Associate Director, Lead Data Architect - Databricks

Socket.dev; Tysons (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

Sick time & Holidays

Discretionary bonus potential

Parental Leave & Adoption Assistance

401(k) Plan

Life Insurance

HSA & Spending Accounts

Job summary

Guidehouse is seeking a senior data architect to lead the data architecture at scale in a federal/public-trust context. The role defines secure Databricks lakehouse implementations, data-product standards, and DataOps practices.

You will mentor teams and drive architecture decisions across projects while ensuring compliance, security, and performance. Ideal candidates bring 8+ years of enterprise data experience, strong modeling skills, and hands-on experience with Databricks and Unity Catalog

Qualifications

• 8+ years 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.

Skills

Enterprise data architecture

Databricks lakehouse

Unity Catalog security

Data modeling

DataOps

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

Databricks

Unity Catalog

Azure

AWS

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.

All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including @guidehouse.com or [e-mail]. Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse. Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.

If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse’s Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact [e-mail]. Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant’s dealings with unauthorized third parties.

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.