Data Architect
Data architects design how an organisation stores, moves and uses its data, so systems stay reliable, secure and consistent.
- Median salary*
- $124,800
3.6%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,200
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +15%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status*
- In shortage
national
Data architects work inside the IT teams of banks, insurers, government agencies, hospitals and universities, wherever an organisation holds enough data that its structure matters. The role sits above the hands-on work of building systems: a data engineer moves the data, while a data architect decides how it should be modelled, named, governed and kept consistent across applications. Much of the week is spent on data models, design documents and reviews with business and technical teams rather than writing code.
How much do data architects earn?
The median full-time salary for a data architect is $124,800 per annum, before tax, up $26,600 since 2018.
What a data architect earns depends heavily on who employs them: banks, insurers and large consultancies generally pay above government agencies and universities for similar work. Contract and consulting arrangements are common at this level of seniority, and those are usually priced as a day rate rather than a salary. Certifications in the platforms the employer runs, such as Snowflake, Databricks or Azure, also affect the offer.
What does a data architect do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Modelling how data should be structured and related across systems, from customer records to reporting tables
- Mapping how data moves between applications and designing the integrations and migrations that carry it
- Setting naming, quality and access standards that teams across the organisation are expected to follow
- Reviewing database and cloud platform designs for performance, cost and scalability before they are built
- Sitting in on project design reviews to keep new systems consistent with the organisation's data architecture
What skills do data architects need?
Employers look for data analysis, cloud infrastructure, cyber security, backed by Erwin Data Modeler fluency and strong stakeholder management.
Specialist skills
- Data analysis
- Cloud infrastructure
- Cyber security
- Business requirements analysis
- Strategy development
- Process improvement
- Programming and software development
Software and tools
- Erwin Data Modeler
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Snowflake
- Databricks
- Collibra
General skills
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 2,200 people work as data architects in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 15% over the decade to 2035. That's healthy, above-average growth, and the role should stay in solid demand.
How do you become a data architect?
Here's the path most data architects take, step by step.
- 1Build a technical foundation
A bachelor degree in computer science, information systems or a related field is the usual starting point, and 52% of people in the role hold one. Diplomas and industry certifications are a realistic alternative, particularly for people who enter through a support or analyst role.
- 2Spend several years working directly with data
Most architects arrive from data engineering, data analysis, database administration or software development. This stage is where you learn how data behaves in production systems, which is the knowledge the architecture work depends on.
- 3Learn the platforms and modelling tools
Employers look for hands-on familiarity with a major database or cloud warehouse such as SQL Server, Snowflake or Databricks, plus modelling and catalogue tools like Erwin or Collibra. Vendor certifications are useful here because they show current platform knowledge.
- 4Move into design and governance work
The step into architecture usually happens internally, through leading the data design on a project or taking responsibility for standards, rather than by applying cold for a junior architect title. A short course or graduate qualification in data management can help if your experience is in a neighbouring role.
Ready to apply as a data architect?
Whether you're working toward becoming a data architect or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a data architect move to?
Moving into Chief Technology Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $75,400 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Technology Officer This architect brings technical leadership and strategic thinking to the executive role, though broader business management is needed. | +$75,400 | 37% | reskill |
| Business Analyst This architect brings modelling and governance skills to business analysis, though process and stakeholder skills need development. | +$15,400 | 42% | reskill |
| Solutions Architect This architect brings deep modelling and governance expertise to designing integrated solutions across whole systems. | +$13,000 | 33% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a data architect?
The typical data architect is 43 years old; 59% are men, 84% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 43
- Median age
- 41%
- Female share
- 84%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a data architect?
Data architecture is a design and standards job with long horizons. A model or a governance framework can take months to agree and years to replace, so the work suits people who are happy to influence systems rather than ship features every week. The pressure comes from holding one design together while several projects change parts of it at once, and from being the person who has to say no to a shortcut.
What people like
- Your designs last. A schema or standard you set can shape how an organisation handles its data for a decade, well beyond the project that commissioned it.
