Lead Data Architect - Hybrid (Dallas or Houston, TX)

AECOM • Houston, TX

157d • $170,000 - $215,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Lead Data Architect to support and drive the overall data architecture strategy for our organization, encompassing a cloud-based data platform, lakehouse, data warehousing, and the data infrastructure required to support our growing AI, advanced analytics, and business intelligence use cases. This critical, hands-on role will be responsible for designing and building scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions, establishing data standards, and ensuring data quality and governance for the enterprise. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in data modeling, data integration, and database technologies, coupled with strong leadership and communication skills to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders. This position will offer flexibility for hybrid work schedules to include both in-office presence and telecommute/virtual work to be based in either Dallas or Houston, TX.

Requirements

• BA/BS plus at least 10 years of experience in data architecture, data modeling, data integration, and database technologies or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
• Excellent collaboration, communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Expertise in SQL, Python, and AWS ETL tools.
• Understanding of data lake concepts and technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, data lake platforms).
• Expertise designing and implementing ETL/ELT processes and data integration patterns.
• Proven experience with a variety of database technologies (e.g., AWS S3 buckets, vector databases, SQL Server, Oracle).
• Expertise in designing data architectures for cloud platforms (e.g., AWS).
• Experience in designing data solutions to support AI/ML workloads, including feature engineering and data pipelines for model training and deployment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

Nice To Haves

• Degree in computer science, Information Systems, Data Science, or a related field.
• Is comfortable working in an Agile delivery model.
• Familiarity with business intelligence and analytics platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Solid understanding of data governance principles and practices.
• Experience in a Fortune 200 or similar large-scale enterprise environment.
• Familiarity with data security and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including the ability to guide and mentor technical teams.
• Industry-specific experience relevant to our business.
• Certifications in relevant data management or cloud technologies.
• Experience with data virtualization technologies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the overarching data architecture blueprint, aligning with business strategy, application architecture, and technology roadmaps.
• Define principles, standards, and guidelines for data modeling, data integration, data storage, and data access.
• Lead the design and development of reusable data products that meet the needs of various use cases, including GenAI/AI/ML pipelines, and reporting/BI.
• Ensure data integrity and accessibility.
• Design and oversee the implementation of robust and scalable data integration processes, including ETL/ELT pipelines, change data capture, and master data management.
• Ensure data quality, consistency, and timely delivery of data.
• Evaluate and select appropriate data storage technologies based on performance, scalability, cost, and security requirements.
• Design tooling and automation to support data governance operations, including data retention policies and data lifecycle management strategies.
• Design and implement the data infrastructure required to support AI/ML initiatives, including feature stores, data pipelines for model training and inference, and access to large-scale datasets.
• Optimize data architecture for the specific needs of advanced analytical techniques.
• Ensure N-tier data products are designed and optimized to support efficient and accurate business intelligence reporting and analysis.
• Facilitate self-service BI capabilities through well-structured and governed data assets.
• Collaborate with the Data Governance team to establish and enforce data governance policies, standards, and procedures.
• Design data quality frameworks, monitoring processes, and remediation strategies.
• Evaluate emerging data technologies and trends, providing recommendations for adoption based on business needs and architectural fit.
• Conduct proof-of-concepts and pilot projects to validate new technologies.
• Partner closely with data scientists, data engineers, software engineers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to understand data requirements, translate them into architectural designs, and provide technical guidance.
• Effectively communicate complex data concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to the data management team that includes additional data architects, data analysts, data engineers, and other technical resources involved in data-related projects.
• Guide architectural decisions and ensure the quality and consistency of data solutions.
• Define monitoring strategies for data pipelines and data storage systems to track performance, identify bottlenecks, and optimize resource utilization.
• Design data architectures that adhere to security policies, compliance requirements, and data privacy regulations.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits.
• Paid time off, leaves of absences.
• Voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options.
• Well-being resources, employee assistance program.
• Business travel insurance, service recognition awards.
• Retirement savings plan, employee stock purchase plan.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees