I design data systems that actually get built.
Fast-growing companies build their data stack for where they are, not where they’re headed. Every growth stage then means ripping it out and starting over. You pay for the same platform two or three times, and each rebuild burns months of engineering on plumbing instead of product. A senior architect at the start costs a fraction of that.
So I do the job of a Head of Data, without the full-time hire. Three ways in:
• Platform Review: fixed scope, fixed price. Where the platform stands today, what’s at risk, and a 90-day plan.
• Fractional Data Architect: the core engagement. I own architecture and standards, I build hands-on, and I guide the team. 2-3 days a week.
• Architecture Advisory: lighter, ongoing senior input. Architecture decisions, second opinions, migration and tool choices.
You get the senior, not a junior with a senior price tag. Direction and build sit in one head, so what gets designed is what gets built. No PowerPoint architecture. You walk away with a working platform, a roadmap, and a team that can run it without me. Making myself redundant is the goal.
Before data, I cooked in Michelin-star kitchens. I still run engineering teams the way a kitchen runs service: clear stations, high standards, everything shipping on time under pressure.
10+ years building data platforms across Azure, GCP, AWS, Databricks and Snowflake. Based in Belgium, working across the EU and the UK.
Talk to me if dashboards are slow, pipelines keep breaking, or nobody’s sure the stack survives the next funding round. Same if you know someone stuck in that.
Book a call: https://app.cal.eu/thomasnys/30min