A Belgian public-sector IT operator designs and operates information systems for French-speaking administrations and public institutions. This Data Architect & Strategist role suits a senior data strategist in Belgium who can help finalise a five-year data roadmap covering enterprise data architecture, data governance and a governed data platform for stakeholders in Brussels, Belgium.
The mission
The roadmap defines a target data platform architecture and a transition architecture, alongside foundations for metadata, data cataloguing, access control, data quality and governance. It responds to public-service needs for reliable, accessible and reusable information, reduced duplication, stronger decision-making and practical implementation of the once-only principle. The operating model must also support responsible data use, regulatory compliance, security and auditability. The work sits at the intersection of enterprise architecture, MDM, business intelligence and data platform strategy.
You will report to the transversal IT department lead sponsoring the data strategy initiative and work with architecture, data, BI and DBA infrastructure specialists. You will also engage data owners from public administrations and beneficiaries across education, health and family services, connecting technical choices to operational needs. The initial three-month assignment covers the finalisation and operationalisation of the roadmap, including technical and financial assessment of proposed components. Your recommendations will inform priorities, capabilities and implementation sequencing for the next five years.
Your responsibilities
- Finalise the data roadmap by validating its target architecture, governance foundations and implementation priorities.
- Review the existing study critically and improve its deliverables where necessary, while preserving the overall direction.
- Assess the technical and budgetary implications of the proposed architecture, including total cost of ownership and implementation dependencies.
- Define a transition architecture for the data platform and establish the foundations of the target architecture with architecture and operational teams.
- Establish a data governance operating model and support the development of data modelling, governance and platform capabilities across internal teams and beneficiaries.
- Align the data strategy and platform usage with partner strategies in Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region, including requirements related to sovereignty and digital sobriety.
Your profile
Essential skills
- Brings senior experience in public sector data architecture and enterprise data strategy, preferably in a public or para-public environment such as administration, justice or healthcare.
- Designs data models and architectures using Kimball principles, SQL and NoSQL approaches, and data warehouse, data lake or data mesh patterns.
- Applies data governance practices covering master data management, data catalogues, data quality, data virtualisation and business intelligence.
- Builds operating models that connect data governance, IT governance, delivery processes and the practical adoption of data services.
- Identifies and mitigates risks relating to GDPR, information security, auditability, access rights and the reliability of data solutions.
- Leads project management and PMO activities, coordinating internal teams and external suppliers towards agreed outcomes.
- Works autonomously and rigorously, takes initiative, respects standards and processes, and maintains attention to detail.
- Synthesises complex technical and financial information into clear recommendations for C-level stakeholders.
- Collaborates effectively with architecture, data, BI, infrastructure and business teams, while supporting knowledge transfer and capability development.