful customer outcomes. You will lead discovery workshops, define solution architectures, support the evolution of Servent's Data and AI offerings and help establish Servent as a recognised leader in Azure Data, Analytics and AI transformation.

KEY OBJECTIVES

The successful candidate will:

• Develop innovative Data and AI offerings aligned to Microsoft's strategic priorities.
• Support the growth of Data and AI revenue through customer engagement and pre-sales activity.
• Develop technical capability and mentoring across Servent's consulting teams.
• Support Servent's Advanced Specialisation, Solution Partner Designation and marketplace growth objectives.

SUCCESS IN ROLE

Success in role will be measured by:

• Support the growth of qualified Data and AI pipeline and revenue.
• Creation of repeatable Data and AI service offerings and accelerators.
• Successful delivery of high-quality, profitable customer engagements.
• Positive customer outcomes, advocacy and repeat engagement.

Data and AI Practice

• Support the development and growth of Servent's Data and AI practice, ensuring alignment with business objectives, market opportunities and Microsoft's strategic direction.
• Define and evolve Servent's Data and AI service offerings, methodologies, accelerators and delivery frameworks.
• Establish architectural standards, governance principles and quality frameworks to ensure consistent delivery excellence across customer engagements.
• Act as a trusted technical leader, mentoring consultants, engineers and architects while promoting knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.

Customer Advisory and Consulting

• Engage with customer stakeholders to understand business objectives, challenges and strategic priorities.
• Carry out data maturity assessments to help clients map out their data strategy.
• Facilitate discovery workshops, envisioning sessions and architecture reviews to help customers develop Data and AI roadmaps.
• Translate business requirements into scalable, secure and cost-effective Data and AI solutions.
• Provide strategic guidance on data transformation, analytics modernisation, governance and AI adoption.
• Develop trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders and become a recognised advisor on Data and AI strategy.

Solution Architecture and Delivery

• Architect and oversee the delivery of enterprise-scale Data and AI solutions on Microsoft Azure.
• Design modern data platforms using technologies including Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake, Microsoft Purview, Azure Data Explorer, Synapse Analytics and Power BI.
• Apply data and semantic modelling best practices including dimensional modelling to deliver consistent, trusted and high-performing analytics solutions.
• Design and govern end-to-end architectures that deliver scalability, resilience, security, compliance and operational supportability.
• Provide technical quality assurance and architecture governance throughout the delivery lifecycle.

AI and Modern Data Innovation

• Design AI-ready data platforms that support advanced analytics, machine learning and Generative AI workloads.
• Architect solutions leveraging Azure AI Services, Microsoft Foundry, Copilot Studio, Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Fabric capabilities where appropriate.
• Design Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, knowledge discovery solutions and intelligent data-driven applications.
• Promote the adoption of Responsible AI principles, governance frameworks and security controls across customer and internal solutions.

Business Development and Pre-Sales

• Support sales and account management teams in identifying, qualifying and developing Data and AI opportunities.
• Contribute to proposal development, bid responses, solution estimates and Statements of Work.
• Help shape customer business cases and articulate the value of Data and AI solutions.
• Support the growth of the Data and AI practice through pipeline generation, customer expansion opportunities and strategic account development.
• Represent Servent in customer engagements, industry events and Microsoft-led initiatives.

Microsoft Partnership and Market Engagement

• Develop strong relationships with Microsoft Data and AI specialists, Microsoft Partner development managers and technical teams.
• Support the attainment and renewal of Microsoft Solution Partner Designations and Advanced Specialisations relevant to Data and AI.
• Contribute to joint Microsoft and customer engagements, workshops and go-to-market activities.

Internal Data and Business Enablement

• Support the evolution of Servent's internal data and reporting capabilities.
• Identify opportunities to leverage data, automation and AI to improve operational effectiveness and decision-making.

SKILLS

Professional Experience

We are seeking an experienced Data and AI Architect with a proven track record of designing, delivering and leading enterprise-scale Data and AI solutions within consulting, professional services or customer-facing technology environments.

The successful candidate will demonstrate experience across the following areas:

Consulting and Customer Engagement

• Proven experience leading customer workshops, discovery sessions and strategic advisory engagements.
• Ability to translate business objectives into practical Data and AI roadmaps and technical solutions.
• Experience building trusted relationships with customer stakeholders ranging from technical teams through to senior business and executive leadership.
• Strong consulting skills with the ability to influence decisions, challenge assumptions and guide customers through technology transformation initiatives.

Solution Architecture

• Significant experience architecting and delivering modern Azure-based Data and AI platforms.
• Experience leading complex transformation programmes from strategy and design through to implementation and operational handover.
• Strong understanding of enterprise architecture principles, governance, security and operational best practice.
• Ability to provide technical leadership across multiple projects whilst ensuring consistent quality and delivery excellence.
• Experience defining architecture standards, design principles and delivery frameworks.

