Associate Director, Lead Data Architect - Databricks

Guidehouse; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Parental Leave and Adoption Support

Employee referral program

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Guidehouse is seeking a Senior Data Architect to lead data architecture decisions and define secure Databricks lakehouse implementations for HR data and data products. You will establish DataOps patterns, oversee migrations, and ensure governance across pipelines and interfaces.

The role requires extensive experience in enterprise data platforms, cloud environments, and the ability to mentor engineers and communicate with executives. Travel up to 25% may be required.

Qualifications

• Eight or more years of enterprise data architecture or analytics modernization experience.
• Experience architecting Databricks lakehouse solutions and Unity Catalog security.
• Strong knowledge of dimensional, relational, canonical, and data-product models.
• Experience with DataOps, ingestion, metadata, lineage, and data contracts.

Responsibilities

• Serve as deputy to the Data Workstream Lead and guide daily architecture decisions.
• Define secure Databricks lakehouse architecture, environments, and Unity Catalog structure.
• Define canonical HR data models and reusable data-product standards.
• Establish ingestion, transformation, orchestration, APIs, and data contracts.
• Develop migration architecture and source-to-target mappings.
• Define architecture standards for security, privacy, quality, and performance.
• Review models, mappings, pipelines for conformance to target architecture.
• Facilitate decisions and communicate tradeoffs to technical teams and leadership.
• Mentor architects and engineers across Prepare, Stabilize, and Operationalize.

Skills

Data architecture

Databricks lakehouse

Unity Catalog

DataOps

ETL/ELT

Cloud platforms

Architecture governance

Stakeholder communication

Mentoring

Migration architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Databricks

Azure

AWS

Unity Catalog

Job description

Job Family :

Data Science Consulting

Travel Required :

Up to 25%

Clearance Required :

Ability to Obtain Public Trust

What You Will Do:

• Serve as deputy to the Data Workstream Lead and lead day-to-day technical architecture decisions.

• Define the secure Databricks lakehouse architecture, environments, workspaces, storage patterns, identity and access considerations, and Unity Catalog structure.

• Define canonical HR data models, domain boundaries, curated layers, semantic approaches, and reusable data-product standards.

• Establish DataOps, ingestion, transformation, orchestration, integration, API, and other consumption patterns.

• Develop the migration architecture, source-to-target design standards, metadata and lineage approach, and data-contract framework.

• Define architecture standards for security, privacy, quality, observability, performance, testing, deployment, and supportability.

• Review detailed models, mappings, pipelines, interfaces, and data products for conformance with the target architecture.

• Facilitate architecture decisions and communicate tradeoffs to technical teams, business stakeholders, and leadership.

• Mentor architects and engineers and provide technical quality assurance across Prepare, Stabilize, and Operationalize.

What You Will Need:

• Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DHS "PUBLIC TRUST"; candidates must obtain approved adjudication of their PUBLIC TRUST prior to onboarding with Guidehouse. Candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data engineering, information systems, engineering, or a related field.

• EIGHT (8) or more years of experience in enterprise data architecture, data engineering, cloud platforms, or analytics modernization.

• Experience architecting Databricks lakehouse solutions and Unity Catalog security and governance structures.

• Strong knowledge of dimensional, relational, canonical, and data-product modeling patterns.

• Experience with ingestion, API, integration, orchestration, metadata, lineage, data contracts, quality, and DataOps patterns.

• Experience designing migration architectures and guiding source-to-target mapping and conversion decisions.

What Would Be Nice To Have:

• Databricks Data Engineer Professional, Databricks Architect, or equivalent certification.

• Ability to lead technical teams and communicate architecture decisions to executive and non-technical audiences.

• Experience with HR, workforce, ERP, or financial data models.

• Experience with Azure, AWS, or cloud networking and security patterns.

• Experience supporting public-sector data modernization.

What We Offer :

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays

• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus

• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Basic Life & Supplemental Life

• Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

• Student Loan PayDown

• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities

• Skills Development & Certifications

• Employee Referral Program

• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach

• Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program

• Mobility Stipend

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1-571-633-1711 or via email at [e-mail] . All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.