Principal Data Platform Architect

Welcome to Haleon. We’re a purpose-driven, world-class consumer company putting everyday health in the hands of millions. In just three years since our launch, we’ve grown, evolved and are now entering an exciting new chapter – one filled with bold ambitions and enormous opportunity.

Our trusted portfolio of brands – including Sensodyne®, Panadol®, Advil®, Voltaren®, Theraflu®, Otrivin®, and Centrum® – lead in resilient and growing categories. What sets us apart is our unique blend of deep human understanding and trusted science.

Now it’s time to fully realise the full potential of our business and our people. We do this through our Win as One strategy. It puts our purpose – to deliver better everyday health with humanity – at the heart of everything we do. It unites us, inspires us, and challenges us to be better every day, driven by our agile, performance-focused culture.

About the role  

The   Principal Data Platform Architect   acts as the senior technical authority for the organisation’s   data platform technology landscape , accountable for defining, governing, and evolving the platforms that underpin Data Foundations, Data Products, analytics, and AI use cases at enterprise scale.  

This role owns the   strategic and target ‑ state architecture   of the data platform, including cloud data services, processing engines, integration and streaming technologies, and platform ‑ level capabilities such as security, resilience, scalability, and performance. Working closely with data engineering, data architecture, security, and platform operations teams, the Principal Data Platform Architect ensures that all Data & AI solutions are built on a   consistent, secure, and reusable platform architecture   aligned to agreed enterprise standards and principles.  

Operating at Principal level, the role balances   deep technical leadership   with   architectural governance and assurance . It   is responsible for   evaluating new data technologies, defining reference architectures and patterns, and guiding complex platform ‑ level decisions and trade ‑ offs across the organisation. The role plays a critical part in ensuring that platform evolution supports long ‑ term business value, cost efficiency, and operational sustainability, rather than short ‑ term project optimisation.  

The Principal Data Platform Architect partners closely with   Enterprise , Solution and   Data Architects , ensuring that platform decisions enable domain ‑ aligned Data Foundations and Value Pool delivery, without driving fragmentation or unnecessary divergence. While Solution Architects focus on end ‑ to ‑ end solution design for individual initiatives, this role   remains   focused on the   platform as a product , ensuring coherence, scalability, and reuse across all delivery streams .  

 

The role sits within the Data Architecture and Engineering team   in   the Data and AI Office.  

 

Key responsibilities  

Data platform strategy & target architecture  

Define, optimise, and govern the specialised technology landscape for the organisation’s Data Platforms.   

Establish and   maintain   target ‑ state platform architectures that support scalable analytics, AI, and data product delivery.   

Architecture standards, principles & patterns  

Define and govern   data platform architecture standards , principles, reference architectures, and design patterns.   

Ensure consistent adoption of   approved platform technologies and patterns   across domains and Value Pools.   

Act as a custodian of platform consistency, preventing fragmentation and uncontrolled divergence.  

Technology evaluation & platform evolution  

Evaluate   new and emerging data technologies , balancing standardisation, innovation, cost, and risk.   

Define transition paths from   current ‑ state   to   future ‑ state   platforms , articulating clear architectural options and   trade ‑ offs .   

Contribute to   technology investment decisions   and shaping   long ‑ term   platform roadmaps.  

Architectural governance & assurance  

Provide   architectural governance and assurance   for data platform designs across major initiatives.   

Ensure that platform designs are   secure, performant, resilient, and scalable   before being adopted by delivery teams.   

Support technology decisions from a position of   informed technical authority .   

Cross ‑ functional   collaboration  

Partner closely with   data engineering, platform engineering, security, and operations teams   to ensure platform architectures are practical and operable.   

Work with   Enterprise ,    Solution   and Data   Architects   to ensure platform capabilities effectively support   end ‑ to ‑ end   solution delivery without owning solution design.   

Security, governance & compliance by design  

Embed   data security, privacy, governance, and regulatory requirements   into data platform architectures by design.   

Ensure platform technologies support   appropriate   data   classification, access controls, and auditability .  

Thought leadership & capability uplift  

Provide   thought leadership   in data platform technologies, analytics, data science, AI, and GenAI.   

Promote strong architectural thinking aligned to enterprise principles rather than   project ‑ specific   optimisation.   

