Director – Data Architect, Microsoft Data & AI

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Texas.

📋 Description

• Act as a reliable advisor on Data & AI architecture for client business and technology stakeholders.

• Facilitate client discovery and architecture workshops, converting business requirements into actionable Microsoft Data & AI architectures and modernization strategies.

• Steer architectural decisions related to Microsoft Fabric, Azure Databricks, or combined Fabric + Databricks frameworks.

• Convey architecture options, trade-offs, risks, costs, and recommendations to both executive and technical audiences.

• Assist in presales efforts such as solution formulation, architecture creation, technical presentations, estimates, proposals, and statements of work.

• Collaborate with Microsoft architects, account teams, and technology experts on strategic initiatives.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to architects and engineering teams while validating designs and overseeing implementation.

• Define target-state Data & AI architectures, solution frameworks, standards, and reusable design patterns within the Microsoft ecosystem.

• Lead initiatives in data modernization, cloud migration, analytics, and AI.

• Design lakehouse and data platform solutions utilizing Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Azure Databricks, ADLS, Delta Lake, and Power BI.

• Establish and implement Medallion Architecture patterns for data ingestion, transformation, quality, governance, and consumption.

• Create designs for batch and streaming ingestion, transformation, integration, storage, semantic models, APIs, analytics, and AI consumption architectures.

• Develop strategies for data products, enterprise data models, semantic layers, metadata, lineage, data quality, and master/reference data.

• Integrate governance, security, privacy, metadata, lineage, and data quality into architectural designs.

• Specify governance patterns using Microsoft Purview, Fabric governance features, or Databricks Unity Catalog.

• Architect data platforms that are ready for AI, supporting Generative AI, Agentic AI, and enterprise AI applications.

• Design solutions with Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Fabric Data Agents, LLMs, RAG, embeddings, vector search, and AI agents.

• Develop methodologies for grounding, AI evaluation, observability, security, MLOps/LLMOps, and production readiness.

• Assess emerging Microsoft Data & AI capabilities and define patterns for enterprise adoption.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related field.

• Over 12 years of technology experience, with substantial experience in enterprise data platforms, cloud solutions, analytics, and architecture.

• At least 5 years in an architecture or senior technical leadership role delivering large-scale enterprise data solutions.

• Extensive experience in architecting Data & Analytics solutions on Microsoft Azure, along with defining target-state architectures and modernization strategies.

• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Fabric and/or Azure Databricks, including OneLake, lakehouse architecture, Delta Lake, data engineering, semantic models, and analytics.

• In-depth understanding of Medallion Architecture, data products, semantic layers, batch/streaming architectures, APIs, and event-driven integration.

• Solid technical foundation in SQL, Python, Spark, distributed processing, data modeling, integration patterns, and APIs.

• Strong comprehension of Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, Fabric Data Agents, Generative AI, RAG, vector search, and Agentic AI architectures.

• Experience in designing architectures that support enterprise analytics, Power BI, AI/ML, Generative AI, and conversational access to enterprise data.

• Robust knowledge of Microsoft Purview, Unity Catalog, data governance, security, privacy, metadata, lineage, and data quality.

• Strong grasp of Azure security, including Entra ID, RBAC, managed identities, Key Vault, VNets, and Private Link/private endpoints.

• Proven ability to translate business requirements into architectural decisions, solution designs, and implementation roadmaps.

• Familiarity with client discovery, presales solution architecture, estimation, technical presentations, and proposal development.

• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills, capable of engaging with client leaders, Microsoft stakeholders, architects, and engineering teams.

• Relevant certifications in Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Fabric, and/or Databricks are preferred.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning.

• Flexible work hours and remote work options.

• Access to cutting-edge technology and tools.