The Analytics Solution Architect is responsible for defining the architecture, standards and technology direction for analytics and AI solutions across Marks & Spencer. Working across Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Power Platform and Copilot technologies, the role provides technical leadership from concept through to production, ensuring solutions are scalable, governed, secure and aligned to enterprise strategy.

The role partners closely with business stakeholders, analytics teams, data engineers, platform engineers and technology architects to design AI-ready analytical ecosystems, evaluate emerging technologies, and establish reusable patterns that accelerate delivery across the federated analytics organisation.

Due to high interest, this role may close earlier than advertised. We recommend applying as soon as possible

What You’ll do

Your key accountabilities will include

• Lead the design of end-to-end analytics and AI solutions across Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Power Platform and Copilot, guiding delivery teams from architecture through to production and ensuring solutions are scalable, secure and business aligned.

• Partner with data and analytics engineering teams to design AI-ready data architectures, including data structures, metric layers, semantic models and ontologies, while developing and evaluating proof of concepts to validate emerging technologies, architectural patterns and AI capabilities.

• Define and champion enterprise-wide standards, governance and best practices for analytics and AI platforms, creating reusable patterns, blueprints and playbooks that improve quality, consistency and delivery speed across federated teams.

• Drive platform strategy and optimisation across Power BI, Databricks, Copilot Studio, Power Platform and AI/BI workloads, shaping roadmaps and contributing to governance, monitoring, performance and cost management frameworks in partnership with platform engineering teams.

• Build organisational capability in analytics and AI through mentoring, training and hands-on solution leadership, supporting adoption of emerging technologies, while helping modernise the analytics estate through ongoing maintenance, re-platforming and decommissioning of legacy platforms.

Who you are

Your skills and experience will include

• An experienced Analytics Solutions Architect with a proven track record of designing and delivering enterprise-scale analytics and AI solutions, in a Microsoft-centric environment, using Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, Power Platform and Copilot Studio.

• Ability to be strategic and hands-on. Can translate complex business challenges into scalable, secure and maintainable solution architectures, while remaining comfortable working close to delivery teams.

• An influential communicator and collaborator with the ability to engage senior stakeholders, build trusted relationships and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

• A champion of governance and engineering excellence, experienced in defining standards, best practices and reusable architectural patterns that enable teams to deliver consistently, securely and at scale.

• A strong technical practitioner with advanced skills in DAX, SQL and Python, combined with deep expertise in dimensional modelling and analytics data architecture design.

What's in it for you

Being a part of M&S is exactly that – playing your part to bring the magic of M&S to our customers every day. We’re an inclusive, dynamic, exciting, and ever evolving business built on doing the right thing and bringing exceptional quality, value, service to every customer, whenever, wherever and however they want to shop with us.

Here are some of the benefits we offer that make working for M&S just that little bit more special…

• After completing your probationary period, you’ll receive 20% colleague discount across all M&S products and many of our third-party brands for you and a member of your household.

• Competitive holiday entitlement with the potential to buy extra holiday days!

• Discretionary bonus schemes awarded based on how you achieve your personal objectives and our performance as a business.

• A generous Defined Contribution Pension Scheme and Life Assurance.

• A dedicated welcome to our teams with a tailored induction and a wide range of training programmes to develop your skills.

• Amazing perks and discounts via our M&S Choices portal to maximise your financial and personal wellbeing.

• Industry-leading parental, adoption and neonatal policies, providing support and flexibility for your family.

• Access to a fantastic range of wellbeing support for all colleagues including access to our 24/7 Virtual GP and PAM Assist to support you and your family.

• A charity volunteer day to support a charity or cause you're passionate about through a dedicated day away from work.

Everyone's welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re disrupting, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re transforming how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.

If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don’t hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.

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