 

Qualifications and skills  

Essential  

Proven experience in a   Data Platform Architect   or equivalent senior   technical   architecture role within a large, complex enterprise environment.   

Demonstrated   track record   designing and governing   enterprise ‑ scale   data platforms   supporting analytics, data products, and AI use cases.   

Strong   hands ‑ on   experience with   cloud ‑ based   data platforms   (Azure preferred or equivalent), including data lakes, analytics platforms, and integration services.   

Bachelor’s degree in   Computer Science , Engineering, Mathematics , or equivalent practical experience  

D ata Platform Architecture :  

Deep   expertise   in   data platform architecture , spanning ingestion, transformation, storage, processing, analytics, and integration layers.  

Strong understanding of   cloud data foundations , including lake,   lakehouse , or warehouse style patterns.  

Experience designing platforms that are   scalable, performant, resilient, and cost efficient .  

Architecture Standards & Governance:  

Proven ability to   define, govern, and enforce platform architecture standards , principles, reference architectures, and design patterns.  

Experience providing   architectural assurance   across initiatives, ensuring platform designs align to agreed enterprise standards.  

Ability to prevent platform fragmentation by driving   consistent technology adoption   across domains and Value Pools.  

Security, Governance & Compliance :  

Strong knowledge of   data security, privacy, governance, and regulatory requirements , and how to embed these into platform architecture by design.  

Experience designing platforms that support   data classification, access controls, lineage, and auditability .  

Collaboration & Influence  

Experience working closely with   data engineering, platform engineering, security, and operations teams   to ensure architectures are practical and operable.  

Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to   articulate architectural   trade ‑ offs , risks, and decisions   clearly.  

Ability to collaborate effectively with   Enterprise and Solution Architects   without owning   end ‑ to ‑ end   solution design.  

 

Preferred  

Advanced Platform & Technology Experience  

Experience with   streaming and   event ‑ driven   data architectures .  

Familiarity with   modern analytics and AI platforms   (e.g. Databricks,   Spark ‑ based   platforms, streaming services).  

Exposure to   domain ‑ aligned   or federated data architecture models   (e.g. data mesh–influenced approaches).  

Platform Evolution & Transformation  

Experience contributing to   enterprise data platform modernisation or transformation programmes .  

Ability to define and communicate   transition roadmaps   from   current ‑ state   to   future ‑ state   platform architectures.  

Experience supporting   technology evaluation and investment decisions   at enterprise level.  

Ways of Working & Leadership  

Experience   operating   in   Agile and   DevOps ‑ aligned   environments , supporting delivery from design through to industrialisation.  

Experience mentoring or coaching   other architects and senior engineers , raising overall architectural maturity.  

Strong documentation skills for   reference architectures, standards, and guidance artefacts .  

Certifications & Industry Context  

Relevant cloud or architecture certifications   (e.g. Azure,   TOGAF ‑ aligned , or equivalent).  

Experience working in   highly regulated or strongly governed industries .  

 

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        Job Posting End Date     2026-07-10       Equal Opportunities Haleon are committed to mobilising our purpose in a way that represents the diverse consumers and communities who rely on our brands every day. It guides us in creating an inclusive culture, where different backgrounds and views are valued and respected – all in support of understanding and best serving the needs of our consumers and unleashing the full potential of our people. It’s important to us that Haleon is a place where all our employees feel they truly belong.

During the application process, we may ask you to share some personal information, which is entirely voluntary. This information ensures we meet certain regulatory and reporting obligations and supports the development, refinement, and execution of our inclusion and belonging programmes that are open to all Haleon employees. 

The personal information you provide will be kept confidential, used only for legitimate business purposes, and will never be used in making any employment decisions, including hiring decisions.       Adjustment or Accommodations Request If you require a reasonable adjustment or accommodation or other assistance to apply for a job at Haleon at any stage of the application process, please let your recruiter know by providing them with a description of specific adjustments you are requesting. We’ll provide all reasonable adjustments to support you throughout the recruitment process and treat all information you provide us in confidence.        Note to candidates The Haleon recruitment team will contact you using a Haleon email account (@haleon.com). If you are not sure whether the email you received is from Haleon, please get in touch.