Lead Data Architect

Position Overview: We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Data Architect to lead the design, development, and modernization of enterprise data architecture and business intelligence solutions. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Services, Databricks, Power BI, and modern data engineering practices. This individual will be responsible for architecting scalable enterprise data platforms, integrating complex business systems, and delivering advanced analytics solutions that support strategic business decisions. This is a hands-on technical leadership position requiring someone who can operate at both the strategic and engineering levels. The successful candidate will work closely with executive leadership, business stakeholders, data engineers, and BI developers to establish a modern, secure, and scalable enterprise analytics environment.

Enterprise Data Architecture & Strategy: Design and implement enterprise-scale data architecture solutions leveraging Microsoft Fabric, Azure, Databricks, and modern cloud technologies. Lead the development and modernization of enterprise data warehouses, data lakes, and lakehouse architectures. Establish architectural standards for data modeling, integration, governance, security, and performance. Design and implement medallion architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and dimensional data models. Develop technical roadmaps supporting enterprise analytics transformation and long-term scalability.

Microsoft Fabric & Azure Platform Architecture: Serve as a technical architect and subject matter expert for Microsoft Fabric and Azure data environments. Architect and implement Microsoft Fabric solutions utilizing OneLake, Fabric Data Factory, Fabric Warehouse, Lakehouse, and Power BI.Design scalable data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration frameworks. Leverage Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL, and Azure Data Lake Storage. Establish platform governance, capacity planning, deployment standards, and performance optimization strategies. Implement CI/CD pipelines and DevOps best practices across enterprise data environments.

Data Engineering & Integration: Architect and develop complex ETL/ELT pipelines using SQL, Python, PySpark, Azure Data Factory, and Microsoft Fabric. Integrate enterprise data from ERP, CRM, Finance, HR, Operations, and third-party SaaS applications. Design reusable, metadata-driven data ingestion and transformation frameworks. Establish data quality, master data management, data lineage, and governance standards. Optimize SQL queries, data pipelines, and cloud data processing workloads for performance and scalability. Support enterprise data modernization and migration from legacy environments into cloud-based platforms.

Business Intelligence & Analytics: Design enterprise reporting and analytics architecture utilizing Power BI and Microsoft Fabric. Develop and oversee semantic models, dimensional models, reusable datasets, and enterprise reporting frameworks. Partner with business stakeholders to define KPIs, dashboards, scorecards, and executive reporting requirements. Enable self-service analytics and establish consistent reporting standards across business functions. Translate complex business requirements into scalable, actionable data and analytics solutions.

Technical Leadership & Collaboration: Provide architectural leadership and technical direction to Data Engineers, BI Developers, Analysts, and other technical resources. Partner with executive leadership and business stakeholders to align enterprise data strategy with organizational objectives. Lead architecture reviews, solution design discussions, and technical decision-making. Mentor engineering teams and establish best practices for development, governance, and platform optimization. Take ownership of complex technical challenges and drive solutions from architecture through implementation.

Required Qualifications: 10+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Engineering, Business Intelligence, or Enterprise Analytics.5+ years designing and implementing enterprise-scale cloud data platforms. Strong hands-on experience architecting and implementing Microsoft Fabric solutions. Deep expertise in Azure Data Services, including Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse, Azure SQL, and Azure Data Lake Storage. Strong experience with data warehousing, lakehouse architecture, dimensional modeling, and medallion architecture. Advanced SQL development and performance optimization experience. Hands-on experience with Python, PySpark, and enterprise ETL/ELT development. Strong understanding of Power BI, semantic modeling, DAX, and enterprise reporting architecture. Experience with Databricks, Spark, and Delta Lake. Experience implementing data governance, security, and data quality frameworks. Proven ability to lead enterprise data modernization initiatives and work directly with business and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience with AWS data services, Snowflake, or hybrid/multi-cloud architectures. Experience with Microsoft Purview, master data management, and enterprise data governance. Familiarity with AI/ML architecture, Azure AI Foundry, generative AI, or advanced analytics. Experience integrating SAP, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Workday, or similar enterprise applications. Experience leading or mentoring teams of Data Engineers, Architects, and BI Developers. Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) or Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700) certification. Microsoft Azure Data Engineer or Azure Solutions Architect certification. Databricks Data Engineer certification.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate is a seasoned, hands-on Data Architect who combines deep Microsoft Fabric and Azure expertise with strong data engineering, enterprise BI, and technical leadership capabilities. This individual has successfully designed and implemented modern enterprise data platforms, built scalable data pipelines, established enterprise reporting architectures, and led complex data modernization initiatives. We are looking for someone who can do more than recommend architecture. This person must understand how to design it, build it, troubleshoot it, and guide technical teams through successful implementation.