Senior Architect - Data & Semantic Intelligence

Surescripts serves the nation through simpler, trusted health intelligence sharing, in order to increase patient safety, lower costs and ensure quality care. We deliver insights at critical points of care for better decisions — from streamlining prior authorizations to delivering comprehensive medication histories to facilitating messages between providers.

About the role

The Senior Architect - Data and Semantic Intelligence serves as the technical authority for how data is modeled, structured, and made meaningful across the Enterprise Data Platform. This is the most senior individual contributor architecture role within the platform organization, operating across two interconnected domains: data and solution architecture, and semantic intelligence. The role is the design authority for the platform, reporting to the VP of Enterprise Data Platform and working alongside leads of Unified Data Fabric, Data Product Delivery, Platform Engineering, and Trust & Enablement teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise data architecture. Define and maintain the architectural blueprint for Surescripts' Enterprise Data Platform, including the medallion data lake structure, domain data models, integration patterns, and the long-term technical direction of the platform.
• Lead solution architecture across the platform. Serve as the primary solution architect for complex, cross-cutting platform initiatives. Evaluate build vs. buy decisions, assess new technology introductions, and define the reference architectures that delivery teams execute against.
• Own the canonical data model. Design and govern the canonical data model that serves as the authoritative definition of Surescripts' core data entities: patient identity, provider identity, drug reference, transaction records, and the relationships between them.
• Lead semantic model design. Define the semantic layer specifications (entity definitions, metric logic, relationship structures, and business rules) that live in the Git repository as the platform's semantic source of truth. Establish the design gate: no data product build begins without an Architecture-approved semantic design artifact.
• Define platform topology and externalization principles. Establish the architectural principles that govern how the platform is structured externally and with what access and trust requirements.
• Architect for machine and AI consumers. Lead the design of the platform's AI-readiness architecture: the semantic context, knowledge graph structures, and API patterns that make Surescripts data consumable by machine and AI consumers reliably and at scale.
• Drive architectural governance. Establish and chair the architecture review process for the Enterprise Data Platform. Evaluate proposed designs from delivery teams, identify risks and deviations from canonical patterns, and provide structured feedback.
• Partner with Trust & Enablement on semantic standards. Work closely with the Director of Trust & Enablement to ensure that canonical model definitions are reflected in Collibra's business glossary and governed appropriately.
• Shape the technology roadmap. Contribute to the Enterprise Data Platform's long-term technology roadmap as the senior technical voice in the organization.
• Contribute to platform strategy. Participate as a senior leader in the Enterprise Data Platform leadership team, bringing the perspective of the data foundation into roadmap planning and organizational decisions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, business administration, or related field.
• 12+ years of experience in data architecture, solution architecture, or a closely related technical discipline, with a strong track record of designing and delivering enterprise-scale data platforms.
• Deep expertise in data modeling, both relational and semantic, including canonical model design, entity resolution, ontology development, or knowledge graph architecture.
• Proven experience defining and governing semantic layers (metrics layers, business glossaries, or semantic data models), ideally in a platform context serving multiple consumer types.
• Strong command of cloud data platform architecture, with Google Cloud Platform and BigQuery experience strongly preferred.
• Experience defining externalization and API architecture for data platforms, including understanding of data contracts, access patterns, and the specific requirements of external partner and machine consumer use cases.
• Familiarity with semantic technologies (RDF, OWL, property graphs, or knowledge graph platforms).
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a technical authority — setting direction, making consequential decisions, and holding delivery teams accountable to architectural standards.
• Experience in healthcare, life sciences, or a similarly regulated data environment. Deep understanding of healthcare data domains (pharmacy, clinical, claims, provider) is required.
• Demonstrated ability to explain complex architectural decisions to both engineering teams and senior business stakeholders with equal clarity and confidence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, business administration, or related field.
• Experience implementing platform capabilities supporting synthetic data, data observability, metadata management, and data trust frameworks.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare (including infertility coverage).
• Generous paid time off including paid childbirth and parental leave and mental health days.
• Pet insurance.
• 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting.

Pay

The base pay range for this position is $171,100 - $209,100 per year. Your base pay may vary within or outside of this range depending on factors including your qualifications, skills, experience, and location.

Schedule

Surescripts embraces flexibility through its Flexible Hybrid Work model for most positions. This model allows employees to work virtually while still utilizing offices as collaboration centers.

To be considered for employment, applicants must have a valid U.S. work authorization allowing work without restrictions with Surescripts in the U.S.