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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Director, Data Engineering - Architect - **Company:** RISE INC - **Location:** Chicago, IL, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Amazon Web Services, Data Analysis, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Software Quality, Cyber Security, Information Systems, Continuous Integration, Data Architecture, Information Engineering, Data Governance, Data Integration, Data Sharing, Data Systems, Data Warehousing, Distributed Computing Environment, Distributed Systems, Information Lifecycle Management, Interoperability, Information Systems Security Architecture Professional, Meta-Data Management, Performance Tuning, Software Architecture, Cloud Services, Software Engineering, Transact-SQL, Workflow Management Systems, Google Cloud, Cloud Platform System, Data Ingestion, System Availability, Snowflake, Apache Spark, Togaf, Pyspark, Information Technology, Data Management, Api Design, Software Version Control, Data Pipelines, Serverless Computing - **Published:** June 9, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.dice.com/job-detail/1e9134ef-17b7-45bb-bad1-87a39dce4028 ## About the Role Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field required. Master's degree preferred. Experience: Minimum of 10+ years of experience in data engineering, distributed systems, or enterprise data architecture. Minimum of 5+ years designing large-scale cloud-based data platforms. Demonstrated experience leading architectural strategy across multiple teams or business units. Experience in media, marketing analytics, or high-volume consumer data environments is a plus. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Preferred certifications: * Cloud Architecture Certification (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform) * Snowflake Architect Certification * Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) * TOGAF or equivalent enterprise architecture certification Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Deep knowledge of: * Cloud-native data architectures * Lakehouse and warehouse platforms * Distributed computing (e.g., Spark) * Data orchestration frameworks * API-driven data integration * CI/CD for data platforms Strong understanding of data lifecycle management and system interoperability. Technical Language/Platform: T-SQL, PySpark, Snowflake, cloud-native services (AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform), orchestration tools, infrastructure-as-code frameworks. Systems Thinking: Ability to design cohesive systems across multiple technologies and teams while balancing performance, cost, risk, and scalability. Leadership & Influence: Proven ability to influence technical strategy across cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority. Strong mentorship capabilities. Communication Skills: Exceptional ability to communicate architectural vision, tradeoffs, and risk clearly to technical and executive stakeholders. Organizational Skills: Ability to manage multi-year roadmaps, platform migrations, and complex modernization initiatives. Strategic Orientation: Forward-thinking mindset with the ability to anticipate scaling challenges, emerging technologies, and evolving business requirements. ## Description The Director, Data Engineering - Architect is responsible for defining and governing the enterprise data architecture strategy that powers the Quad/Rise Data Stack. This role provides architectural leadership across data ingestion, transformation, storage, governance, security, and activation platforms to ensure scalability, reliability, and long-term sustainability of the organization's data ecosystem. This individual serves as the senior technical authority for data platform design, establishing standards, patterns, and frameworks that enable advanced analytics, modeling, business intelligence, and client delivery. The Director ensures that all data systems are architected for performance, interoperability, compliance, and cost efficiency while anticipating future growth and technological evolution. The role partners closely with Analytics, Information Security, Software Development, Product developers, and executive leadership to align architectural decisions with enterprise strategy and client needs., Enterprise Data Architecture Strategy Define and maintain the long-term architectural vision for the Quad/Rise Data Stack, including cloud data platforms, pipeline frameworks, governance layers, and integration strategies. Establish scalable, modular, and secure architecture patterns. Platform & Infrastructure Design Design and oversee implementation of: * Enterprise data warehouse architecture * Distributed processing frameworks * Real-time and batch data ingestion pipelines * API and data-sharing architectures * Metadata management and lineage systems Ensure architectural consistency across environments (development, staging, production). Standards & Engineering Governance Establish enterprise standards for: * Data modeling and schema design * Pipeline orchestration * Code quality and version control * Documentation and lineage * Observability and monitoring Drive adoption of best practices across engineering teams. Scalability & Performance Optimization Ensure systems are designed for high availability, resilience, and performance at scale. Lead capacity planning, workload optimization, and cost management initiatives across cloud infrastructure. Data Governance & Compliance Alignment Partner with Information Security and Compliance teams to embed governance, access controls, encryption standards, and auditability into architectural frameworks. Ensure designs support regulatory requirements and enterprise risk management policies. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with: * Data Science and Analytics teams to enable advanced modeling and experimentation * Software Engineering teams to integrate analytics platforms into client-facing solutions * Product teams to translate business requirements into scalable technical designs Act as the architectural liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams. Technology Evaluation & Innovation Continuously evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to enhance platform capabilities. Lead proof-of-concept initiatives and guide build-versus-buy decisions. Organizational Leadership Mentor senior engineers and managers. Develop architectural talent within the Data Engineering function. Influence technical direction without direct ownership of all implementation teams. Executive Communication Provide architectural roadmaps, risk assessments, and investment recommendations to executive leadership. 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