Senior Data Architect (Azure Databricks / Data Lakehouse)

Senior Data Architect (Azure Databricks / Data Lakehouse)Location: Seattle, WA (100% Onsite)Duration: 12 Months Contract (Potential Extension)Shift: 1st Shift (7:00 AM – 4:00 PM)Bill Rate: Up to $88/hrOverviewWe are seeking an experienced Senior Data Architect to join a high-performing software engineering organization supporting advanced aviation training analytics solutions. This role will focus on designing, governing, and evolving enterprise-scale data architectures built on Azure Databricks and Microsoft Azure platforms.The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in Unified Data Modeling (UDM), Data Lakehouse architecture, Azure Databricks, SQL, and enterprise data governance. The candidate will collaborate closely with globally distributed engineering teams, including offshore teams in India, to design scalable and high-quality data solutions.Key ResponsibilitiesDesign, document, and maintain Unified Data Model (UDM) artifacts, mappings, and standards.Define and manage data lakehouse process layers including raw, transformed, and curated data domains.Develop data transformation specifications, routing rules, validation logic, enrichment processes, and error-handling strategies.Author and maintain schema definitions, metadata standards, attribute dictionaries, and schema evolution processes.Translate business requirements into scalable data architecture and transformation designs.Partner with data engineering teams to implement optimized Azure Databricks solutions.Review and approve data pipeline architecture ensuring compliance with governance and security standards.Establish and maintain data quality frameworks, lineage tracking, metadata management, and monitoring solutions.Support CI/CD implementation for Databricks notebooks, jobs, and infrastructure deployments.Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural guidance to distributed engineering teams.Participate in architecture reviews, design reviews, agile ceremonies, and stakeholder discussions.Communicate architecture decisions, trade-offs, and recommendations to technical and business stakeholders.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, or a related technical field.9+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Modeling, or Data Engineering.Proven experience designing and implementing Unified Data Models (UDM).Strong expertise in SQL and enterprise data modeling.Extensive experience designing data architectures across multiple process layers (ingest, transform, curated).Deep understanding of:Data GovernanceData LineageMetadata ManagementData Quality FrameworksHands-on experience with Azure Databricks and Data Lakehouse architectures.Experience managing schema evolution and backward-compatible data changes.Experience defining data routing, ingestion, transformation, and processing rules.Experience working with globally distributed engineering teams.Strong communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.Preferred QualificationsExperience with Azure Data Factory, Delta Lake, and Unity Catalog.Experience with Azure data governance and cataloging tools such as Microsoft Purview or Alation.Knowledge of streaming architectures using Kafka, Event Hubs, or similar technologies.Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps, Terraform, GitOps, or Infrastructure-as-Code practices.Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes.Prior experience supporting Aviation, Aerospace, Training Analytics, or Operational Data environments.Technical SkillsRequiredAzure DatabricksUnified Data Modeling (UDM)SQLData Lakehouse ArchitectureData GovernanceData LineageData ModelingSchema ManagementPreferredAzure Data FactoryDelta LakeUnity CatalogMicrosoft PurviewAlationKafkaEvent HubsTerraformAzure DevOpsGitOpsDockerKubernetes