BI architect job description.
Planning to bring in a BI architect or become one? This business intelligence architect job description details responsibilities around structuring data solutions, integrating tools, improving scalability, and aligning BI platforms with business goals. It also covers advanced skills and senior-level compensation.
What does a business intelligence architect do?
A business intelligence architect designs the overall structure of an organisation’s BI systems, ensuring that reporting is scalable, secure, and aligned with strategic goals. They define how data flows from source systems to dashboards and what tools and platforms support this flow.
Key responsibilities include designing data models, selecting BI tools, setting standards for visualisation, and working with data engineers, developers, and analysts. They also guide performance optimisation, user access control, and data governance practices.
In smaller teams, they wear multiple hats from architecture to delivery. In larger organisations, they work closely with enterprise architects and data platform leads to create a sustainable BI ecosystem.
Key responsibilities of a business intelligence architect.
BI architects design enterprise reporting systems that scale. Their responsibilities include:
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Designing the architecture for BI platforms, data models, and reporting layers
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Defining standards for metrics, taxonomy, and visual reporting
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Selecting and integrating BI tools and platforms
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Collaborating with data engineers to ensure ETL and data structure align
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Supporting role-based access and data security within BI environments
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Leading data source consolidation and dashboard standardisation
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Maintaining metadata systems, documentation, and data lineage
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Enabling self-service analytics and end-user training
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Scaling BI platforms to support organisational growth
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Collaborating with leadership on KPIs and business logic
This role blends strategic BI design with scalable, secure architecture.
Skills and requirements for a business intelligence architect.
BI architects design scalable, secure systems for enterprise reporting. Employers typically look for:
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8–12 years of experience in BI engineering or architecture roles
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Expertise in data modelling, warehousing, and pipeline architecture
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Familiarity with Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift
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Skilled in optimising data access and dashboard performance
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Experience designing secure, governed BI platforms
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Confidence documenting architecture and tooling decisions
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Ability to assess new tools as business needs evolve
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Strong stakeholder engagement across data and leadership teams
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Experience building BI solutions that scale with organisational growth
Most BI architects set technical foundations for enterprise data reporting.
Average salary for a business intelligence architect.
In the UK, the average salary for a business intelligence architect typically ranges from £60,000 to £100,000, depending on BI infrastructure design, cloud expertise, and system resilience.
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Mid-level BI architects earn between £60,000 and £80,000
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Senior architects leading enterprise transformations or cloud migrations can earn between £81,000 and £100,000
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Data platform and pipeline design skills are highly sought after
Salaries are strongest in financial services, consultancy, and enterprise technology platforms.
Career progression for a business intelligence architect.
A BI architect designs the frameworks that support reporting, data modelling, and analytics delivery across an organisation. It’s a senior-level technical role that feeds directly into data platform leadership. A typical path includes:
BI engineer
Creates data models and supports scalable dashboard delivery.
Senior BI engineer
Develops platform-wide reporting infrastructure and ensures real-time analytics support.
BI architect
Designs scalable, secure BI systems. Ensures alignment with governance and business goals.
Head of BI / Director of data architecture
Oversees entire BI stack. Defines architecture roadmaps and platform migration plans.
salary guide
Our UK data salary guide.
BI architects design reporting environments that enable long-term data insight and self-service. Salary should reflect platform design, modelling, and governance expertise.
Use the UK data salary guide to benchmark BI architect salaries, track changes since 2024, and plan ahead through 2026.
FAQS
Business intelligence architect FAQs.
They define the structure behind the dashboards — governing the data models, tooling integrations, and semantic layers that make analytics scalable. Their role is foundational: get the logic wrong, and the entire reporting stack loses trust.
It’s both. BI architects write code, test logic, and work closely with engineers. But they also define conventions, build consensus around KPIs, and lead tooling decisions. They’re often the glue between data engineering and decision-making.
Reporting chaos, inconsistent metrics, and endless debates about “which number is right.” They create a clean, governed structure so that teams can trust data and focus on action.
Many come from BI development, data engineering, or product analytics. What matters most is experience with scale, ambiguity, and the confidence to challenge how KPIs are defined and interpreted.
Progression may lead to data platform lead, enterprise architect, or head of data governance. Others step into strategy-focused roles that influence how data enables business transformation.
