Data Architect

ORBIS Corporation; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Orbis is modernising its data platform and building AI capabilities to extract alpha for clients. As a Data Architect, you will shape data standards, cataloguing and governance across the firm, collaborating with investment and technology teams.

You will lead data architecture initiatives, set target states, and influence stakeholders to ensure robust, scalable data solutions. You will work with cloud data tools (Snowflake and dbt) and partner with platform engineering to ensure data quality and

Qualifications

• Significant experience in data architecture or a closely related role.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, able to turn ambiguity into practical solutions.
• Strong understanding of the data landscape in asset management.
• Strong understanding of enterprise data architecture concepts (data domains, modelling, lineage).
• Experience designing and governing a modern cloud data stack (Snowflake and dbt).
• Experience collaborating with enterprise, solution and domain architects, platform and engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of data quality management and data governance.
• Experience across complex application, integration and data environments to simplify and align.
• Ability to produce clear architectural artefacts, principles and standards.
• Strong communication, facilitation and influencing skills with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve Orbis’ enterprise data architecture—principles, standards, patterns and target states.
• Define standards for data modelling, metadata, lineage, master and reference data, and data quality.
• Provide architectural guidance on data sourcing, integration, storage and consumption.
• Prepare data for AI by identifying data needs with investment and AI teams.
• Coordinate with delivery teams and platform engineering to align solutions with governance.
• Identify opportunities to simplify the data landscape and reduce duplication.

Skills

Data architecture

Cloud data stack

Snowflake

dbt

Stakeholder influence

Communication

Asset management

Tools

AWS

Azure

dbt

Job description

Everything we do exists to find alpha, investment value the market has overlooked. We believe technology is a genuine source of that edge and core to how we find and act on conviction. Because of this, we are modernising our core platform, investing seriously in our data, and building AI solutions that help us achieve alpha for our clients.

Data is the thread that connects all of it. Structured, governed and well-understood data is what turns our investment philosophy into decisions, and what makes our platform and AI ambitions possible. We are aligning the platform, data and AI to work as one.

As a Data Architect, you will decide how data is organised and managed across the firm. You will set the standards others build to, map out where our data needs to get to, and help steer the major projects already underway. You will work closely with our investment, business and technology teams – close enough to understand what gives us an edge, and with the authority to make the data decisions that support it.

We are home to world-class talent, and we’re looking for more of it to help define what our investment edge looks like next.

Why Orbis?

• Culture. We are committed to our Core Values. We encourage intellectual curiosity, individualism, and collaboration across different areas of the business. We seek to hear our people’s voices – whether quiet or loud. Sharing ideas and challenging the status quo are commonplace.
• Impact. Your work directly supports Orbis’ investment process and decision-making.
• Autonomy and accountability. While guidance and support are provided, team members are responsible for their own work.
• Growth opportunities. We support our people in continuous learning and development.
• Agile environment. We are committed to providing a work environment that balances the needs of our clients, the needs of our teams, and the personal needs, commitments, and interests of our people.
• Philanthropy. Our people can contribute to society in a unique and personal way, through various philanthropy opportunities and programmes.

What will your responsibilitiesbe?

• Define and evolve Orbis’ enterprise data architecture — principles, standards, patterns and target states — and maintain architectural views of key data domains, products, flows and assets.
• Define standards for data modelling, metadata, lineage, master and reference data, and data quality management.
• Provide architectural guidance on how data should be sourced, integrated, stored and consumed across operational and analytical use cases.
• Prepare our data for AI: work with investment and AI teams to identify the data that matters most and the context it needs to be used reliably.
• Work with delivery teams, peer architects and platform engineering so solutions align with our data architecture, governance expectations and wider technology direction.
• Identify opportunities to simplify the data landscape, reduce duplication and improve consistency across platforms, applications and reporting environments.

About You

You are a curious, driven data architect with a growth mindset: you learn continuously, apply what you learn to deliver better outcomes, and can balance strategic direction with practical delivery[KP2]. You are comfortable working across business, architecture and technology teams, defining standards and target states while influencing stakeholders to apply them sensibly. You build strong working relationships with peer architects, platform engineering and delivery teams, bring structure and clarity to complex environments, and are motivated by improving the quality, coherence and value of data across the organisation.

Skills & Experience:

• Significant experience in data architecture or a closely related role, including as a Data Architect in asset management.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down complex, ambiguous problems and turn them into clear, practical solutions.
• Strong understanding of the data landscape and challenges within asset management, including the need to support investment, client, operational, regulatory and enterprise data.
• Strong understanding of enterprise data architecture concepts, including data domains, data products, conceptual and logical modelling, integration patterns, lineage, metadata and lifecycle management.
• Practical experience designing and governing a modern cloud data stack — ideally Snowflake and dbt — including warehouse and database structure, transformation and modelling layers, access and cost governance, and separation of operational and analytical workloads.
• Experience collaborating across business, architecture and technology stakeholders — including enterprise, solution and domain architects, platform and engineering teams — to understand requirements, shape data architecture and align it with wider business and technology direction.
• Strong understanding of data quality management and the practical mechanisms needed to improve trust in data.
• Experience working across complex application, integration and data environments, with the ability to identify opportunities to simplify and improve coherence.
• Ability to produce clear architectural artefacts, principles and standards that guide delivery in a practical way.
• Strong communication, facilitation and influencing skills with senior stakeholders, and the ability to work independently while building strong collaborative relationships across teams.

The Company

We are a global firm with offices across eight countries, over 400 employees and more than $60 billion in assets under management. But those numbers don’t define Orbis. It’s our values, the way we do things day by day, and the value we add for our clients that define us. Our investment philosophy is fundamental, long-term and contrarian. As contrarian investors, we strive to adopt a different perspective, which informs every aspect of our approach. To invest differently, you need to think differently. This is encouraged by having teams of people with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking.

Find out more about us at www.orbis.com.