Director, Databricks Platform Architect - Unity Catalog Enablement

About InfinitiveInfinitive is a data & AI consultancy that enables global brands to deliver results through insights, innovation, and efficiency. We possess deep industry and technology expertise to drive and sustain adoption of new capabilities. We match our people and personalities to our clients' culture while bringing the right mix of talent and skills to enable high return on investment.Infinitive has been named “Best Small Firms to Work For” by Consulting Magazine eight times, and has also been named a Washington Post Top Workplace, Washington Business Journal Best Places to Work, and Virginia Business Best Places to Work.Role OverviewThis architect will define and shape a unified platform service that enables scalable, governed, and cost-efficient data access across the bank. The ideal candidate will influence enterprise design standards and technical adoption by making Databricks Unity Catalog the effortless, observable, and default foundation for data integration, governance, and analytics across all business domains.Key ResponsibilitiesPlatform Vision & ArchitectureDefine and champion the end-to-end architecture for the bank’s Databricks-based data platform, ensuring scalability, security, cost efficiency, and ease of adoptionDesign a self-service platform layer that leverages Databricks Unity Catalog to deliver seamless data discovery, access, and observability across all environmentsEstablish architectural patterns and reference implementations that encourage enterprise-wide reuse and standardizationUnity Catalog Strategy & EnablementLead the design and implementation of Databricks Unity Catalog as the central governance plane—defining catalog hierarchies, fine-grained access controls, and cross-environment lineageEvaluate and implement metadata, RBAC/ABAC, and data masking capabilities to meet regulatory and compliance requirements (e.g., GLBA, GDPR, HIPAA)Define the template architecture that allows Unity Catalog to operate as a scalable and cost-effective shared service across lines of businessScalability, Cost, and ObservabilityEngineer platform capabilities that provide deep visibility into compute, storage, and catalog operations through integrated observability, monitoring, and FinOps practicesDevelop resource optimization strategies to balance performance and cost while maintaining compliance and SLAsEstablish metrics, dashboards, and alerts to ensure the platform scales predictably under enterprise workloadsAPI and Integration DesignArchitect streamlined RESTful/GraphQL APIs for secure, governed data access and metadata integrationEnsure interoperability with enterprise systems, APIs, and external data consumers using modern, consistent, and documented integration patternsData Modeling & Pipeline StrategyGuide teams in building Lakehouse-aligned data models that maximize reuse and governanceOversee design of ETL/ELT architectures (Spark, PySpark, SQL) that integrate seamlessly with Unity Catalog for lineage and access trackingCollaboration & InfluencePartner with engineering, data science, and risk teams to align platform design with business outcomes and regulatory expectationsInfluence architecture steering committees and platform engineering groups to adopt the Databricks foundation as a managed, enterprise-wide servicePromote a culture of easy adoption through clear design patterns, documentation, and working sessionsTechnical Leadership & MentorshipMentor engineers and architects on Databricks, Unity Catalog, and best practices for cost, scale, and observabilityContribute to internal architecture communities and upskill teams across multiple domainsRequired Skills & QualificationsEducation: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related fieldExperience: 8+ years in data architecture or platform engineering, including experience designing enterprise-scale, distributed data environmentsDatabricks Expertise: Deep hands-on knowledge of Databricks, Delta Lake, Apache Spark, and Lakehouse principlesUnity Catalog Mastery: Demonstrated success architecting and operationalizing Databricks Unity Catalog for enterprise governance, metadata management, and access controlProgramming & Data: Advanced proficiency in Python (PySpark) and SQL; experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)API Engineering: Strong background in API architecture (REST, GraphQL, OpenAPI) and applying best-in-class security and observabilityGovernance Knowledge: Expert-level understanding of data governance frameworks, data quality management, and regulatory complianceSoft Skills: Outstanding communication and influence skills, with ability to advocate for design principles across executive, technical, and risk audiencesPreferred QualificationsExperience deploying Databricks and cloud infrastructure using Terraform or IaC frameworksFamiliarity with MLflow and model governance integrationRelevant certifications (Databricks Certified Data Engineer, AWS/Azure/GCP Architect)Experience with real-time data streaming technologies (Kafka, Structured Streaming)Infinitive is required by law in some jurisdictions to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. The determination of this range includes various factors not limited to skill set, level, experience, relevant training, and licensure and certifications. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range for this role in the U.S. is $170,000.00 - $215,000.00.Infinitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.