We offer you an Ocean of Possibilities. Join our family. What we’re made of. We’re made for ships. To design them, build them, finance them and care for them throughout their life. Defined by our values of stewardship, craftsmanship, fellowship and entrepreneurship, we’re everything ship. We’re on a mission to help our clients harvest the oceans of possibilities presented by our waters – for the generations to come. To achieve our goal, we need people who share our vision and drive.
ABOUT USWithin Damen, Damen Data Services (DDS) is the driving force behind our digital transformation. Our mission is to create business value through data by enabling smarter collaboration between colleagues, yards, customers, and partners. We are on a journey towards a ‘Human-led, Data-powered’ organization.
THE ROLEAs a Data Architect, you are the critical link between business needs and technical realization. You design the foundation of Damen’s data landscape — and actively help build it. You operate in a pragmatic environment where strategy and execution go hand in hand. You translate business requirements into scalable and future‑proof data solutions, while taking ownership to ensure they are implemented in practice. You work closely with Data Owners, Data Stewards, Data Engineers, and Business and Enterprise Architects to increase the maturity of our data organization step by step. You leverage frameworks such as DAMA‑DMBOK and TOGAF, but always apply them in a pragmatic and value‑driven way that fits Damen’s way of working. This is not an “ivory tower” role — you are expected to be hands‑on, contributing directly to solutions and guiding teams in making the right architectural choices.
- Design, Realize and Govern the Data Management Architecture
- Develop and realise Damen’s data management architecture and data platform vision with the business and enterprise architects, ensuring that data models, standards and frameworks are aligned with business strategy, processes and technology choices
- Design and maintain conceptual, logical and physical data models that visualise relationships between key data entities
- Develop data strategies that define how Damen collects, stores, integrates, governs and uses data
- Create and apply enterprise‑wide data model frameworks, standards and principles to ensure consistency, quality, security and reusability across domains and systems
- Translate architectural direction into actionable designs and actively support implementation in projects and teams
- Apply DAMA‑DMBOK and TOGAF principles and translate them into practical, actionable solutions
- Advice how AI can be utilised in an organisation (e.g., business and data processes) that is growing in its data maturity
- Drive Data Maturity
- Help transition Damen towards a more data‑driven organisation
- Introduce pragmatic improvements instead of theoretical perfection
- Identify and resolve bottlenecks in data flows, structures, and usage
- Balance long‑term architectural vision with short‑term business value
- Work closely with Data Engineers and Data Analysts on concrete solutions
- Collaborate with Business and Enterprise Architects on enterprise‑wide architectures related to data
- Support and contribute to data ingestion, transformation, and storage design
- Actively participate in solution design and implementation where needed
- Create and maintain a coherent data architecture across domains and systems
- Align architecture across SAP, Workday, Salesforce, and other key platforms
- Ensure interoperability within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem
- Collaborate with Data Governance, Master Data Management, and the CISO
- Ensure architecture supports data quality, security, and compliance (e.g., GDPR)
- Embed governance principles in practical implementations
Experience
- 6+ years of experience in Data Architecture or similar roles
- Proven track record in designing and implementing data solutions
- Experience in a pragmatic organisation
- Affinity with manufacturing / industrial environments is a strong pre
Technical & Methodological Skills
- Strong knowledge of data modelling (conceptual, logical, physical) and architecture modelling with ArchiMate
- Solid understanding of DAMA‑DMBOK and TOGAF, and the ability to apply them pragmatically
- Good knowledge and experience with Agile way of working (SAFe)
- Experience with Microsoft Azure ecosystem (e.g. Synapse, Data Lake)
- Knowledge of data integration, pipelines, and cloud architectures
- Familiarity with enterprise systems such as SAP, Workday, Salesforce
- Experience with modern data technologies (AI, ML, analytics, big data)
Personal Skills
- Pragmatic and results‑oriented — you get things done
- Able to balance architectural rigor with speed and delivery
- Strong stakeholder management across business and IT
- Ability to translate complex topics into clear and actionable insights
- Hands‑on mindset: willing to step in and make things work
- Drives change and continuously improves data maturity
- Able to communicate and collaborate effectively with less experienced and less data‑savvy stakeholders
- A Global Family – Work alongside passionate professionals worldwide in a collaborative, inspiring workplace
- Career Growth Opportunities – Continuous learning and development in a global environment
- Extensive development opportunities via the Damen Academy
- Innovation at the Core – Be part of a team that drives digital transformation across the maritime industry
- Work‑Life Balance – Flexible working options and a culture that values your well‑being
- 40+ days of leave and excellent employment conditions (pension, bonus, travel allowance)
- Purpose‑Driven Work – Contribute to sustainable, future‑focused solutions that matter
The salary for this position ranges between € 6.500 and € 8.400 gross per month (based on a full‑time contract), excluding holiday allowance. The exact salary will depend on your knowledge and experience.
This position is part of the collective labour agreement Metalektro.
NB: We are looking for candidates who are already living and working in The Netherlands.
Damen has 35 shipyards on five different continents and operates in more than 100 countries. We are still growing and that gives you options. You contribute to this growth while benefitting from the diverse development and career opportunities that our company offers. We will continue to challenge you. With our extensive portfolio of products and solutions you will never get bored and never stop learning. We offer you a world of possibilities. Working at Damen means contributing to the highest quality in shipbuilding, with an eye to the future and future generations. We want to make the world a better place by becoming the most sustainable maritime solution provider. For that, we need you. Become part of our family. We are Damen. We’re a family company that has been building ships for almost 100 years. However, our focus is not on the past, however – we’re looking forward. Our ambition is to become the most sustainable and connected maritime solutions provider there is. To achieve this, we combine digital technology with our philosophy of standardised shipbuilding to offer a portfolio of services that takes care of vessels throughout the entire lifecycle. Working at Damen offers the best of several worlds. Active in more than 100 countries, with over 30 shipyards, we are internationally renowned for quality. And we are still growing, still innovating. Which means we will continue to challenge you. You will never stop learning, and you will never get bored – we promise you that. We offer you an ocean of possibilities. Join our family.
#J-18808-Ljbffr€6500 - €8400 monthly