Solution Architect – Microsoft Fabric & Power BI Semantic Models

Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. Our client, APN Consulting Inc, is seeking the following. Apply via Dice today! Title: Solution Architect – Microsoft Fabric & Power BI Semantic Models Duration: 6 Months Contract Location: Remote Position Summary We are seeking a visionary Solution Architect to lead the design and evolution of our modern data estate. This role is pivotal in transforming raw data into actionable intelligence by leveraging the full Microsoft Fabric and Databricks ecosystem. You will be responsible for architecting scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions that bridge the gap between complex data engineering and intuitive business analytics. Key Responsibilities • Enterprise Architecture & Strategy • Unified Data Backbone: Design and manage enterprise-grade architectures within OneLake, DeltaLake serving as the single system of record. • Medallion Framework: Implement robust Bronze/Silver/Gold data layers using Lakehouses and Warehouses to ensure data quality and lineage. • Ingestion Patterns: Define strategic patterns for data acquisition, deciding between Mirroring for real-time synchronization, Shortcuts for zero-copy integration, or traditional pipelines. • Advanced Semantic Modeling • Performance Engineering: Architect sophisticated Power BI Semantic Models using Direct Lake mode for near-instant performance on large datasets. • Logic & Standardization: Develop complex DAX measures and Calculation Groups to standardize business logic (e.g., time intelligence, currency conversion) across the organization. • Optimization: Utilize tools like Tabular Editor, DAX Studio, and VertiPaq Analyzer to tune model performance and enforce enterprise standards. • Governance, Security & Compliance • Access Control: Implement granular security frameworks, including Row-Level Security (RLS) and Object-Level Security (OLS), aligned with federal and industry standards. • Data Lifecycle: Automated data discovery, sensitivity labeling, and auditing. • Workspace Governance: Establish best practices for workspace management, deployment pipelines, and capacity monitoring to optimize costs. • Leadership & Innovation • Technical Mentorship: Act as the Subject Matter Expert (SME), providing architectural guidance and code reviews for engineering and analytics teams. • AI Readiness: Prepare the data foundation for Fabric Copilot and AI-driven insights, ensuring data is "AI-ready " through high-quality semantic depth. • Stakeholder Alignment: Translate complex technical roadmaps into business value for executive leadership. Required Qualifications • Experience: 7+ years in Data Architecture, with a proven track record of delivering large-scale enterprise solutions. • Fabric Expertise: Deep hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric components (Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Real-Time Analytics). • Technical Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in SQL, DAX, and Power Query (M). • Modeling: Mastery of Kimball dimensional modeling and star schema design. Preferred Qualifications • Advanced Analytics: Experience with Python, Spark (PySpark), and Notebooks for complex data transformations. • Global Scale: Experience architecting Multi-geo data solutions and handling multi-TB datasets. • DevOps: Familiarity with CI/CD practices using Azure DevOps, Git, and ALM Toolkit. Soft Skills • Communication: Ability to articulate complex architectural concepts to both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders. • Strategic Vision: A mindset focused on long-term scalability rather than just point solutions. • Collaboration: Strong empathy and influence skills to drive adoption across decentralized business units. Certification Requirements • Primary Requirement: . This certification validates your ability to transform raw data into reusable analytics assets using Lakehouses, Warehouses, and Semantic Models. • Secondary Requirement: . This proves subject matter expertise in data loading patterns, orchestration, and scaling data engineering solutions within Fabric. • Equivalent Experience: Candidates with a legacy Power BI Data Analyst (PL-300) certification must demonstrate equivalent hands-on experience with the Fabric ecosystem. Performance KPIs for the Solution Architect Your success will be measured by the following architectural and business-impact metrics: Architectural Integrity & QualityData Refresh Latency: Minimize the time from source-to-report, targeting sub-hour latency for critical gold-layer tables using Direct Lake mode.Semantic Model Performance: Maintain a P90 query response time of <2 seconds for standard enterprise reports.Data Quality Score: Achieve a >98% accuracy rate on record-level validation within the silver and gold layers. Efficiency & GovernanceStorage Optimization: Percentage reduction in data duplication by utilizing Shortcuts and OneLake instead of traditional copy-and-paste ETL.Utilization Rate: Ratio of billable or project-direct hours to total hours, with a target of 60-70% for senior architectural leadership.RLS/Security Compliance: 100% adherence to Row-Level Security (RLS) policies for sensitive datasets as audited via Microsoft Purview. Business Adoption & ValueActive Usage Rate: Percentage of business users actively engaging with semantic models on a weekly basis.Insight-to-Action Time: Reduction in the time required for business stakeholders to develop new reports from existing gold-layer semantic models.