Sr. Data Architect

Ceridian HCM, Inc; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A global HCM company is seeking a Senior Data Architect in Canada to lead the design and governance of enterprise data architecture. You will collaborate across functions to drive cloud transformation and enable data-driven decisions. Ideal candidates will have extensive experience in data engineering, cloud modernization, and strong consultative skills. This position offers competitive compensation and opportunities for professional growth.

Benefits

Competitive pay

Comprehensive wellness initiatives

Time away from work programs

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, architecture, or data platform design roles.
• Proven experience leading or architecting cloud data modernization initiatives.
• Strong background in designing and building data pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable enterprise data architectures.
• Define and implement data governance, quality, and security frameworks.
• Monitor system performance and proactively optimize configurations.

Skills

Cloud Data Modernization

Data Engineering

SQL

Azure Data Lake Storage

Python

Agile Methodologies

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Azure Machine Learning

Azure Functions

Power BI

Databricks

Job description

Dayforce is a global human capital management (HCM) company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, with operations across North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA), and the Asia Pacific Japan (APJ) region.

Our award-winning Cloud HCM platform offers a unified solution database and continuous calculation engine, driving efficiency, productivity and compliance for the global workforce.

Our brand prom ise - Makes Work Life Better ™ - Reflec ts our commitment to employees, customers, partners and communities globally.

Effective November 1, 2025 this position is not open to residents of Quebec; applicants must reside in a province or territory of Canada other than Quebec to be considered. Any roles available in Quebec will be posted separately.

About the opportunity

We are seeking a strategic and hands‑on Senior Data Architect to design, optimize, and scale our enterprise data architecture at Dayforce. This role will lead the design and governance of the data ecosystem—spanning integrations, modeling, storage, and engineering—within the Enterprise Data Center of Excellence. The Senior Data Architect will collaborate across technology and business functions to enable a data‑driven culture and accelerate our cloud transformation.

This is a high‑impact role within a fast‑evolving, global organization. The ideal candidate is an experienced architect with strong consultative skills, a passion for innovation, and a proven ability to guide enterprises through modernization—from on‑premise to cloud‑native data platforms.

This position reports to the Sr. Director, Enterprise Data and AI Platform.

What you’ll get to do

Enterprise Data Architecture & Strategy

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable enterprise data architectures.
• Establish and enforce data modeling, integration, and engineering standards across the organization.
• Partner with business and technical stakeholders to define the long‑term data strategy aligned with enterprise goals.
• Conduct research on emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends to drive continuous innovation.
• Architect and manage modern data platforms—leveraging cloud‑native services for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Develop and optimize data models, schemas, and pipelines to support analytics, reporting, and AI/ML initiatives.
• Oversee data integration patterns (batch, streaming, API‑led) to ensure consistent and accurate data flow.
• Evaluate, recommend, and select platform components and tools for enterprise data management.

Governance, Quality & Performance

• Define and implement data governance, quality, and security frameworks to ensure data integrity and compliance.
• Monitor system performance and proactively optimize configurations, pipelines, and storage for efficiency.
• Diagnose and resolve complex data performance, access, and consistency issues.
• Partner with Data Engineering, Analytics, and AI teams to enable data‑driven decision‑making.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure data availability, protection, and alignment with business needs.
• Participate in the Architecture review board process and present new data initiatives.
• Contribute to knowledge sharing and mentoring within the Data & AI organization.

Skills and experience we value

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 7+ years of experience in data engineering, architecture, or data platform design roles.
• Proven experience leading or architecting cloud data modernization initiatives.
• Deep expertise across Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS Gen2), Data Factory, Synapse, Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Azure Machine Learning, and Azure AI Foundry. Proven experience provisioning, administering, and operating complex, large‑scale cloud data platforms.
• Hands‑on experience with Azure Functions, Web Apps, Static Web Apps, Container Apps, Azure Container Registry (ACR), Logic Apps, App Service Plans, and Azure Virtual Machines. Skilled in designing and managing cloud network architectures including VNets, DNS, NSGs, and private endpoints.
• Strong background in designing and building data pipelines, API‑led architectures, and enterprise data models. Skilled in creating, maintaining, and optimizing end‑to‑end data solutions aligned with data warehousing best practices and scalability principles.
• Proficiency in SQL, Python, Spark, and KQL, with a focus on performance, scalability, and maintainability.
• Experienced in implementing RBAC and ABAC‑based workload designs, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and Just‑in‑Time (JIT) access controls. Adept at applying best practices for auditability, observability, and platform analytics in enterprise environments.
• Expertise in Power BI and Microsoft Fabric administration, with a deep understanding of Fabric architecture—including OneLake, Lakehouse, Warehouse, and Spark. Strong grasp of ML/AI capabilities and experience delivering end‑to‑end solutions on Fabric.
• Exposure to advanced AI solution patterns including vector embeddings, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), multi‑component pipelines (MCP), and agentic AI architectures.
• Hands‑on experience managing enterprise projects, repositories, and user permissions, building CI/CD pipelines using Azure Pipelines or GitHub Actions, and administering agent pools and service connections. Applies Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles for resilient and automated operations.
• Proven ability to deliver high‑quality solutions in Agile and DevOps environments, collaborating closely with cross‑functional teams.
• Familiarity with cloud ecosystems such as AWS and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence enterprise architecture and technical decisions.
• Consultative, collaborative, and growth‑oriented mindset.

What’s in it for you

Dayforce is fueled by the diversity of our talented employees. We are an equal opportunity employer and consider and embrace ALL individuals and what makes them unique. We believe our employees should be happy and healthy, with peace of mind and a sense of fulfillment.

We encourage individuals to apply based on their passions.

Dayforce encourages personal and professional growth. We offer excellent time away from work programs, comprehensive wellness initiatives and recognition through competitive pay and benefits.

With a commitment to community impact, including volunteer days and our charity, Dayforce Cares we provide opportunities for you to thrive both in your career and personal life. Our focus is not just on your job but on supporting you to be the best version of yourself.

About the Salary Ranges

Please note that the salary range mentioned in this job description should serve simply as a guide. The final compensation offered may vary based on a variety of factors, including bonuses and/or incentives, or a candidate’s experience, skills, budget and location. Our company is committed to providing a fair, equitable, and competitive package that reflects the value an individual brings to the organization.

Proficiency in English is required for this position as this role will regularly interact with English‑speaking stakeholders, co‑workers, managers and/or clients across the world. Further, our back office support teams, including but not limited to Human Resources, are primarily English speaking. Employees need to be able to communicate with these departments in English to appropriately administer their business relationship. Due to the significant high volume of interactions with these English‑speaking co‑workers, managers, stakeholders and/or clients, which is inherent to this position, it is not possible to reorganize the company’s activities to avoid this requirement.

Fraudulent Recruiting

Beware of fraudulent recruiting. Legitimate Dayforce contacts will use an @dayforce.com email address. We do not request money, checks, equipment orders, or sensitive personal data during the recruitment process. If you have been asked for any of the above, or believe you have been contacted by someone posing as a Dayforce employee, please refer to our fraudulent recruiting statement found here: https://www.dayforce.com/be-aware-of-recruiting-fraud

Dayforce actively monitors all job applications to ensure authenticity. Submissions determined to be fraudulent or misleading will be declined from the recruitment process