Lead Data Architect

Kestra • Austin, TX

98d

About The Position

Kestra Holdings is seeking a Lead Data Architect to drive the design and implementation of our enterprise data architecture with a focus on Azure Data Lake, Databricks, and Lakehouse architecture. This role will serve as the data design authority, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards while enabling business value through scalable, high-quality data solutions. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record in wealth management or financial services, deep expertise in data modeling, MDM (e.g., Profisee), and experience architecting cloud-native data platforms that support analytics, AI/ML, and regulatory and compliance requirements.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or related fields, with at least 5 years in a lead/architect capacity.
• Strong expertise in Azure Data Lake, Databricks, Delta Lake, and Lakehouse architecture.
• Hands-on experience architecting and implementing MDM solutions (Profisee strongly preferred).
• Deep knowledge of data modeling (conceptual, logical, physical) and metadata management.
• Experience as a data design authority, setting standards and ensuring architectural alignment across programs.
• Strong understanding of Wealth Management / Financial Services business processes, data domains (clients, accounts, portfolios, products, transactions), and regulatory data needs.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark, and modern ELT/ETL tools.
• Familiarity with data governance, lineage, cataloging, and data quality tools.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills to engage with senior business and technology stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with real-time data streaming (Kafka, Event Hub).
• Exposure to BI/Analytics platforms (Power BI, Tableau) integrated with Lakehouse.
• Knowledge of data security and privacy frameworks in financial services.
• Cloud certification in Microsoft Azure Data Engineering/Architecture.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the enterprise data architecture strategy, standards, and patterns across Wealth Management initiatives.
• Lead the design and implementation of Azure-based Lakehouse architecture leveraging Azure Data Lake, Databricks, Delta Lake, and related services.
• Serve as the data design authority, governing data models, integration patterns, metadata management, and data quality standards.
• Architect and implement Master Data Management (MDM) solutions, preferably with Profisee, to ensure golden records, hierarchies, and reference data integrity.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, data engineers, and analysts to translate business requirements into scalable data architecture and data models.
• Ensure alignment with data governance, security, and compliance frameworks (e.g., FINRA, SEC).
• Provide technical leadership in data design, ETL/ELT best practices, and performance optimization.
• Partner with enterprise architects, solution architects, and technology leaders to integrate data architecture with application and cloud strategies.
• Mentor and guide data engineers and modelers, building a culture of engineering and architecture excellence.

Benefits

• Full health, vision, dental.
• 401(k) plans along with a host of voluntary plans such as car insurance, legal services and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior