Principal Data Architect

Applied Systems is looking for a Principal Data Architect to shape the architectural foundation of our Data and Analytics capabilities as we scale to enable better insights and lay the groundwork for AI across the enterprise.

About the role

The ideal candidate brings deep data architecture expertise with a commitment to embracing AI and enabling the success of engineering teams across Applied. At Applied, Principal architects are force-multipliers — technical leaders and practitioners who are passionate about designing, guiding, and teaching by doing. You will live our Leadership Principles: owning outcomes, insisting on the highest standards, and inventing and simplifying solutions for our customers and teams. You will have an AI-First approach to architecture with a view of AI and automation as leverage to scale your impact beyond individual throughput.

Responsibilities

• Define large-scale data architecture decisions — batch/streaming platforms, warehouses, and lakehouses — and evaluate tradeoffs for quality, scalability, and long-term sustainability
• Architect observability, alerting, and incident-response frameworks to monitor the health and SLAs of data pipelines across the organization; serve as the technical escalation point for complex data architecture problems
• Partner across Applied teams to define standards for data quality, lineage tracking, access control, cataloging, and governance; establish SLAs/SLOs for critical data assets
• Design data modeling standards across OLAP/warehouse (dimensional modeling), OLTP/transactional, streaming/real-time, and AI/vector/feature-store use cases
• Define patterns for embedding AI and agent-supported workflows across the data engineering lifecycle, and enable teams to adopt them at scale
• Define and enforce data engineering standards, best practices, and design patterns across the organization
• Mentor and grow engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and technical guidance
• Influence cross-functional roadmaps by translating business requirements into sound data architecture strategies

Requirements

• 15+ years in software/data engineering or architecture with outstanding impact
• Degree in Computer Science, a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Expert knowledge of data architecture principles and best practices
• Hands-on builder experience (actively coding, testing, and validating architecture at scale)
• Proven ability to influence without authority
• Pragmatic approach and obsessed with eliminating waste
• Player-coach mindset with a commitment to teaching through action
• Adaptability, resilience, and the ability to thrive in ambiguity with iteration
• Excellent communication skills, able to meet your audience where they are and explain complex problems clearly
• Expertise across data and software technologies — GCP BigQuery and dbt a plus
• Proven experience architecting large-scale data warehouses or lakehouses
• Solid understanding of data modeling concepts including dimensional modeling and streaming architectures; experience with vector stores is a plus
• Strong understanding of data governance; experience implementing data catalogs a plus

Talent shows up in a lot of different ways, and we mean that. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experience levels, including military members and their spouses and those without a traditional degree or tech background.

Why join us

The best work happens when smart people move fast, together. For over 40+ years, Applied has built technology that solves real problems for insurance professionals — and we’re still pushing what’s possible. You’ll be part of our people-first culture built on trust, inclusion, and growth — where you’re supported to deliver, collaborate with teammates who care, and grow with leaders invested in your success.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Holiday and Vacation Time
• Health & Wellness Days
• A Bonus Day for Your Birthday
• Compensation Transparency

Pay

The anticipated base salary range for this position in the United States is $160,000 - $260,000. Actual starting compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including a candidate's experience, skills, qualifications, and the scope and responsibilities of the role. In addition to base salary, eligible employees may participate in incentive compensation programs, such as annual bonuses or commissions, and receive a comprehensive benefits package.