Data and AI Expertise

• Demonstrable experience designing modern data platforms supporting analytics, reporting, machine learning and AI workloads.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, data modelling, master data management, governance and data lifecycle management.
• Experience implementing scalable and secure data solutions capable of supporting advanced analytics and AI-enabled business outcomes.
• Understanding of emerging AI technologies and their practical application within enterprise environments.
• Advise customers on data governance and AI adoption, including ownership, quality, lineage, privacy, responsible AI controls, data readiness assessments and operationalisation.

Leadership and Collaboration

• Experience mentoring, coaching and supporting the development of engineers, consultants and architects.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams including delivery, sales, operations and Microsoft stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience leading technical discussions and presenting to executive-level stakeholders.

Commercial and Business Awareness

• Experience supporting business development activities including workshops, proposals, solution design and customer presentations.
• Understanding of project commercials, solution estimation and the delivery of profitable consulting engagements.
• Experience contributing to service development, go-to-market initiatives and business growth is highly desirable.

Technical Experience

The successful candidate will possess strong experience across several of the following technology areas:

Core Experience

• Microsoft Fabric and/or Azure Databricks
• Azure data platform architecture
• Modern data platform design and delivery
• Customer-facing consulting and advisory services
• Microsoft Azure

Desirable

• Azure Data Factory
• Azure Data Lake Storage
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure Data Explorer
• Microsoft Purview
• Power BI
• Azure SQL and SQL Server platforms

Data Engineering and Analytics

• Data integration and ETL/ELT design
• Data warehousing methodologies
• Medallion architecture and modern Lakehouse design
• Data modelling and information architecture
• Streaming and near real-time data platforms
• Advanced analytics and reporting solutions
• Machine Learning and Large Language Models

Azure AI and Modern Data Solutions

• Azure AI Services
• Microsoft Foundry
• Azure OpenAI Service
• Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures
• AI-ready data platform design
• Intelligent document processing and knowledge discovery
• Responsible AI and AI governance principles

Development and DevOps

• Python and/or C#
• Azure DevOps
• GitHub
• CI/CD pipelines and automation
• Infrastructure as Code principles
• Software engineering and DevOps best practices

Architecture and Governance

• Azure Well-Architected Framework
• Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework
• Azure Landing Zones Security, compliance and governance best practices
• Enterprise architecture and solution governance methodologies

Certifications

Candidates should hold one or more relevant Microsoft certifications and demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning and professional development. Desirable certifications include:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Fabric Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

Equivalent certifications, demonstrable experience and proven expertise will also be considered.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about helping customers unlock value from their data and adopt modern AI-enabled ways of working.
• Naturally curious and committed to continuous learning in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
• Able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.
• Takes ownership and accountability for outcomes.
• Collaborative, approachable and supportive of colleagues and customers.

Don't Meet Every Requirement?

Research shows that many great candidates hesitate to apply unless they meet every requirement. At Servent, we know that skills can be developed and experience comes in many forms.

If you are excited by this opportunity and believe you have the potential to succeed in the role, we'd encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn't align with every qualification/skill listed. We're looking for talented people who share our values, demonstrate strong technical capability and have a passion for learning and helping customers succeed.

OUR BENEFITS

At Servent, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an environment where talented individuals can thrive, develop their careers and make a meaningful impact for our customers.

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:

Career Development and Learning

• Access to industry-leading training and professional development opportunities.
• Ongoing support for Microsoft certifications and accreditations.
• Exposure to the latest Microsoft technologies, including Microsoft Fabric, Azure AI, Azure OpenAI and modern data platforms.
• Opportunities to work closely with Microsoft specialists and participate in Microsoft-led initiatives.
• Defined career development pathways and mentoring from experienced technical leaders.

Flexible Working

• Home-based working with flexibility to balance professional and personal commitments.
• Hybrid working with opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and customers across the UK.
• A culture built on trust, empowerment and outcomes rather than presenteeism.

Health and Wellbeing

• Private Medical Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• MyMindPal wellbeing support.
• Group Income Protection.
• Group Critical Illness Cover.
• Death in Service Benefit.
• Financial Wellbeing Support.

Reward and Recognition

• Competitive pension scheme with Royal London.
• Lifestyle and retail savings.
• Gym and fitness discounts.
• Technology purchasing benefits.
• Employee recognition and reward programmes.

Culture and Community

• A supportive, collaborative and inclusive working environment.
• Regular social events and company-wide gatherings.
• Opportunities to contribute to our social value, charity and community initiatives.
• A culture that encourages innovation, continuous learning and knowledge sharing.

Why Join Servent?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of a growing organisation. You will have the autonomy to influence strategy, develop innovative Data and AI solutions, work with leading Microsoft technologies, and help customers become Modern AI Enterprises while advancing your own career in a supportive and ambitious environment.