---
title: 'Data Architect at Unity Advisory'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/data-architect-unity-advisory-london-ta8zvccq0tkt'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-04'
---

# Data Architect at Unity Advisory

- **Company:** Unity Advisory
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-08-06
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-04
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory/33bbb3b7-3dee-4289-874f-f96cebdda8ad

## Job description

## About Unity Advisory

Unity Advisory is a pure-play, experience-led CFO advisory firm providing integrated finance, commercial, tax and deals support. We are free from audit conflicts and AI-enabled by design, combining deep technical expertise with automation, analytics and AI built into the delivery of every engagement. We are building an alternative to traditional advisory firms, focused on clarity over complexity, outcomes over hours, and practical advice delivered at pace for CFOs making high-consequence decisions.

## The Role

We are looking for an experienced Data Architect to own data design across our advisory engagements. This is a platform and design-authority role with a hands-on edge, combining finance-focused business understanding with modern data architecture, platforms and governance. You will define how data - across a client’s business - is structured, governed, and served so that AI, analytics, and management reporting are reliable and scalable. As a Senior Manager, you will lead architecture decisions, guide engineers, shape client data strategy, architecture, governance, and be accountable for the coherence and quality of the data estate you design.

This is a client-facing role within our AI Advisory team, setting the data architecture that our engagements — and our clients' AI ambitions — are built on.

## Key Responsibilities

- Define target-state data architectures for clients — models, storage, pipelines, and access patterns — balancing rigour with delivery realism.
- Establish data modelling standards and curated domain layers across the a variety of systems (e.g. ERP, CRM, Manufacturing) and data sources, with end-to-end lineage and provenance sufficient for audit and controls.
- Map and integrate finance source systems (ERP, EPM, sub-ledgers, and consolidation tools) into governed, analytics-ready models.
- Design the finance data foundations for applied AI/ML: governed retrieval sources for RAG, feature stores, and the architecture that keeps AI systems fed with trustworthy, reconciled finance data.
- Set patterns for secure, compliant finance data platforms — access control, data sensitivity, segregation of duties, isolation, and alignment to standards such as ISO 27001.
- Provide architectural direction for cloud data platforms, infrastructure as code, CI/CD, and observability, ensuring designs are cost-aware and operable.
- Define the data lineage and controls that support responsible production AI — monitoring, confidence scoring, and human-in-the-loop review.
- Translate ambiguous business and client problems into clear architectural decisions and scoped roadmaps under delivery pressure.
- Own key technical trade-offs and communicate them clearly to engineers, product stakeholders, and senior client sponsors.
- Mentor data engineers, raise the technical bar across the team, and contribute reusable patterns, reference architectures, and accelerators.

## What We're Looking For

Essential

- Significant experience designing and delivering data architectures for production systems, with evidence that your designs have shipped and run - not remained on paper.
- Deep expertise in data modelling, warehouse/lakehouse design, and data governance.
- Hands-on background in SQL and Python, and fluency with at least one major cloud provider (AWS or Azure) and modern data platforms (e.g. Snowflake, Databricks).
- System-level judgement on how data architecture shapes AI outcomes: designing governed sources for RAG, structuring data for retrieval and orchestration, and deciding where structured outputs and tool use fit.
- Ability to set standards and lead engineers while remaining close to implementation.
- Strong stakeholder skills, including engaging senior client sponsors and explaining architectural trade-offs clearly.

Strong Preference

- Experience architecting the data layer behind AI or analytics products in production.
- Informed views on the trade-offs between fine-tuning, RAG, and long-context approaches, and how each changes data architecture requirements, including context window economics and prompt caching.
- Familiarity with infrastructure as code, CI/CD, and observability for data platforms.
- Awareness of MCP and tool-orchestration concepts and their implications for composable, data-driven AI systems.
- Fluent use of AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Claude Code, Cursor), with a clear view of where they help and where human design judgement must lead.
- Security and compliance experience (e.g. ISO 27001 alignment, access control design).
- Consulting or advisory background, owning problems end-to-end rather than a single workstream.

## Nice to Have

- Evidence of self-directed building — side projects, internal tools, or startups.
- Exposure to finance data, PE/M&A, or portfolio-company environments.
- Relevant certifications (e.g. AWS/Azure architect-level credentials).

Additional Information

At Unity Advisory, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, we will accommodate any suitable candidate requiring assistance to attend or conduct an interview. If you need any adjustments or support, please let us know when scheduling your interview or in your application cover letter. We are dedicated to ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and are here to support you throughout the process.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not accept unsolicited CVs from third-party agencies.

