Lead Data Architect - (Hybrid / Annapolis, MD)

Data Architect & Technical Lead Contract | 12+ Months 📍 Hybrid – Annapolis, MD (2–3 days onsite, subject to change) About the Role We're seeking a hands-on Data Architect & Technical Lead to lead the design, development, and optimization of enterprise data architecture supporting a high-impact performance analytics initiative. This role combines data architecture, data engineering, business intelligence, and analytics, with responsibility for building reliable data pipelines, integrating complex data sources, and enabling dashboards and reporting used for strategic decision-making. This is a highly technical individual contributor role with the opportunity to mentor analysts and influence enterprise data strategy. Responsibilities Data Architecture & Engineering • Design, build, and maintain enterprise data architecture. • Develop complex, high-performance SQL queries. • Build and support ETL/ELT pipelines. • Integrate data from APIs, cloud platforms, enterprise systems, and external data sources. • Troubleshoot data pipelines and reporting issues. • Ensure data quality, reliability, and scalability. Analytics & Business Intelligence • Support advanced analytics, data modeling, and trend analysis. • Develop and maintain dashboards and reports using Power BI, Tableau, or similar BI tools. • Translate technical findings into actionable business insights. • Collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Required Qualifications • 5+ years of experience in Data Architecture or Data Engineering • Expert-level SQL development and query optimization • Experience designing and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines • Experience integrating APIs, cloud platforms, and enterprise systems • Cloud experience (Azure preferred; AWS or GCP also considered) • Strong Python or R programming skills • Experience with Tableau, Power BI, or similar visualization tools • Excellent communication skills with both technical and business stakeholders Preferred Qualifications • Experience with ArcGIS or other geospatial technologies • Experience with Teradata (BTEQ, TPT, Viewpoint) • Knowledge of dimensional data modeling • Experience with Airflow, Azure Data Factory, or similar orchestration tools • CI/CD experience for data pipelines • Experience publishing open data or public-facing datasets • Public sector or performance management analytics experience Details • Duration: 12-month contract (extension possible) • Start: ASAP • Location: Hybrid – Annapolis, MD • Time Zone: Eastern Time