Data Architect

Venquis; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 661,000 - 881,000; Full time

Job summary

Venquis is seeking a highly experienced Lead Data Lakehouse Architect to provide end‑to‑end architectural leadership for the AWS S3 Lakehouse program in the UAE (Dubai-Abu Dhabi). You will define standards, scalability, performance, and governance across the data ecosystem.

The role leads architectural forums, designs for Iceberg tables and medallion architecture, specifies data modeling practices, metadata and lineage, and collaborates with Data Factory squads, data quality teams, and senior

Qualifications

• 10+ years in data architecture roles with Lakehouse implementations.
• Experience with AWS S3, Glue, Athena, EMR.
• Strong understanding of Medallion architecture and data modeling.
• Proven leadership in architectural forums and governance.
• Ability to define metadata, lineage, and data quality frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Provide end-to-end architectural leadership for AWS S3 Lakehouse implementation.
• Define and enforce data architecture standards.
• Lead design for Iceberg tables and data standards.
• Collaborate with platform teams and governance leads.
• Create reusable design patterns and templates for consistency.

Skills

Lakehouse architecture

Medallion architecture

Data modeling

Schema evolution

Partitioning strategies

Table optimization

AWS services

Apache Iceberg

Spark

OpenMetadata

Automation

Communication

Stakeholder mgmt

Tools

Jira

OpenMetadata

Job description

Role: Data Architect

Location: Dubai-Abu Dhabi, Employment Type: Full-time

Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Lead Data Lakehouse Architect to provide end-to-end architectural leadership for the implementation of an AWS S3 Lakehouse. This role will be pivotal in defining and enforcing data architecture standards, ensuring scalability, performance, and governance across the data ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Architectural Leadership
• Design and enforce Medallion Architecture for the Lakehouse.
• Drive architectural decision-making through SAF/ARB architecture forums.
• Lead design for all Data Factory squads working on data initiatives.
• Iceberg Table Standards
• Define standards for Apache Iceberg tables, including:
• Partitioning strategy
• Schema evolution
• Time travel and snapshot retention
• Table optimization schedules
• Data Modeling & Standards
• Establish data modeling standards (e.g., dimensional modeling for Gold layer, SCD2, naming conventions, metadata management).
• Define lineage standards leveraging OpenMetadata.
• Collaboration & Governance
• Coordinate with platform teams on Iceberg-related activities.
• Collaborate with Data Quality leads to implement validation rules.
• Proactively manage escalations and communicate progress with senior stakeholders.
• Technical Leadership
• Provide guidance to Glue Data Engineers.
• Establish code review processes and best practices.
• Create reusable design patterns and templates for consistency.

Required Skills & Experience

• Technical Expertise
• Proven experience in Lakehouse architecture (S3, Iceberg, Glue, Spark).
• Strong understanding of Medallion architecture and data modeling principles.
• Hands‑on experience with schema evolution, partitioning strategies, and table optimization in Iceberg.
• Leadership & Governance
• Ability to lead architectural forums and influence decision‑making.
• Experience in defining metadata management, lineage, and data quality frameworks.
• Tools & Technologies
• AWS services (S3, Glue, Athena, EMR)
• Apache Iceberg, Spark
• OpenMetadata or similar lineage tools
• Able to automate their work / repetive tasks.
• Soft Skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple squads and teams.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced environment and deliver aggressive migration targets.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Work with Jira and agile way of working.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years in data architecture roles, with at least 3 years in Lakehouse implementations.
• Experience in financial services or banking domain is a plus.