Lead Data Architect - Higher Education ERP Transformation

We are seeking a hands-on, strategic Data Architect to lead a massive, large-scale ERP transformation for our institution. This is a critical leadership role responsible for our end-to-end data strategy, architecture, and migration from Ellucian Colleague (on-premise) to Ellucian Banner SaaS.

Operating at the intersection of business, technology, and institutional data, you will design our future-state architecture while guiding complex conversion and integration efforts to ensure data integrity, governance, and long-term scalability across our campuses.

The Impact You’ll Make

• Data Strategy & Architecture: Define and own our enterprise data architecture aligned with Ellucian Banner SaaS. You’ll design conceptual, logical, and physical models across our student, finance, HR, and advancement domains to support strategic initiatives like AI readiness.
• Data Migration & Conversion: Lead the end-to-end migration strategy, managing data profiling, cleansing, mapping, transformation rules, and cutover planning while overseeing validation and audit processes.
• Data Governance & Quality: Establish our framework for data governance (ownership, stewardship, controls), define data lifecycles, set up archival processes for cold data, and monitor data quality KPIs.
• Integrations & Ecosystems: Architect seamless integrations between Banner SaaS and our other enterprise systems (CRM, LMS, reporting, identity management), defining API, middleware, and data flow patterns.
• Analytics Enablement & Leadership: Serve as the overarching data authority for our transformation program, advising executive stakeholders, collaborating with the PMO, and designing data structures to support modern reporting, analytics, and regulatory compliance., If you have a bias for execution and love bringing a structured, pragmatic approach to messy legacy environments, this is your chance to lead a high-visibility transformation that will shape the operational future of a major higher education institution.

Do you have experience in Team leadership?, * 7-12+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or enterprise data roles.

• Proven hands-on experience leading full-cycle ERP data migrations.
• Direct experience with higher education ERP systems (specifically Ellucian Colleague on-prem and/or Ellucian Banner SaaS).
• Deep expertise in data modeling (conceptual/logical/physical, including star/snowflake schemas), ETL/ELT processes, and data governance frameworks.
• Strong technical command of SQL, cloud data platforms, data warehousing, and integration patterns (APIs, middleware, event-based architectures).
• Experience establishing self-service reporting environments and standing up data quality strategies.
• A background in consulting or leading large-scale transformation programs, combined with exceptional communication skills to align technical and functional teams.

Standout Qualifications (Preferred & Nice-to-Have)

• Experience guiding a SaaS transformation within a higher education environment.
• Familiarity with Ellucian data models, Ethos integration, or Banner reporting structures.
• Knowledge of higher education compliance and regulatory reporting (IPEDS, FERPA, etc.).
• Experience building data governance from scratch in decentralized organizations or rationalizing legacy systems during an ERP shift.
• Relevant Certifications: Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) or Cloud Data Architect (Azure, AWS, Google).