Principal Technical Architect

Snowflake • Boston, MA

13d • $166,000 - $218,400

About The Position

At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.
We are hiring a Principal Technical Architect for our Services Delivery team. This is one of the most senior technical roles in the SD organization. You will define how we deliver at scale, set the architectural standards that our entire practice builds on, and engage with our most strategic customers at the highest levels of technical complexity. Your work will shape both what we build for customers and how we grow as a SD organization.

Requirements

• BA/BS in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 10+ years of experience in senior technical architecture, data platform consulting, or a principal-level customer-facing technical role
• Recognized expertise across the full modern data and AI stack, with deep hands-on Snowflake experience including advanced platform governance, performance architecture, and multi-cloud deployment patterns
• A track record of defining architectural standards or technical methodologies adopted across a large organization or practice
• Deep expertise in the AI/ML lifecycle at enterprise scale, including production MLOps, model governance, responsible AI frameworks, and generative AI architectures
• Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy, organizational direction, or market positioning through technical leadership
• Proficiency in SQL and Python at a level sufficient to architect, review, and advise on production systems
• Experience engaging C-level and senior executive audiences on complex technology decisions, with a track record of translating technical depth into executive clarity
• Ability to hold and defend strong technical positions in ambiguous, high-stakes environments

Nice To Haves

• Published technical work, conference presentations, or recognized industry contributions in data, AI/ML, or cloud architecture
• Experience building or scaling a technical practice, Center of Excellence, or architecture function across a large organization
• Background in a principal or distinguished engineer role at a product-led technology company
• Advanced cloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect Professional, Google Professional Cloud Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or equivalent)
• Snowflake SnowPro Advanced Certification(s)
• Deep industry vertical expertise across multiple verticals (e.g., Financial Services, Healthcare, Media and Entertainment, Public Sector)
• Experience contributing to open source projects or co-authoring technical standards

Responsibilities

• Define the architectural frameworks, delivery standards, and technical methodologies that guide how the Services Delivery organization operates across engagements
• Own the development of the SD technical practice in one or more domains (AI/ML, data platform, cloud migration, MLOps), establishing reference architectures, repeatable delivery patterns, and capability accelerators
• Identify and close capability gaps across the SD team, driving investments in tooling, enablement, and institutional knowledge
• Represent the SD technical perspective in cross-functional planning with product, engineering, and field leadership
• Engage directly with the most complex and strategically significant customer opportunities, providing principal-level technical guidance that other architects build around
• Advise C-level and senior executive stakeholders on platform architecture, AI strategy, and long-term technology direction in the context of Snowflake's capabilities
• Own technical outcomes for enterprise programs where delivery risk is highest, personally driving resolution of the most difficult architectural and integration challenges
• Translate emerging Snowflake capabilities into actionable strategic advantage for key customers before those capabilities are broadly adopted
• Represent Snowflake's technical depth externally through conference presentations, published content, customer advisory boards, and industry forums
• Build Snowflake's reputation as a trusted technical partner in the AI and data platform ecosystem
• Channel field intelligence from strategic engagements back into Snowflake's product organization to influence roadmap decisions
• Mentor senior architects and technical leads across the SD practice, raising the technical ceiling of the broader team
• Partner with SD leadership on hiring, technical calibration, and the development of architectural career paths
• Drive adoption of AI-native delivery practices within the SD organization, setting the standard for how the team uses AI to accelerate and improve customer outcomes

Benefits

• This is a role for someone who wants to build something, not just deliver into it.
• As a Principal Technical Architect, you will have a direct line from your work to how our entire SD practice thinks, delivers, and grows.
• You will define the standards others follow, engage with the hardest problems our most sophisticated customers bring to us, and have a genuine voice in how Snowflake's product evolves based on what you see in the field.
• The role combines the intellectual depth of principal-level architecture work with the organizational impact of building a practice at scale.
• If you are at a point in your career where individual delivery is no longer enough and you want your influence to operate at the level of the entire PS organization and beyond, this is the role for you.
• Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth.
• We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.

What This Job Offers

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