Data Architect

The Amatriot Group; Glen Allen (VA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

The Amatriot Group is seeking a Lead Data Architect in Glen Allen, VA to provide strategic and hands-on leadership across data initiatives. You will guide delivery teams, design scalable data solutions, and align architecture with business needs and long-term goals.

You will work with Databricks-first lakehouse design in Azure and lead via collaboration, not direct reports, ramping to independence within six months.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in data engineering, pipeline development, and data architecture.
• Background progressing from developer through team lead.
• Strong experience designing and working with the full lifecycle of data-centric architectures.
• Hands-on experience with cloud development in Databricks.
• Experience with structured and unstructured data such as JSON, files, and media.
• Understanding of relational and non-relational solutions.
• Understanding of APIs and data integration patterns.

Responsibilities

• Provide architectural guidance to two or three concurrent data delivery teams.
• Design and evolve data architecture across a Databricks-first lakehouse within a broader Azure ecosystem.
• Lead without direct reporting authority by influencing teams through expertise and collaboration.
• Partner with engineering teams to support detailed solution design and implementation through design reviews and hands-on guidance.
• Specify data solutions that meet non-functional requirements including scalability and reliability.
• Assess challenges and propose options with reasoned recommendations.
• Guide ingestion and integration strategies, including API-based data exchange.
• Apply knowledge of relational and non-relational solutions to architecture decisions.

Skills

Data architecture

Data engineering

Cloud development

APIs

Stakeholder influence

Independent decisions

New domain learning

Tools

Databricks

Azure

Job description

Location: Glen Allen, VA
Job Type: Full-Time
Target Salary Range: $100,000 - $155,000

• This represents the potential salary range for this position depending on education level, years of experience and/or certifications in addition to other position specific requirements which may impact salary

Position Overview

The Lead Data Architect provides strategic and hands-on leadership across divisional data initiatives, guiding delivery teams in building scalable data solutions within a modern cloud-based data ecosystem. This role balances high-level architecture with practical execution, ensuring data solutions align with business needs, performance requirements, and long-term architecture goals.

Key Responsibilities

Data Architecture Leadership

• Provide architectural guidance to two or three concurrent data delivery teams, typically consisting of 4–5 engineers per team, across data initiatives.
• Design and evolve data architecture across a Databricks-first lakehouse within a broader Azure ecosystem.
• Understand both target-state architecture and appropriate technical trade-offs.
• Lead without direct reporting authority by influencing teams through expertise and collaboration.

Solution Design and Delivery Support

• Partner with engineering teams to support detailed solution design and implementation through design reviews, guidance, and targeted hands-on contribution where needed.
• Specify data solutions that meet non-functional requirements, including scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Assess technical challenges and problems, provide options, and make recommendations.
• Perform technology evaluations in support of delivery teams, providing appropriate recommendations and reasoning.

Data Integration and Implementation Guidance

• Guide ingestion and integration strategies, including API-based data exchange.
• Support data initiatives involving structured and unstructured data.
• Apply knowledge of relational and non-relational solutions to data architecture decisions.

Role Expectations

• With support from the team, ramp to a high degree of independence within the first six months.
• Know when to make independent decisions and when to circle back to the broader team with appropriate questions.
• Work within a new domain by identifying gaps in knowledge and actively seeking answers.

Qualifications

Experience

• 7–10 years of progressive experience in data engineering, pipeline development, and data architecture roles developing data lakes and data warehouses.
• Background progressing from developer through at least team lead.
• Strong experience designing and working with the full lifecycle of data-centric architectures.
• Hands-on experience with cloud development in Databricks.
• Experience with structured and unstructured data, such as JSON, files, and media.
• Understanding of relational and non-relational solutions.
• Understanding of APIs and data integration patterns.

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder influence skills.
• Ability to make independent decisions when appropriate.
• Ability to identify knowledge gaps and actively seek answers when working within a new domain.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Guidewire InsuranceSuite data.
• Azure Solutions Architect certification.
• Experience working in Property and Casualty insurance data domains.
• Understanding of London and international markets.