Data Architect With Snowflake Cortex & AI Exp in VA,GA,NY (Onsite/Hybrid)

About the role

Client is seeking a highly experienced Snowflake Data Architect with expertise in Snowflake Cortex, AI-powered analytics, and modern cloud data platforms. This role will be responsible for designing and leading enterprise-scale data architectures that support advanced analytics, AI/ML initiatives, and data-driven business transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Architecture & Platform Design
• Lead end-to-end architecture and solution design for Snowflake-based data platforms.
• Design logical, physical, and semantic data models supporting analytics, reporting, and AI/ML workloads.
• Architect data ingestion frameworks utilizing batch, streaming, Snowpipe, and ELT/ETL methodologies.
• Design and implement scalable data warehouses, data lakes, and lakehouse architectures.
• Snowflake Optimization & Governance
• Optimize platform performance through warehouse strategy, query tuning, workload management, autoscaling, and cost optimization.
• Establish enterprise-grade governance frameworks covering: RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), Dynamic Data Masking, Row & Column-Level Security, Encryption & Secure Data Sharing, Data Lineage and Compliance Controls.
• Implement disaster recovery, replication, and high-availability solutions.
• AI & Snowflake Cortex Solutions
• Architect and implement AI-powered solutions using: Snowflake Cortex LLM Functions, Cortex Search, Cortex Analyst, Document AI Vector Embeddings & Semantic Search Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
• Integrate Snowflake with external LLMs and AI platforms to support: Conversational Analytics, AI Agents, Fine-Tuning Workflows, Multimodal Data Processing.
• Data Engineering & Integration
• Design scalable pipelines integrating cloud, on-premises, and SaaS data sources.
• Implement real-time and event-driven architectures using: Snowpark Streams & Tasks, Kafka, Spark, Airflow.
• Enable governed, reusable data products for analytics and AI consumption.
• Leadership & Strategy
• Lead migrations from legacy data warehouses and cloud platforms to Snowflake.
• Define architecture standards, best practices, and reference frameworks.
• Mentor architects and engineers on data modeling methodologies including: Data Vault 2.0, Kimball Dimensional Modeling, Hybrid Semantic Modeling.
• Conduct architecture reviews and guide enterprise data strategy initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Engineering, or Enterprise Data Platforms.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience designing and optimizing Snowflake solutions.
• Deep expertise with Snowflake capabilities including: Virtual Warehouses, Resource Monitors, Time Travel, Zero-Copy Cloning, Data Sharing, Snowpark Streams & Tasks, Security & Governance Controls.
• Strong proficiency in: SQL, Data Modeling (Conceptual, Logical, Physical), ETL/ELT Architecture, Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform).
• Experience designing secure and scalable architectures for: Analytics, Reporting, Data Science, Machine Learning.
• Strong understanding of: Data Governance, Data Quality, Metadata Management, Compliance Frameworks (GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA).
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Snowflake & AI Hands-on experience with: Snowflake Cortex Search, Cortex Analyst, Cortex LLM Functions, Vector Databases & Embeddings, RAG, Implementations, AI Agent Development, SnowPro Certifications: SnowPro Core, SnowPro Advanced, SnowPro Architect, Modern Data Stack Experience, With dbt, Apache Airflow, Kafka, Apache Spark, Fivetran, Matillion, Similar modern data engineering tools.
• Additional Expertise: Domain-Driven Design, Data Vault 2.0, Enterprise Data Governance Programs, Experience within Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, or other regulated industries.