Data Architect Consultant (Azure stack)

Our client is seeking a Senior Data Architect to provide enterprise data architecture, data modeling, and analytics design expertise supporting the University's data and business intelligence initiatives.

The consultant will partner with the Business Intelligence and Data Platform team, Enterprise Architecture, application owners, database administrators, and business stakeholders to build scalable enterprise data models, establish architecture standards, and strengthen the University's analytics capabilities.

Scope note: Our client is evaluating the future direction of its analytics platform through a Microsoft Fabric Proof of Concept while continuing to operate its existing Azure Synapse Analytics environment. This role provides enterprise data modeling and architecture guidance to support that work. The consultant is not responsible for leading or implementing the POC.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Architecture

Develop conceptual, logical, and physical enterprise data models

Design data architectures supporting reporting, analytics, and institutional decision making

Define canonical business entities and enterprise data domains

Establish modeling standards, naming conventions, and documentation practices

Evaluate existing data structures and recommend architectural improvements

Promote consistency and reuse across enterprise data assets

Data Modeling

Design dimensional models for analytics and reporting

Develop star and snowflake schemas where appropriate

Review and refine existing models for scalability and maintainability

Support reusable semantic data structures

Business Intelligence Collaboration

Partner with the BI and Data Platform team on enterprise analytics initiatives

Provide guidance on enterprise data structures and modeling approaches

Review data and semantic models

Assist with complex data design challenges

Data Integration

Recommend enterprise integration patterns

Support scalable ELT/ETL architecture design

Support integration between Banner ERP, enterprise applications, and analytics platforms

Enterprise Architecture

Align data architecture with Enterprise Architecture standards and governance

Participate in architecture reviews and technical design discussions

Produce architecture documentation and contribute to long-term data strategy

Knowledge Transfer

Mentor BI and Data Platform staff on enterprise data modeling

Document enterprise data standards and reference architectures

Deliver knowledge transfer sessions

Deliverables

Enterprise conceptual, logical, and physical data models

Enterprise data modeling standards and documentation

Reference architectures for enterprise data solutions

Dimensional models supporting reporting and analytics

Enterprise data integration pattern recommendations

Architecture review findings and design recommendations

Data architecture documentation and knowledge transfer materials

Mentoring and guidance for the BI and Data Platform team

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or a related field

Minimum 7 years of enterprise data architecture experience

Expertise in conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling

Extensive dimensional modeling and enterprise data warehouse design experience

Strong SQL Server and T-SQL experience

Experience designing enterprise reporting and analytics solutions

Experience with Power BI semantic models or comparable technologies

Strong understanding of data governance and metadata management

Preferred Qualifications

Higher education experience

Ellucian Banner ERP

Azure Synapse Analytics

Familiarity with Microsoft Fabric

Azure Data Platform technologies

Microsoft Fabric or Azure data certifications

DAMA or equivalent data management practices

Experience modernizing enterprise analytics platforms

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