- You see how the whole organisation fits together. Architects work across business units, platforms and projects, which builds a picture of the business that specialists in one system rarely get.
- The problems are genuinely hard. Reconciling data from systems that were never designed to talk to each other takes analysis, patience and judgement rather than a standard fix.
- Seniority without managing a large team. You can stay close to the technology and keep designing rather than moving into line management, which suits people who prefer the work itself.
What people find hard
- Agreement takes a long time. Getting several business areas and technology teams to accept one standard can run for months of meetings, and the build may start after you have moved to another project.
- You deliver the unwelcome message. A fair part of the job is telling a project team their design does not fit the architecture or will create problems later, which is rarely popular news.
- Focus is hard to protect. Architects sit across many projects at once, so days fill with reviews, queries and escalations and long uninterrupted design stretches are scarce.
- Accountability sits away from delivery. You own the design, but other teams build and run the systems, so keeping the architecture intact depends as much on persuasion as on authority.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ data architects?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of data architects, followed by Public Administration and Safety.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Public Administration and Safety
- 3Health Care and Social Assistance
- 4Financial and Insurance Services
- 5Education and Training
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace data architects?
AI and automation reach the documentation side of this job more than the decision-making side. Modelling tools, data catalogues and cloud platforms can generate schemas, trace lineage and flag quality problems, which changes how the work is done and cuts the manual inventory effort considerably. Setting standards, weighing trade-offs and getting agreement across business and technical teams remain human work.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Documenting data lineage and metadataCatalogue tools such as Collibra scan connected systems and map where data comes from and goes automatically, so much of the manual register-keeping has already gone.30%high
- Designing enterprise data models and schemasA tool can propose a first-pass model from existing structures, but choosing the entities, keys and relationships that match how the business actually works still takes an architect.25%moderate
- Advising projects on data architecture decisionsExplaining in a design review why one integration approach will cause problems in two years is a judgement about this organisation's particular systems and history.25%low
- Setting data governance, quality and access standardsDeciding what counts as an acceptable customer record, and who is allowed to see it, is a policy call made with privacy, legal and business stakeholders.20%low
Common questions about becoming a data architect
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do data architects earn?
Data architects earn a median of $124,800 per year before tax. The employer moves that figure most, with banks, insurers and large consultancies generally paying above government and education, and contract architects usually paid a day rate instead of a salary.
How do you become a data architect?
Most people reach the role after several years as a data engineer, data analyst, developer or database administrator, then take on the design and governance side of a project. A computing or information systems degree helps early on, but employers hiring at this level weigh the systems you have modelled and the platforms you know more heavily than the qualification itself.
Are data architects in demand?
Data architects are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 15% over the decade to 2035 over the decade to 2035. The occupation is small, with about 2,200 people working in it, so many openings are filled by promoting an experienced engineer or analyst rather than through an advertised vacancy.
Will AI replace data architects?
AI and automation have already taken over a good deal of the documentation side of the job, with tools such as Collibra and cloud data catalogues generating models, lineage maps and quality reports automatically. They do not decide what an organisation should standardise, how systems should be integrated, or who may access which data. Those decisions, and the negotiation with business and project teams that comes with them, remain with the architect.
What can a data architect move into?
Solutions architecture is a common move, because the modelling and governance skills transfer to designing integrated systems end to end, and it typically pays $13,000 more. Some architects step up to a chief technology officer role once they have broader business and people management experience, which pays $75,400 more. Experienced architects also move into independent consulting or contracting, which is often where earnings grow.
Do data architects need a degree?
Not always, but the pathway is longer without one. Most architects hold a bachelor degree or postgraduate qualification, and 52% of people in the role hold a Bachelor degree. What employers hiring at this level actually check is your record of designing data structures and standards that held up in production.
Related roles
- Solutions Architect
- Chief Technology Officer
- Business Analyst
- Data Engineer
- Business Intelligence Developer
- Systems Analyst
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