Data Architect Lead

Acuity; Cork; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Acuity Inc. in Cork, Ireland is seeking a Senior Data Architect to define scalable, governed data solutions across Databricks, Azure Data Lake, and the enterprise lakehouse.

This hands-on role translates business needs into practical data architectures and roadmaps, partnering with data engineering, platform, analytics, and business teams. The successful candidate will lead architecture reviews, mentor engineers, and drive guardrails while ensuring solutions are secure, maintainable, and aligned

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years in data architecture/engineering for enterprise data platforms.
• Strong experience with Databricks, Azure Data Lake, Delta Lake, lakehouse.
• Knowledge of ETL/ELT, data modeling, batch/streaming, data quality.
• Experience designing data platforms for enterprise reporting and self-service.
• Familiarity with Agile, Git, CI/CD, DevOps, Azure DevOps.
• Experience in SAFe delivery models.
• Excellent communication and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define target-state architectures for Databricks, Azure Data Lake, and enterprise lakehouse capabilities.
• Create reference architectures and standards for data ingestion, ETL/ELT, modelling, integration, security, governance, and consumption.
• Translate business capabilities and non-functional requirements into logical and physical data architecture decisions.
• Lead architecture and design reviews, document decisions, and maintain a prioritized architecture roadmap.
• AI Fluency & Emerging Technologies: evaluate and incorporate AI/ML pipelines and LLM integrations into core system architectures.
• Provide hands-on technical direction, prototypes, and design support throughout Agile delivery.
• Guide engineering teams on scalability, reliability, performance, cost optimization, and maintainability.
• Mentor engineers and promote practical architecture guardrails.

Skills

Data architecture

Data engineering

Solution architecture

Agile delivery

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or related field

Tools

Databricks

Azure Data Lake

Delta Lake

Unity Catalog

Power BI

Azure DevOps

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert: Create Alert

Acuity Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company. We use technology to solve problems in spaces, light and more things to come. Through our two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS), we design, manufacture, and bring to market products and services that make a valuable difference in people’s lives.

We achieve growth through the development of innovative new products and services, including lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and an audio, video and control platform. We focus on customer outcomes and drive growth and productivity to increase market share and deliver superior returns. We look to aggressively deploy capital to grow the business and to enter attractive new verticals.

Acuity Inc. is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe and Asia. The Company is powered by approximately 13,000 dedicated and talented associates. Visit us at www.acuityinc.com .

Job Summary

Acuity is seeking a Senior Data Architect to join the Acuity Digital Center of Excellence (DCoE) in Cork and define and guide scalable, governed data solutions across Databricks, Azure Data Lake, and the enterprise lakehouse.

This is a hands-on architecture role that translates business and analytics needs into practical data architectures, reusable patterns, and technical roadmaps. The role partners closely with data engineering, platform, reporting, analytics, AI, and business teams, including supply chain and manufacturing stakeholders.

This role combines deep technical leadership with hands-on architecture and coding, solution design, and engineering governance. The Senior Data Architect partners with Product Management, Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, DevOps, Security, and other business stakeholders to ensure solutions are scalable, secure, maintainable, and aligned to business objectives.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Architecture & Strategy

• Define target-state and transition architectures for Databricks, Azure Data Lake, and enterprise lakehouse capabilities.
• Create reference architectures and standards for data ingestion, ETL/ELT, modelling, integration, security, governance, and consumption.
• Translate business capabilities and non-functional requirements into logical and physical data architecture decisions.
• Lead architecture and design reviews, document decisions, and maintain a prioritized architecture roadmap.
• AI Fluency & Emerging Technologies: Pragmatically evaluate and incorporate artificial intelligence, machine learning pipelines, and LLM integrations into core system architectures to modernize capabilities and improve operational efficiency.

Delivery Leadership

• Provide hands-on technical direction, prototypes, and design support throughout Agile delivery.
• Guide engineering teams on scalability, reliability, performance, cost optimization, and maintainability.
• Identify architecture risks, dependencies, and technical debt and track decisions and actions through Azure DevOps.
• Mentor engineers and promote practical architecture guardrails without creating unnecessary delivery friction.

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of hands‑on experience in data architecture, data engineering, or solution architecture for modern enterprise data platforms.
• Strong practical expertise with Databricks, Azure Data Lake, Delta Lake, and lakehouse architecture.
• Strong knowledge of ETL/ELT patterns, dimensional and domain modelling, batch and streaming integration, and data‑quality controls.
• Experience designing data platforms that support enterprise reporting, analytics, and self‑service consumption.
• Working knowledge of Agile delivery, Git, CI/CD, DevOps practices, and Azure DevOps.
• Experience working within Agile and SAFe delivery models.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and technical leadership skills.

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Proficiency with AI‑assisted software development practices.
• Databricks or Microsoft Azure certification.
• Experience in supply chain, manufacturing, ERP, operations, or industrial data domains.
• Experience with Unity Catalog, metadata‑driven frameworks, Power BI semantic models, AI/ML data readiness, or real‑time data architectures.
• Experience leading architecture reviews, technical strategy, and portfolio‑level technology decisions.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and structured problem‑solving skills.
• Clear communication across technical and business audiences.
• A collaborative, ownership‑focused approach to delivery.
• Ability to balance quality, speed, maintainability, and operational needs.
• Ability to explain architecture trade‑offs and influence decisions without direct authority.

Tools & Technologies

• Architecture: Databricks, Azure Data Lake, Delta Lake, enterprise lakehouse.
• Development: Multi‑language fluency.
• Data design: domain and dimensional modelling, bronze/silver/gold, data contracts.
• Governance: Unity Catalog, metadata, lineage, quality, privacy, retention, RBAC.
• Delivery: Azure DevOps, Git, CI/CD, Agile and DevOps practices.

The compensation is $X EUR. Acuity offers generous benefits including health care, dental coverage, vision plans, 401K benefits, and commissions/incentive compensation depending on the role.

We value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regards to race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, ethnicity or national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, covered veteran status, protected genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Accommodation in the Application Process: Acuity Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws requiring reasonable accommodation of persons with disabilities in employment. This includes the provision of reasonable accommodation in the application process. If you believe you need reasonable accommodation to assist with our online application system or any aspect of the application process, please contact Human Resources at [phone], and select option 4. Please be prepared to identify the requisition / position applied for and the aspect of the application process for which you believe accommodation is needed. The company will engage in an interactive process with you to better understand the request and to determine whether reasonable accommodation is needed and available.

Any unsolicited resumes sent to Acuity Inc. from a third party, such as an Agency recruiter, including unsolicited resumes sent to an Acuity Inc. mailing address, fax machine or email address, directly to Acuity Inc employees, or to Acuity Inc. resume database will be considered Acuity Inc. property. Acuity Inc. will NOT pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume.

Acuity Inc. will consider any candidate for whom an Agency has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred by the Agency free of any charges or fees. This includes any Agency that is an approved/engaged vendor but does not have the appropriate approvals to be engaged on a search.