Lead Architect, Data & Analytics

At Client, we’re building a modern data platform that transforms information into actionable insights across our restaurants and Restaurant Support Center. As the Lead Architect for Data and Analytics, this position will design and evolve our enterprise data environment on Microsoft Fabric, lead the integration of POS, labor, digital ordering, and finance systems, and enable teams across the organization to access the insights they need, when they need them. This role will help shape how we responsibly adopt and scale AI capabilities, from forecasting and anomaly detection to conversational analytics with Copilot. Working closely with FP&A and partnering cross-functionally with Operations, Marketing, and Finance, this position will ensure the solutions we build reflect how the business operates and maximize our analytics capabilities. The ideal candidate is a strategic and hands-on technical leader with deep expertise in modern data architecture, cloud analytics platforms, AI enablement, and enterprise integrations. This individual must possess strong business acumen, technical leadership capability, and the ability to translate operational and financial needs into scalable technology solutions. This is a hybrid position based at the Portillo’s Restaurant Support Center in Oakbrook, Illinois with on-site presence required Monday through Thursday. CORE RESPONSIBILITIES: Enable our Purpose to create lifelong memories by igniting the senses with unrivaled food and experiences: Family: Work together to make everyone feel at home, and we step up when someone needs help Greatness: We’re obsessed with being the best and work hard to continuously improve. Our greatness is rooted in Quality, Service, Attitude and Cleanliness Energy: We move with urgency and passion, while maintaining attention to detail Fun: We entertain our guests, we connect authentically, and we make each other smile Lead & Influence Set technical direction and standards for the data and analytics function, including architecture reviews and technical mentorship Work with business stakeholders to gather requirements and translate business questions into data models and analytical approaches Data Platform & Architecture Design and implement a scalable lakehouse architecture on Microsoft Fabric Build and maintain pipelines that integrate POS systems, labor platforms (Harri and similar), digital ordering (Olo), and finance systems (Oracle Fusion) Optimize for performance, reliability, and cost Build AI-ready data infrastructure, including feature stores and semantic models Define SLAs, reliability standards, and disaster recovery architecture for the data environment, partnering with the operations team that handles day-to-day incident response Data Governance, Security, & Compliance Establish data ownership, stewardship, and quality standards Implement role-based access controls and partner with InfoSec on data security architecture Support SOX compliance for data and reporting in scope, and PCI-DSS compliance for cardholder data flowing through the platform Respond to internal and external audits, and maintain the documentation needed to support them Define an AI governance framework covering model validation, monitoring, responsible AI use, and data privacy (CCPA/CPRA alignment) Keep data consistent with FP&A reporting Analytics & AI Enablement Architect data structures that support trend analysis, root cause diagnostics, and predictive insights Enable self-service analytics and AI-assisted insights for business users Lead AI and ML use cases such as sales forecasting, labor optimization, demand prediction, and anomaly detection across cash, transactions, and inventory Build and integrate machine learning pipelines on Azure ML and Fabric ML Develop LLM-based solutions using Azure OpenAI and prompt orchestration Support AI agents and automation workflows on Power Platform and Oracle AI Agents Support Copilot and conversational analytics in Power BI and Fabric Reporting & Insights Deliver insights through Power BI dashboards, mobile reporting, and automated, event-driven reporting Support executive dashboards as well as field and restaurant dashboards Enable natural language querying and AI-generated insights for everyday users Vendor, Tooling, & Cost Evaluate and select data and AI tools and lead associated vendor relationships Own the data platform budget, and forecast cloud consumption costs across Fabric, Azure, and AI services Run proofs of concept for emerging technologies before broader rollout Collaboration & Communication Organize and participate in cross-functional meetings to assess and improve our analytics applications over time Present updates on vendor performance, application health, feature enhancements, and innovation Partner with Finance, Operations, and Marketing as analytic frameworks are built and refined Maintain architecture documentation, data dictionaries, and decision records for major architectural choices

Work Experience and Qualifications 5+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or analytics platform development A track record of delivering AI/ML or advanced analytics solutions end to end Hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric or Azure (Azure ML, Synapse, Data Factory) and Power BI Strong skills in Python and SQL Experience with LLM integrations (Azure OpenAI), prompt engineering, and orchestration Experience managing the full ML model lifecycle, including training, deployment, and monitoring Experience with feature engineering and data preparation for AI workloads Comfort working with business partners to translate operational and financial questions into technical solutions

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