Principal Architect

Fractal; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Fractal is looking for a seasoned Data Engineering leader based in Bengaluru, India. The role requires over 12 years of experience, particularly with Google Cloud technologies and proficient leadership in complex delivery programs.

The ideal candidate will engage with senior clients and provide strategic guidance, ensuring the delivery of innovative solutions. Responsibilities include mentoring teams, optimizing architectures, and fostering client relationships.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in Data Engineering and Cloud Native technologies.
• Extensive experience with GCP tools including BigQuery, Cloud Composer, and Data Flow.
• Proven track record of delivering Data Engineering and Analytics projects.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate technology landscape and recommend strategic vision.
• Engage with senior client leaders to provide strategic guidance.
• Act as a Delivery Lead to ensure solution execution and client satisfaction.

Skills

Data Engineering

Cloud Native technologies

Google Cloud Platforms

BigQuery

Python

Agile

Education

Relevant degree in Computer Science or similar

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

GCP serverless infrastructure

Job description

Responsibilities

• Evaluate the current technology landscape and recommend a forward‑looking, short‑ and long‑term technology strategic vision.
• Engage with senior technical leaders at the client site, becoming a trusted thought partner by understanding their challenges and providing strategic guidance.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior client leaders and cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Proactively understand client needs and align them with Fractal’s value propositions, proposing innovative and comprehensive solutions.
• Collaborate with offshore delivery teams and other multidisciplinary teams within Fractal to ensure seamless integration and delivery of solutions.
• Act as a Delivery Lead when required, ensuring end‑to‑end ownership of solution execution, quality, timelines, and client satisfaction.
• Drive program‑level governance, including planning, risk mitigation, and stakeholder communication across workstreams.
• Step in to resolve complex technical and delivery challenges, guiding teams through ambiguity and ensuring timely resolution.
• Provide hands‑on leadership during critical delivery phases, including architecture validation, performance optimization, and production issue resolution.
• Ensure alignment between solution architecture and delivery execution, balancing immediate delivery goals with long‑term scalability and maintainability.
• Mentor and guide delivery teams, fostering strong engineering practices, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Be willing to take a hands‑on approach to understand complex contexts and underlying client requirements.
• Participate in the creation and sharing of best practices, technical content, and new reference architectures.
• Provide technical architecture leadership and direction on projects, ensuring secure, scalable, reliable, and maintainable platforms.
• Work with data engineers and data scientists to develop architectures and solutions.
• Assist in ensuring the smooth delivery of services, products, and solutions, while balancing immediate client needs with long‑term technical strategy.

Skills & Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in Data Engineering and Cloud Native technologies (including Google Cloud Platforms), covering big data, analytics, and AI/ML domains.
• Extensive experience with GCP tools and technologies, including BigQuery, Cloud Composer, Data Flow, Cloud Storage, Vertex AI, and Dataproc.
• Expertise in creating, deploying, configuring, and scaling applications on GCP serverless infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge and working experience in Data Engineering, Data Management, and Data Governance.
• Proven track record of delivering multiple end‑to‑end Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, or Analytics projects.
• Knowledge of general programming languages and frameworks, particularly Python and/or Java.
• Familiarity with general technology best practices and development lifecycles such as Agile and CI/CD, as well as DevOps and MLOps for more efficient data and machine learning pipelines.
• Ability to design and implement future‑proof, complex global solutions using GCP services.
• Hands‑on experience with foundational architectures, including microservices, event‑driven systems, event streaming, and online machine learning systems.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to adapt messages to various audiences and build consensus.

Additional Delivery Expectations

• Proven ability to lead large‑scale delivery programs or workstreams in complex, client‑facing environments.
• Experience managing cross‑functional teams across geographies, ensuring alignment and delivery excellence.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset with the ability to dive deep into technical issues while maintaining a big‑picture view.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in container technologies, specifically Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience or knowledge of DevOps on GCP.
• Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Certification.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and build strong, lasting relationships.
• Hands‑on approach and willingness to delve into technical details to understand the full context of a problem and ensure the best solutions are provided.
• Experience with AWS, especially in the context of hybrid cloud setups.