Data Architect

Data Architect The Data Architect designs, governs, and evolves enterprise data architectures that enable reliable analytics, AI, and operational reporting. Data Architect defines standards for data modeling, integration, quality, security, and lifecycle management across cloud and on-prem platforms, ensuring data is trusted, performant, and cost-efficient. This contract position is onsite. Job Description: Define end-to-end data architecture patterns (warehouse, lake/lakehouse, streaming, operational data stores) and reference designs aligned to business outcomes. Own enterprise data models (conceptual, logical, physical), canonical data definitions, and metadata standards to drive consistency and reuse. Architect data integration pipelines (batch and streaming) including ingestion, transformation, enrichment, and distribution with strong SLAs and observability. Establish data governance controls (cataloging, lineage, quality rules, MDM, access policies) in partnership with security, compliance, and business stakeholders. Drive platform selection and design (e.g., cloud data services, analytics engines, storage tiers) balancing scalability, performance, resilience, and total cost. Implement security and privacy by design (RBAC/ABAC, encryption, tokenization, masking, retention) and ensure regulatory compliance requirements are met. Set standards and guardrails for SQL, schema evolution, event design, job orchestration, and CI/CD for data workloads; review solutions for architectural fit. Partner with product, engineering, and analytics teams to translate business requirements into data structures, interfaces, and service contracts. Lead migration and modernization initiatives (e.g., to cloud/lakehouse), including dependency mapping, cutover plans, and performance optimization. Define SLOs/SLAs and capacity plans; monitor cost, reliability, and performance; drive continuous improvement via benchmarking and right-sizing. Mentor engineers and analysts; contribute to architecture governance, patterns, and best practices; present roadmaps and decisions to senior stakeholders. Required Qualifications Strong expertise in data modeling (3NF, dimensional, Data Vault), SQL, and distributed compute/storage paradigms. Practical experience with major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern data ecosystems (e.g., Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, Starburst/Trino, Apache Spark). Proficiency in ETL/ELT orchestration and workflow tools (e.g., Airflow, dbt, native cloud services) and event/streaming systems (e.g., Kafka). Proven track record implementing data governance: catalog, lineage, quality frameworks, MDM, and access controls. Solid understanding of security and compliance for data (PII/PHI/PCI), including policy enforcement, encryption, and auditability. Strong programming/scripting in Python (or Scala/Java) for data processing, automation, and tooling. Excellent communication and stakeholder management; ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business value. Preferred Skills Experience with lakehouse architectures, open table formats (e.g., Apache Iceberg/Delta), and data sharing patterns. Familiarity with metadata-driven design, semantic layers, and BI acceleration techniques. Exposure to ML/AI data readiness practices (feature engineering, data labeling, model data pipelines). Infrastructure-as-Code (e.g., Terraform) and CI/CD for data platform provisioning and jobs. Cost optimization and FinOps practices for data services. Key Outcomes Deliver a scalable, secure, and well-governed data platform that improves time-to-insight and reduces total cost of ownership. Establish enterprise data standards that increase interoperability and reduce duplication. Enable trusted analytics and AI by elevating data quality, lineage, and accessibility. Required Qualifications Master's in management information systems or computer science. 10-15 Years of Experience Duration of Contract: 6 months with probable extension Job Type: Contract Pay: $90.00 - $105.00 per hour Education: Master's (Required) Experience: relevant work: 10 years (Required) Ability to Commute: Manhattan, NY 10001 (Required) Willingness to travel: 25% (Required) Work Location: In person