## About Unity Advisory

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Unity Advisory is a professional services firm built for the Office of the CFO, combining big‑firm expertise with AI‑enabled delivery to help CFOs and leadership teams make sharper decisions and move faster.
- **Entity Type**: Private (backed by Warburg Pincus)
- **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom (with offices in Malaysia and India)
- **Founded**: 2025 (launched with Warburg Pincus backing)
- **Founders**: Marissa Thomas (CEO) and David Tapnack (Co‑founder, departed Jan 2026)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Professional Services (Finance, Tax, Deals & Advisory)
- **Target Customers**: CFOs and leadership teams of mid‑ to upper‑mid‑market businesses, including private equity‑backed companies; B2B / enterprise
- **Mission**: “Help CFOs and leadership teams make sharper decisions, and move faster with confidence – bringing clarity, challenge, and real‑world experience when it counts.”

## Products & Services
- **Tax Services**: Covering R&D Tax, VAT & Indirect Tax, Transfer Pricing, Corporate Tax, Employment Tax, Capital Allowances, Tax Managed Services, and Tax Compliance – all delivered with AI‑driven efficiency.
- **Deals & Value Capture**: Deals Analytics, Deals Tax & Structuring, Due Diligence, Carve‑out, Integration & Synergy Delivery, Deal Readiness Assessment, and Equity Story Craft.
- **Finance & Commercial Services**: Accounting Advisory & Technical Reporting, Financial Control, Performance Acceleration & Cost Optimisation, Process Optimisation, Data & Cloud Architecture, Risk & Control Frameworks, and Organisation Design.
- **Advisory & Transformation**: Rapid Function Diagnostics, Enterprise Architecture & Technology, and CFO‑focused strategic advice.

All services are delivered via a proprietary AI workflow platform that accelerates insights while keeping human expertise central.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Backed by a long‑term investment from Warburg Pincus (amount not publicly disclosed)
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: Warburg Pincus (sole institutional backer); strong relationships with corporate, private equity and sovereign clients; non‑exec chair is Steve Varley (former EY UK Chair & Global Vice‑Chair Sustainability).
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount surged from ~1 to 76 employees (+4700% YoY) within the first year; presence across UK, Malaysia, and India; actively hiring for 16 open positions; monthly headcount growth of +2.1%.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Experience + Agility**: Leadership includes former Managing Partner of PwC UK and partners from EY, Deloitte, KPMG, yet operates with startup speed and flat hierarchies.
- **AI Built‑In, Not Bolted‑On**: Proprietary AI workflows and cloud‑first architecture are embedded into every offering, delivering faster, smarter outcomes without replacing human judgment.
- **No Conflicts of Interest**: Free from the traditional conflicts that can arise in large firms, allowing truly client‑first advice.
- **Senior‑Led, Lean Teams**: Work is delivered by experienced partners and senior managers, not junior staff; high autonomy and true ownership for client outcomes.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling Rapidly**: Driven by strong client demand, Unity Advisory is expanding its team and service lines while maintaining a partner‑led, high‑performance culture.
- **Continuous Innovation**: Investing in data, cloud, and AI capabilities to keep delivery ahead of traditional consulting models.
- **Geographic Reach**: Growing its UK base while leveraging nearshore talent in Malaysia and India to serve global clients.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Described as “Straightforward, Intentionally Commercial, Open, Experimental, and Team‑First.” The firm is designed for high performers who value impact over politics.
- **Work Style**: Flat teams with high autonomy; every employee owns delivery for client outcomes. Remote/hybrid policy not specified, but roles appear to be UK‑based with some global presence.
- **Perks & Environment**: Modern tools, strong leadership support, and the chance to shape a fast‑growing firm from an early stage. Emphasis on “the right tools, culture, capital, and leadership to enable people to do their best work.”
- **Engineering Culture**: Technical roles (Data Engineer, Solution Architect) are embedded in a firm that treats AI as a core capability, offering engineers exposure to real‑world finance transformation.

## Sources
1. [unity-advisory.com](https://unity-advisory.com/)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/unity-advisory)
3. [linkedin.com/company/unity-advisory](https://www.linkedin.com/company/unity-advisory)
4. [unity-advisory.com/careers](https://unity-advisory.com/careers)
5. [unity-advisory.com/what-we-do](https://unity-advisory.com/what-we-do)

## Other roles at Unity Advisory

- [AI Architect- Senior Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-architect-senior-manager-unity-advisory-london-w6byxzpad929) — London, United Kingdom
- [Director- Managed Services](https://feeny.ai/job/director-managed-services-unity-advisory-london-6s67nkzbsfds) — London, United Kingdom
- [Technical Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-recruiter-unity-advisory-london-3spw8jvgz2d2) — London, United Kingdom
- [Security Operations Analyst- 6 month FTC](https://feeny.ai/job/security-operations-analyst-6-month-ftc-unity-advisory-london-7m2s7k9nh0ng) — London, United Kingdom
- [Finance Transformation Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/finance-transformation-manager-unity-advisory-london-cgvk7drq0pvh) — London, United Kingdom
- [Senior Manager- M&A Tax](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-m-a-tax-unity-advisory-london-9cf3m4jem5cx) — London, United Kingdom
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- [Director - M&A Tax](https://feeny.ai/job/director-m-a-tax-unity-advisory-london-t29032tp47t0) — London, United Kingdom
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