Data Architect – Azure Data & Analytics (Data Factory, Synapse, Databricks)

Columbia Sportswear•Carlsbad, CA

About The Position

We’re looking for a Data Architect to design and implement prAna’s modern data and analytics platform. This role will define the architecture, data models, and governance standards that enable scalable, trusted insights across the business. You’ll partner closely with stakeholders to translate business requirements into robust data solutions that power decision-making.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, applicable certification or equivalent experience.
Typically requires 8+ years of professional experience and mastery of relevant technical or business skills required to accomplish the job.
Master’s Degree required Computer Science, Information Systems or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
Expert in SQL and query optimization for data platforms such as Azure SQL DW, HDInsight, Teradata, SAP BW/HANA, or Oracle
Expert in database concepts, including normalization, indexing, physical and logical modeling, creation of SQL queries and performance tuning
Familiarity with the Kimball methods of data warehousing techniques, standards and best practices
Experience with management of a star schema implementation and related concepts such as slowly changing and late arriving dimensions
4+ years professional experience with one or more ETL tools such as Informatica, SQL Server Integration Services, Business Objects Data Services, or IBM Datastage
Sound judgment and decision-making, and the appropriate sense of urgency and is a self-starter
7+ years in data architecture, data engineering, or BI roles; 2+ years in an architect or lead capacity.
Expertise in data modeling (conceptual, logical, physical) and dimensional design for analytics.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure Data & Analytics services (Data Factory, Databricks, Synapse, Data Lake).
Strong SQL and experience with ETL/ELT frameworks.
Familiarity with Power BI semantic modeling and governance.
strategic thinker who can bridge business needs and technical design.
Collaborative and skilled at influencing cross-functional teams.
Detail-oriented with a passion for data integrity and architecture best practices.
Comfortable leading technical discussions and mentoring others.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with data content from typical Supply Chain scenarios, or experience in environments integrated with data from SAP ERP or Microsoft Dynamics a plus
Experience with large scale data processing, data structure optimization and scalability of algorithms a plus
Experience with Microsoft Azure: Data factory, data lake and data warehouse a bonus
(Preferred) Exposure to ERP analytics (SAP) or similar enterprise systems.

Responsibilities

Continuously delivers and improves prioritized enterprise data assets that enable the growth of global analytics, reporting, and visualization solutions.
Provides expertise in all end-to-end components in our BI/DW architecture and knows how they contribute to compose solutions for business partners. Demonstrates strong command of both technical delivery as well as comprehension of various business functions. Understands the role of various enterprise applications.
Identifies project risks and impediments, notifies management, and proactively works with other team members to complete assigned tasks as defined by project scope, timelines, and budgets.
Participates in the use of Agile practices to elicit and refine requirements through an iterative process of planning, defining acceptance criteria, prioritizing, developing, and delivering enterprise data asset solutions.
Operates independently, functions as the lead representative for D&A on projects. Drives and sets design patterns for all of D&A.
Drives process improvement to continually raise the bar as the primary owner of function, platform, or process. Drives best practices across the organization. Recognizes process deficiencies and takes independent action to improve.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Design and implement enterprise data architecture leveraging Microsoft Azure Data & Analytics services and Databricks for scalable ingestion, transformation, and storage.
Develop logical and physical data models that align with business processes, ensuring clarity, consistency, and performance across analytics and reporting layers.
Partner with business teams to gather requirements and translate them into data architecture blueprints , semantic models, and KPI frameworks.
Establish standards for data governance, security, and quality , including lineage and metadata management.
Build and optimize data pipelines and orchestration workflows using Azure Data Factory, Databricks, and related tools.
Enable self-service analytics by designing certified datasets and semantic layers for Power BI.
Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to enhance scalability and reliability.