Cloud Data Warehouse Architect

The Cloud Data Warehouse Architect will design and deliver the next-generation enterprise analytics platform. This position is highly technical and will focus on building a cloud-native, SAP-integrated, AI-ready architecture that supports analytics, reporting, and advanced machine learning at scale.

The architect will modernize our current BI and data warehouse environment, anchored today in IBM Netezza, Cognos, and Tableau into a cloud-based architecture. This role will require deep technical expertise in data modeling, cloud-native design, and hybrid architectures that bridge legacy on-prem systems with cloud-first capabilities.

The Data Science & Insights group is at the center of D&H's analytics transformation. Our mission is to:

• Consolidate legacy BI systems (Netezza, Cognos) into a modern cloud architecture.
• Support the SAP S/4HANA migration with tight integration into future state.
• Deliver governed, high-performance datasets for self-service analytics in Tableau, Power BI, and SAC.
• Enable AI/ML use cases through Databricks and Azure ML.
• Extend analytics capabilities to our partners and vendors via embedded reporting

This is an opportunity to be the hands-on architect shaping the future-state data strategy, working in a fast-paced, hybrid cloud environment that balances innovation with enterprise stability.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Architectural Design & Modernization

• Lead the design of a cloud data warehouse and data lake house architecture capable of ingesting large-scale transactional and operational data.
• Define integration strategies for core systems.
• Develop a reference architecture that leverages Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) and Databricks Delta Lake as core components.
• Implement semantic modeling to unify reporting across Tableau, Power BI, and SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC).

Data Engineering & Performance

• Oversee ingestion pipelines for batch (Netezza extracts, flat files, nightly jobs) and near real-time (APIs, streaming) data sources.
• Optimize query performance through partitioning, clustering, caching, and Delta Lake / warehouse design.
• Establish reusable ETL/ELT patterns across Databricks notebooks, SQL-based orchestration, and integration with ActiveBatch scheduling.

Governance, Security & Compliance

• Define and enforce data governance standards (naming conventions, metadata, lineage, data quality).
• Partner with InfoSec on identity management (Azure AD), encryption, and RBAC/ABAC models.
• Implement governance tooling such as Azure Purview, SAP metadata catalogs, Databricks Unity Catalog, and Glasswing.

Collaboration & Enablement

• Partner with data engineers and visualization teams to deliver governed, high-performance datasets consumable in Tableau, Power BI, SAC, and SAP Fiori.
• Serve as the technical SME for architects, engineers, and analysts, ensuring alignment to best practices in cloud-native data warehouse design.
• Drive knowledge transfer from legacy platforms (Netezza, Cognos) into the new ecosystem., Cost-aware architecture design, scaling strategies, and performance optimization

Designing platforms that are resilient, secure, and future-ready

• Experience establishing data governance and architectural standards, including:

• Defining data ownership, lineage, quality, and access patterns
• Partnering with analytics, security, and business stakeholders to enforce governance at scale

• Ability to operate as a senior technical leader, including:

• Making architectural trade-off decisions and clearly articulating rationale
• Guiding engineering teams while remaining hands-on at the design level
• Translating business, analytics, and SAP requirements into durable platform designs

Preferred / Bonus Experience

• Experience modernizing or migrating legacy on-prem data warehouses (e.g., Netezza or other MPP systems) to cloud-native lake house or warehouse architectures.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks (Delta Lake, Spark/PySpark, SQL) and/or Snowflake, including:

• Lakehouse or warehouse design patterns
• Performance tuning and cost optimization
• Security, data sharing, and governance controls

• Familiarity with SAP-centric analytics ecosystems, including SAP Business Data Cloud / Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) or Integration patterns with SAP S/4HANA and non-SAP data sources
• Experience supporting or modernizing enterprise BI platforms, including migrations from tools such as Cognos to Tableau or Power BI, with a focus on architecture and semantic design (not report development).
• Knowledge of data governance frameworks and tooling, such as: Azure Purview, Unity Catalog, or comparable platforms
• Exposure to AI/ML enablement architectures, including:

Jason Biser

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field and 10+ years of experience in enterprise data engineering, data warehouse architecture, or cloud data architecture, with demonstrated progression into architectural ownership and technical leadership roles.
• Proven experience designing and owning end-to-end data architectures, including on-prem, cloud, and hybrid environments - not simply implementing architectures defined by others.
• Deep understanding of hybrid data ecosystems, including:

• Coexistence of on-prem and cloud data platforms
• Strategies for moving, synchronizing, and governing data across environments
• Designing architectures that support gradual migration rather than "lift-and-shift"

• Strong data warehouse and lake house architecture expertise, including:

• Designing and operating Bronze / Silver / Gold data layers
• Blending and federating data across multiple warehouses (on-prem and cloud)
• Supporting governed analytics, semantic layers, and enterprise reporting

• Advanced data modeling skills, with hands-on experience designing:

• 3NF and normalized operational models
• Dimensional/star schemas
• Enterprise semantic and consumption layers for analytics and BI

• Expert-level SQL proficiency across both cloud and traditional RDBMS platforms, with experience in systems such as:

• Netezza or other MPP databases
• SQL Server and similar enterprise relational platforms
• Modern cloud data warehouses or lake house query engines

• Cloud platform experience (Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform) with a strong understanding of:

• Cloud storage, compute, networking, and security concepts

Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Apex team member can provide.

Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico., Apex Systems is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico. Apex uses a virtual recruiter as part of the application process. Click for more details.