Lead Data Architect - Aviation Analytics

Peraton•Herndon, VA

93d•$146,000 - $234,000•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton Labs is seeking a Lead Data Architect - Aviation Analytics to support FAA BNATCS CTO in identifying, acquiring, modernizing, integrating, and operationalizing data required for advanced analytics, visualization, and agentic AI-enabled workflows. This role will serve as a senior data leader across FAA BNATCS and Peraton Labs data streams and will help ensure that the Digital Command Center (DCC) is built on a strong data foundation. The ideal candidate combines strategic data leadership with practical experience in multi-domain data environments, ETL, and data fusion. Within this role you will define the data backbone behind advanced analytics and AI-enabled mission support. You will play a critical role in ensuring the right data is available, usable, and ready to support highly visible capabilities that inform decision-making and modernization at scale.

Requirements

Minimum of 12+ years of relevant experience in data engineering, software engineering, aerospace, systems engineering, systems/enterprise architecture, or related fields
Experience leading data-focused initiatives in complex technical or operational environments
Demonstrated experience with data identification, data acquisition, ETL, and multi-source data integration
Experience with advanced data analysis and data fusion
Familiarity with modern data capture, transformation, and preparation approaches that support advanced analytics
Ability to work across multiple teams and stakeholders to align data efforts with mission objectives
US Citizenship with ability to obtain/maintain an FAA Public Trust suitability
Must be local and able to commute to one of our following locations: Annapolis Junction, MD, Bowie, MD, or Herndon, VA.

Nice To Haves

Experience with synthetic data generation
Familiarity with FAA systems or aviation operational data environments
Experience supporting analytics platforms, dashboards, AI/ML pipelines, or decision-support systems
Knowledge of metadata, lineage, governance-aware data practices, or data architecture strategy
Experience with cloud data platforms, APIs, and modern data engineering ecosystems

Responsibilities

Lead data strategy and execution supporting DCC and CTO-driven capabilities
Identify, assess, and prioritize data sources needed to support analytics, visualization, and AI-enabled workflows
Coordinate data acquisition efforts across internal teams, stakeholders, and program partners
Define and improve approaches for data fusion, modernization of data capture, and data pipeline readiness
Guide ETL and data preparation efforts needed to support dashboards, analytics models, and downstream AI/ML use cases
Partner with systems, software, and analytics teams to align data architecture with mission needs
Help identify data gaps, dependencies, quality issues, and integration challenges affecting program success.