Principal Solution Architect

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

📋 Description

• Take ownership of the design, provisioning, and enhancement of cloud-native data solutions on AWS and/or Azure, utilizing extensive expertise in Snowflake and associated data services for enterprise-scale platforms.

• Oversee the operation and management of modern data platforms—from streaming and data lakes to analytics—across a continually evolving technical stack for multiple customer accounts simultaneously.

• Convert business and technical requirements into Epics, Stories, and Tasks that enhance and mature customers’ data platforms, guaranteeing timely and successful implementation of these initiatives.

• Offer architectural and operational guidance for cloud-native data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift) and distributed storage technologies (e.g., S3, ADLS, NoSQL) to accommodate large user bases.

• Suggest suitable technologies and methodologies to ensure performance, security, scalability, and user satisfaction, including data model design for data warehouses and data lakes.

• Continuously identify and implement automation and optimization opportunities that strengthen and enhance customers’ data platforms and phData’s managed services offerings.

• Act as the technical leader across various accounts, providing clear ownership, guidance, and decision-making while managing complex customer environments.

• Effectively delegate tasks, mentor engineers, and coach team members, promoting upskilling and continuous learning across advancing technology stacks.

• Collaborate across diverse technology stacks and organizational boundaries to integrate various functions and technologies into unified solutions.

• Develop and present detailed technical recommendations and presentations for executive and senior stakeholders, clearly and confidently articulating complex concepts.

• Exhibit calm, structured thinking under pressure—swiftly assessing situations, devising action plans, and following through to achieve successful outcomes.

• Manage the interpersonal aspects of delivery, engaging respectfully and confidently with teammates and customers, including during difficult discussions.

• Create, refine, and enhance processes and procedures to improve the quality, consistency, and scalability of managed services delivery.

• Develop automated solutions for repetitive administrative and operational tasks using Python or similar tools to boost efficiency and reliability.

• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing, training, and upskilling initiatives aimed at elevating the technical standards across the team.

• Assist in refining and standardizing patterns, runbooks, and best practices for modern data platforms, workflows, and CI/CD across the practice.

⛳️ Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in architecting, operating, and optimizing modern cloud-based data platforms and data warehouses within enterprise settings.

• Advanced expertise in data platforms such as Snowflake and at least one major cloud platform (AWS and/or Azure), along with experience in Databricks or similar technologies.

• Practical experience with cloud and distributed data storage technologies like S3, ADLS, Cassandra, or other NoSQL systems.

• Strong background in data integration technologies, including Spark, Kafka, event/streaming platforms, and tools like Matillion, Fivetran, HVR, AWS Data Migration Services, and Azure Data Factory.

• Production experience with workflow management and orchestration tools such as Airflow, AWS Managed Airflow, and Luigi.

• Proficient SQL skills, including the capability to write, debug, and optimize complex queries for performance and reliability.

• Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or CloudFormation.

• Experience in building automated solutions for repetitive administrative or operational tasks using Python or a similar programming language.

• Familiarity with CI/CD and deployment frameworks, including tools such as Bitbucket, GitHub, Flyway, and Liquibase.

• Regular daily use of AI coding tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent) with demonstrated discernment about when to trust, verify, and correct AI-generated outputs.

• Capability to articulate specific engineering tasks accomplished with AI assistance.

• Experience delivering projects and managed services for external or internal clients in professional services, consulting, or complex enterprise environments.

• Ability to decompose complex, multifaceted data challenges into structured, actionable steps and guide them to completion.

• Proven track record as a technical team lead and mentor, providing direction, coaching, and quality oversight for engineers.

• Strong client-facing written and verbal communication skills, including comfort in presenting detailed technical content to executive audiences.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with distributed, cross-functional teams across platforms, applications, and organizational boundaries.

• Professional history of creating, challenging, and enhancing processes and procedures to improve delivery quality and efficiency.

• Exceptional troubleshooting and performance tuning skills, with a strong sense of ownership and follow-through.

• Presence and composure to manage the human aspects of delivery, including difficult conversations, while maintaining a respectful and collaborative culture.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote-First Work Environment

• 401k plan with company match

• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance

• Home Office Equipment Stipend

• Annual stipend for Learning and Development

• Competitive compensation, excellent benefits, 4 weeks PTO plan plus 10 Holidays (and other attractive perks)