Data Engineering Architect - KTP Associate

Data Engineering Architect - KTP Associate

Fixed Term: 24 months

Salary Range: £38,000 to £40,000 per annum

Location: Hadley Industries Holdings Limited, Downing Street, Smethwick, West Midlands, B66 2PA

Birmingham City University are looking to appoint a high calibre graduate (graduated within the last five years) as a Data Engineering Architect (KTP Associate).

This role presents an exciting opportunity to work in collaboration with leading academics at Birmingham City University, to apply knowledge and technical innovation, delivered on site at the company. 

The Data Engineering Architect (KTP Associate) should have a minimum 2.1 University qualification in a relevant subject area and graduated within the last five years. 

This Knowledge Transfer Project (KTP) is co-funded by a grant from Innovate UK and Hadley Industries Holdings Limited. It is therefore essential you understand the fundamentals of the KTP collaboration between a UK business and a University works to deliver benefits for each (the company, the university, and the graduate) For more information please go to www.ktp.org.uk

Personal Training & Development Budget: 

The Data Engineering Architect (KTP Associate) will have access to a wider range of benefits including a personal development budget of £4,000 to upskill during the project. 

The successful candidate will be employed by Birmingham City University and seconded to work full-time onsite at Hadley Industries Holdings Limited to deliver the 24-month KTP project in partnership Birmingham City University and Hadley Industries Holdings Limited.

Hadley Industries Holdings Limited: 

Hadley is a leading cold rollforming steel manufacturer.  For further information please go to: https://hadleygroup.com.

The successful candidate will have full access to Birmingham City University’s resources such as offices, labs, and library to complete the KTP project (a project workplan written with KPIs and outcome deliverables has been written).

The Data Engineering Architect (KTP Associate) will be supervised and mentored by both a lead academic and academic supervisor academics from Birmingham City University’s College of Computing within the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment (CEBE) as well as a company supervisor located at Hadley Industries Holdings Limited whose aim is to assist the Data Engineering Architect (KTP Associate) to deliver the knowledge into Hadley Industries Holdings Limited and successfully deliver the 24-month KTP project on behalf of Hadley Industries Holdings Limited and Birmingham City University. 

Main Duties and Responsibilities: 

The Data Engineering Architect KTP Associate duties will work on:

• Designing and implementing a centralized RDBMS that integrates with Hadley’s existing ERP (INFOR LN) and Business Intelligence (BI) tools (Qlik) to enhance data-driven decision-making.
• Automating real-time data entry and processing for accurate and efficient costing, procurement, and risk assessment.
• Developing intuitive user interfaces (UI) and dashboards for enhanced user engagement with the AI-driven system.
• Ensuring legal and regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, industry standards) while integrating AI-based contract management and risk assessment solutions.
• Embedding knowledge transfer and training within Hadley to ensure long-term sustainability of the developed solutions.
• Advance quality control in manufacturing through AI/ML and Computer Vision to monitor production and warn of tolerance risks.
• Developing the RDBMS Pricing System to enable version history of quotations and multiplatform role-based access controls.
• Developing and integrating AI and Machine Learning (ML) models to automate sales quotation processes and predictive analytics for cost estimation, supply chain management, and manufacturing efficiency
  • Design and develop AI-powered automation tools that streamline data processing and operational decision-making.

The role requires the successful candidate to:

• Integrate AI/ML models into Hadley’s business systems, ensuring compatibility with existing ERP and BI tools.
• Analyse and optimize data pipelines, ensuring efficient data storage, retrieval, and processing.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, including senior management, IT teams, engineers, and external partners, to gather requirements and ensure successful implementation.
• Conduct testing, validation, and refinement of AI/ML models and the RDBMS to ensure high performance and reliability.
• Deliver training and documentation to Hadley staff for knowledge transfer and sustainability of the developed systems.

The Data Engineering Architect KTP Associate will be expected to interact with the senior management, suppliers and clients of the company as well as BCU academics. 

The Data Engineering Architect KTP Associate must also be adept at applying their knowledge to commercial projects, driving value and making an impact where possible, with an ability to solve problems and create innovative solutions.

The Data Engineering Architect KTP Associate must have the following key attributes to ensure the project’s successful completion.

Skills and Experience: 

The Data Engineering Architect KTP Associate will hold a relevant degree. This might be a first degree (equivalent to a first class or 2:1 honours) in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, a Master’s degree in a similar discipline is acceptable.

Essential:

• A minimum 2:1 undergraduate qualification in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, or a related field, with a First Class (or 2:1 Honours).
• Excellent communication skills to express ideas effectively, orally, graphically and in writing to articulate complicated matters between the academics and the company project team members.
• An ability to work to tight deadlines with diligence, attention to detail, and maintain high standards of work.
• An ability and aptitude to work effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team; and self-management and planning skills to make optimum use of time.
• Strong leadership skills in successfully implementing and embedding new innovations within a company or organisation.
• Strong programming skills in Python, SQL, or other relevant languages for AI and database development
• Experience with AI/ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-Learn.
• Knowledge of Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) and database integration with business systems.
• Understanding of ERP systems (e.g., INFOR LN) and Business Intelligence (BI) tools (e.g., Qlik).
• Ability to analyse, model, and visualize data for business insights and predictive analytics.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to develop innovative solutions for process automation.
• Excellent communication skills for stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer.
• Experience in agile software development and project management methodologies.

Desirable:

• MSc/PhD in a related subject or relevant experience. 
• Experience in cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) for AI deployment.
• Familiarity with Natural Language Processing (NLP) and AI-based contract management tools (e.g., Genie AI).
• Prior experience working in manufacturing, industrial automation, or supply chain optimisation.
• Strong understanding of data privacy regulations (GDPR) and ethical AI principles.
• Previous experience in collaborative industry-academic research projects (e.g., KTPs, Innovate UK projects).
• A clean driving license and willingness to travel to industry sites when required.
• Academic acumen to enable successful reporting through research publications in academic journals and marketing/training materials.
• A driving license and a willingness to travel to utility contracts throughout the UK.
• Practical experience of working in the manufacturing industry.

On a personal note, the Associate should be enthusiastic, motivated, punctual, conscientious, trustworthy and work well within a team.

For further information please contact Associate Professor, Dr Edlira Vakaj at edlira.vakaj@bcu.ac.uk or Dr AbdulRaham Alsewari at Rahman.alsewari@bcu.ac.uk

Interviews to take place week commencing 2nd June 2025. 

Please click the below link to download the Job Description:

JOB DESCRIPTION

At the heart of our Strategy for 2030 and Beyond, it is our mission to enable our students to transform their lives and to achieve their potential. Through our education and research, and the roles our graduates go on to play in the world, we not only support individuals to transform their lives, but we also play a part in transforming society.

Located in the centre of the UK’s second city, we are a university with a long heritage of innovation and of making, dating back to our origins in 1843 when we were founded as the Birmingham Government School of Design.

Our heritage of making through innovation and its application through knowledge exchange, and of creative research and practice, today finds it expression in our STEAM agenda, in our research and enterprise, and in our commitment to challenge-based learning. Working across disciplines, and delivering impactful research and enterprise, interdisciplinarity is at the heart of the continuing transformation of our academic portfolio.