Data Architect

We are seeking a hands-on Data Architect with deep technical expertise in Azure and Databricks to design and build enterprise data platforms and products. This role requires a unique blend of architectural vision and hands-on implementation skills - you'll design solutions AND write code to bring them to life. Key Responsibilities Architecture & Design

• Design scalable, secure, and cost-effective data architectures on Azure and Databricks
• Define data platform standards, patterns, and best practices
• Create reference architectures for data lakehouse implementations
• Design end-to-end data product architectures from ingestion to consumption

Hands-On Implementation

• Build proof-of-concepts and reference implementations personally
• Write production-grade Spark code (PySpark, Scala, SQL)
• Implement complex data pipelines and transformations
• Configure and optimize Databricks environments and Azure services
• Lead by example through hands-on technical contributions

Data Platform Development

• Design and implement data lakehouse architectures using Delta Lake
• Architect streaming and batch processing solutions at scale
• Build data governance frameworks using Unity Catalog and Azure Purview
• Design data quality and observability solutions

Technical Leadership

• Provide technical guidance to data engineering teams
• Conduct architecture reviews and code reviews
• Mentor engineers on Databricks and Azure best practices
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies and tools

Stakeholder Engagement

• Translate business requirements into technical architectures
• Present architectural designs to technical and business stakeholders
• Collaborate with security, infrastructure, and platform teams
• Drive architectural decisions and alignment across teams, * Azure (comprehensive knowledge across data services)
• Databricks (expert-level implementation and optimization)
• Apache Spark (architecture, tuning, advanced optimization)
• PySpark and/or Scala (production-level coding)
• SQL (complex queries, performance tuning)
• Data architecture patterns and best practices

What Makes This Role Unique This is NOT a traditional "ivory tower" architect role. We need someone who:

• Designs architectures in the morning and implements them in the afternoon
• Gets into the weeds with Spark optimization and cluster tuning
• Can architect a solution AND build a working prototype
• Debugs production issues alongside the engineering team
• Writes code daily, not just PowerPoint slides

• 8+ years of data engineering/architecture experience
• Deep hands-on expertise in Databricks (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Medallion architecture, cluster optimization)
• Extensive Azure experience (Data Lake Storage, Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Event Hubs, Purview)
• Expert-level Apache Spark skills (performance tuning, optimization, architecture)
• Strong programming skills in PySpark, Scala, and/or Python
• Advanced SQL knowledge and query optimization

Architecture Experience

• Proven track record designing and implementing large-scale data platforms
• Experience with data lakehouse, data mesh, or modern data stack architectures
• Deep understanding of data modeling techniques (dimensional, normalized, data vault)
• Knowledge of real-time streaming architectures (Kafka, Event Hubs, Structured Streaming)
• Experience with data governance, security, and compliance frameworks

Technical Depth

• THIS IS NOT A PURE ARCHITECTURE ROLE - Daily coding and hands-on work required
• Ability to debug complex Spark jobs and optimize performance
• Experience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, ARM templates)
• Understanding of DevOps practices and CI/CD for data pipelines
• Knowledge of data quality, testing, and observability frameworks, * Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification
• Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional or Solutions Architect
• Experience with machine learning platforms and MLOps
• Background in cloud migration and modernization projects
• Knowledge of FinOps and cloud cost optimization
• Experience with multiple cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud Platform)
• Previous consulting or advisory experience, * Senior engineer who's ready to take on architecture responsibilities
• Or architect who refuses to stop coding and building
• Believes the best way to validate an architecture is to implement it
• Values pragmatic solutions over theoretical perfection, * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field
• Master's degree or equivalent experience preferred