Data Architect

Job Title: Data Architect

Type of employment: Permanent, Full-Time, Remote

Location: This is a remote role based in Portugal. You need to be based in Portugal and have the rights to work without visa sponsorship. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

About ZigZag Global   

We are Returns! We’re an award-winning eCommerce returns business founded in 2015 by our CEO, Al Gerrie. We live to push boundaries of smarter returns, and we want a thriving retail world where every customer experience is both delightful and considered, everything we buy can be loved and re-loved and preserving our planet is part of the fabric of how we shop.  

Today, more than 200 companies across 130 countries use our SaaS platform to help reduce the cost, friction, and impact of returns. Part of our leading enterprise retail clients include Zara, Superdry, New Look, Boden, Selfridges, Sports Direct, The Hut Group, Swarovski, not to forget the Whitelabel partnership with the world’s biggest logistics businesses like DHL, Evri, and FedEx.  

In March 2021, ZigZag was acquired by Global Blue, an industry leader in tax free shopping. Strengthening our reach across the global retail industry and allowing us to continue to do what we do best, help retailers manage and re-sell their returns.  

At ZigZag, we embody a set of values that lies at the core of our workplace culture. Our dedication to the Start-up Spirit, Human Heart and Grown-up Mindset defines our collaborative spirit and shapes our collective success.  

Passionate and Collaborative Minds Wanted:

You’ll join a brilliantly diverse group across Europe. We believe a business is strongest when its teams are both inclusive and diverse. We recognise and aim to challenge everyday biases, remove obstacles to inclusion and ensure all our people can thrive and be themselves.

If you are passionate about making a positive impact, caring for both colleagues and clients, and embracing a collaborative mindset, we invite you to apply. Join us in building a workplace where every contribution matters, and each team member feels a profound sense of belonging and value.

Requirements

Position Overview:

The Data Engineering team’s mission is to ensure that the right data and modelling is available to the right people, so that we can leverage data to best serve our clients, customers and grow to be a truly data driven organisation.

As a Data Architect, you play a key role in defining how data flows across business features and projects, ensuring solutions are both scalable and adaptable. By establishing and communicating clear data guidelines and governance frameworks, you promote trust, compliance, and consistency throughout the organization. Collaborating with engineers and stakeholders, they shape solutions that balance flexibility with alignment to data standards. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Designs and maintains the reference data architecture for new business features and projects understanding how data flows through them.
• Communicates the architecture to the stakeholders so that it is understood and followed.
• Engage with colleagues to develop and improve the data aspects of services delivered. Working closely with Lead Data Engineer to assist on decisions for implementation
• Support the design and implementation of technology solutions from a data perspective.
• Set data standards and guidelines and documentation for ZigZag and ensure solutions not only are a fit for the specific purpose but align with defined standards & guidelines, representing Data in other areas brainstorming and initial feature design.
• Establish data governance frameworks and standards to ensure data quality, consistency, and compliance with data-related policies and regulations.
• Provides a supporting role in ensuring third party providers /partners are meeting our standards and polices.
• Focuses on high-level architectural planning but also contributes to implementation.
• Collaborates closely with the Data Engineering team on ideation.
• Works on holistic view of experimental projects and definitions and proof of concepts.
• Working closely with data leads evaluate appropriate data tools and technologies.

What you’ll need to be successful:

• Have experience leveraging the power of cloud based big data systems such as Databricks or Snowflake and data integrations tools like Airbyte
• Understanding Database Management tools as SQL Server and Azure Data Factory
• Ability to design scalable and efficient Data Structures, ensuring seamless data flow and integration from concept to physical data models (through Data Modelling, Data Pipelines, and ETL processes)
• Critical analysis skills focused on problem solving
• You are eager to contribute to the strategic alignment between enterprise architecture, systems architecture, data architecture, and business objectives
• Proactivity and great communication skills to work closely with engineers, stakeholders, and third-party providers to align data strategies with business needs
• Knowledge of data standards, policies, and regulations to maintain data quality, security, and compliance
• Exposure to Data Visualization Tools like Tableau and Power BI
• Excellent spoken and written English.
• We work using agile practices – Scrum, Azure DevOps, iterative development, etc.
• We look to use the most up to date technologies, with our current stack using Airbyte, dbt and Databricks

Benefits

• 22 days annual leave + Bank Holidays + Additional day holiday after every full year of service (up to 5 additional days) plus a bonus day off for your birthday 
• Additional healthcare insurance with dental service
• Meal card – Edenred
• Summer working hours
• Working from abroad policy
• Collaborative working environment
• Learning and Development (L&D) budget and allocated time to utilise it.
• Employee referral bonus scheme
• Office Equipment Budget

If you are interested, please send your CV in English.

Your application will be reviewed with strict confidentiality. Only the short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Providing your personal data, you explicitly agree that it will be processed for the purpose of recruiting and for the purpose of the possible signing of a labour contract and will be stored and operated by “ZigZag Global” EOOD in their capacity of the personal data controller and personal data processor in accordance with the effective legislation. Please have in mind that with this you give permission for your resume to be shared with other parties of the ZigZag Global Group.

We are Returns! We’re an award-winning eCommerce returns business founded in 2015 by our CEO, Al Gerrie. We live to push boundaries of smarter returns, and we want a thriving retail world where every customer experience is both delightful and considered, everything we buy can be loved and re-loved and preserving our planet is part of the fabric of how we shop.

Today, more than 200 companies across 130 countries use our SaaS platform to help reduce the cost, friction, and impact of returns. Part of our leading enterprise retail clients include Zara, Superdry, New Look, Boden, Selfridges, Sports Direct, The Hut Group, Swarovski, not to forget the Whitelabel partnership with the world’s biggest logistics businesses like DHL, Evri, and FedEx.

In March 2021, ZigZag was acquired by Global Blue, an industry leader in tax free shopping. Strengthening our reach across the global retail industry and allowing us to continue to do what we do best, help retailers manage and re-sell their returns.

At ZigZag, we embody a set of values that lies at the core of our workplace culture. Our dedication to the Start-up Spirit, Human Heart and Grown-up Mindset defines our collaborative spirit and shapes our collective success.