Data Architect

Key Responsibilities

• Data Governance & Standards
• Create and own data catalog, data dictionary, and metadata management framework
• Define and enforce data classification standards in collaboration with Legal and Cybersecurity
• Create and own data modeling standards (conceptual, logical, and physical)
• Create and own data quality and process monitoring frameworks

Architecture & Design

• Design and evolve the enterprise data lake into a data lakehouse architecture
• Lead the architectural design of data ingestion, transformation, and storage patterns within Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics
• Define reference architectures and design patterns for data integration
• Evaluate and recommend tools, frameworks, and emerging technologies to continuously improve the data platform
• Evaluate a Data Hub architecture to streamline the exchange of data between operational applications and the analytical lakehouse

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with the Infrastructure Architect to align data platform design with infrastructure, networking, and cloud resource management strategies
• Work with Cybersecurity to implement data access controls, encryption standards, auditing, and compliance requirements
• Guide and mentor a team of Data Engineers, providing technical leadership, reviewing designs, and ensuring adherence to architectural standards
• Collaborate with project teams and business stakeholders across multiple concurrent projects to define data requirements and integration approaches for new and acquired applications

Project & Integration Support

• Serve as the data architecture lead across multiple simultaneous projects
• Define repeatable integration patterns for acquired applications being onboarded into the company data lake
• Document architecture decisions, data flows, and integration specifications to maintain a clear and accessible architectural record

Qualifications

• 9+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or a related technical discipline
• Demonstrated experience designing and governing enterprise data lakes or large-scale data platforms
• Deep hands-on expertise with Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics (dedicated sql pool and serverless)
• Strong experience with data modeling (relational, dimensional, and NoSQL data models)
• Proven ability to establish and drive data governance programs including metadata management, master data management, data quality, and lineage
• Experience collaborating with security and infrastructure teams to implement compliant, secure data architectures
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Preferred

• Experience with Azure Purview or a similar enterprise data catalog / governance platform
• Familiarity with Delta Lake, Apache Spark, or similar open-source data processing frameworks within a cloud environment
• Exposure to application acquisition and data integration onboarding processes
• Knowledge of data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) and their architectural implications
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert or related Azure certification
• Experience in a multi-project or program environment with competing priorities