Richard Dodson

Data Architect & Senior Data Engineer with deep experience designing, building, and modernising data platforms across insurance, banking, and financial services. Skilled in integration discovery, enterprise architecture modelling, AI-assisted data quality framework design, SQL engineering, ETL development, and automation. Experienced in applying Large Language Models (LLMs), and RAG pipelines to real-world data engineering challenges.

Known for translating complex technical landscapes into clear architectural artefacts, driving system migrations, and improving data quality, performance, and governance. A collaborative communicator who works confidently with SMEs, engineers, architects, and senior stakeholders to deliver robust, scalable data solutions.

Data Architect Analyst at Ki Insurance (2025-07 – 2026-04)

Ki is separating from Brit Insurance, requiring a full rebuild or replication of all business-critical systems. Leading the discovery, documentation, and architectural modelling of application integrations to support this transformation. Additionally, designing and implementing an AI-assisted data quality framework to validate business rules against the core Phinsys/Inline database at scale.

• Leading the discovery and documentation of all application integrations as part of Ki's separation from Brit Insurance.
• Building a comprehensive enterprise integrations catalogue covering source/target applications, data entities, integration type & technology, triggers, frequency, synchronisation method, artefact links, ownership, builders, and testers.
• Creating additional catalogue layers: Applications, Standalone, Entities, Entity Mapping, and Components.
• Hosting workshops with SMEs, data engineers, and solution architects to gather technical and business-level integration details.
• Designing multi-layered architecture diagrams in Lucidchart including As-Is, To-Be, and three future-state phases.
• Presenting architectural findings and contributing to decisions at the Technical Design Authority (TDA) and Delivery Authority (DA).
• Migrating the integrations catalogue into Abacus (Avolution) and recreating Lucid diagrams within Abacus dashboards.
• Developing custom HTML filters and VB automation to generate dynamic hyperlinks across all Abacus diagrams.
• Designing a data quality validation framework to execute 180+ business rules against the Phinsys/Inline database, capturing pass/fail results in a structured audit log.
• Leveraging LLMs (Claude) to accelerate SQL query generation from plain-English business rules - reducing what would be months of manual development to days.
• Architecting the solution using RAG principles: feeding schema metadata, business glossary, and sample queries as context to ensure accurate, schema-grounded SQL generation.
• Designing a multi-run audit log table that retains historical results, captures human review outcomes, and tracks remediation status per record.
• Planning Tableau reporting layer to surface failures for human review, enabling analysts to accept, escalate, or trigger correction workflows in Phinsys.
• Delivered Ki's first complete, validated integrations catalogue, enabling accurate planning for system replication and replacement.
• Produced a full architectural visualisation suite (Lucid + Abacus) now used as the single source of truth across engineering, architecture, and programme leadership.
• Improved governance and decision-making by contributing directly to TDA and DA sessions.
• Automated Abacus navigation and filtering, reducing manual updates and improving consistency across all architecture artefacts.
• Pioneered the use of AI-assisted development within Ki's data team, demonstrating a measurable acceleration in SQL development throughput.

Data Engineer at Lloyd's (2024-03 – 2025-04)

• Created end-to-end dependency graphs for Blueprint Two, ensuring test environments aligned with new logical and physical data models.
• Automated UK and Swiss regulatory processes, reducing runtime by 98%.
• Developed, deployed, and tested SSIS packages using Visual Studio.
• Triaged Data Warehouse and DataMart issues, creating stored procedures, views, and tables in SQL Server.
• Used Azure DevOps for backlog management, branching, pull requests, pipelines, releases, and documentation.
• Built PowerShell scripts to retrieve RBAC details.

Senior Technical Data Analyst at Barclays Bank (2021-02 – 2024-02)

• Worked with onshore/offshore teams to define problem statements and propose technical solutions.
• Extracted, analysed, and reconciled large datasets using T-SQL.
• Applied Agile methodology across full development lifecycle.
• Built a bespoke Access 365 system for customer record management and document/video storage.
• Loaded ~500,000 XML files into Access using Python, XSD, and VBA.

Business Intelligence Developer at Direct Line Group (2019-06 – 2021-02)

• Identified source/target systems, defined data flows, and created architecture dependency graphs.
• Wrote data contracts using Redshift SQL on AWS.
• Developed Informatica ETL pipelines to migrate legacy Oracle systems into a modern data warehouse.
• Automated generation of Redshift and PostgreSQL DDLs.
• Supported visualisation teams with data analysis.

Technical Data Analyst at Barclays Bank (2017-06 – 2019-06)

• Monitored overnight processes to ensure data completeness.
• Created and altered SQL Server tables, views, and stored procedures.
• Built SSIS applications using VB.NET, PDF libraries, Word automation, and SQL.
• Developed and maintained Excel/Access databases using SQL and VBA.
• Liaised with departments to ensure customer experience SLAs were met.

Support ETL Developer at Lloyd's (2015-04 – 2017-06)

• Analysed data to detect anomalies and optimise performance.
• Developed BI solutions for corporate applications.
• Triaged production/UAT issues and delivered timely fixes.
• Implemented Master Data Services platform to improve business efficiency.
• Designed SQL views, stored procedures, and functions.
• Automated BAU processes.

Business Intelligence Developer at Cogora (2015-02 – 2015-03)

• Analysed legacy CRM systems and documented logical/physical data models.
• Built ETL processes in Visual Studio to cleanse and migrate data into Salesforce CRM.

Business Intelligence Developer at Gavel Masters (2015-01 – 2015-01)

• Developed SSIS ETL to load 10,000 auction data files into a normalised SQL Server 2012 database.

Business Intelligence Developer & Operations Manager at Clearlybusiness (Barclays) (2008-10 – 2014-12)

• Led remediation analytics, BI development, ETL processes, and operational systems.
• Built SQL databases, ETL pipelines, and SSRS reports.
• Developed automated processes for payment submissions and financial reporting.
• Managed operations team and mentored staff.

Process Improvement Analyst Developer at Marsh Insurance (MMC) (2007-07 – 2008-10)

• Analysed business processes and developed RAD systems using Excel, Access, SQL Server, and Oracle.
• Delivered automation solutions across UK and Europe.

Early Career at Tessera Group Plc (1998-01 – 2007-12)

• Developed MI reporting frameworks using VBA and SQL.
• Automated data cleansing and standardisation processes.
• Analysed data and provided insights to internal and external stakeholders.

HNC in Computer Science – University of Greenwich

BTEC National Diploma in Computer Science

GCSEs