Lead, Data Architect

Harris Geospatial Solutions; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

L3Harris Technologies in Huntsville, AL seeks a Lead Data Architect to design and implement data solutions in Palantir Foundry for missile systems development and operations.

You will lead cross-functional teams, govern data warehouses, and ensure secure, scalable data pipelines and ontologies that support dashboards and reporting.

The role requires strong SQL, ETL/ELT expertise, and the ability to translate complex data needs into enterprise-wide analytics while collaborating with executives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 9+ years of relevant experience; or graduate degree with 7+ years; or 13+ years if no degree.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.
• Experience with Palantir Foundry in data warehouse environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and maintenance of data warehouses and dashboards.
• Design and manage data pipelines with metadata and security.
• Document data models and metadata management.
• Define data ontologies and relationships for enterprise analytics.
• Lead customer planning sessions to translate data strategy into integration.
• Develop governance methodologies for ETL/ELT and data analysis.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and maintain documentation.

Skills

ETL/ELT pipelines

Power BI

Data modeling

SQL

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Graduate degree

Tools

Palantir Foundry

Python

SQL

TypeScript

Job description

L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

Job Title: Lead, Data Architect

Job Code: 42911

Job Location: Huntsville, AL (Headquarters)

Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description

The L3Harris Missile Solutions Segment Business Intelligence team is seeking a Lead Data Architect and Engineer responsible for designing, implementing, and integrating data solutions within Palantir Foundry. This role will lead cross-functional technical teams to enable data-driven decision‑making for missile systems development and operations.

The selected candidate will oversee data warehouse governance practices, including data management, data quality, data security, and access provisioning. They will work closely with users and stakeholders to identify requirements and develop robust data architectures that support effective visualization and reporting. This role requires strong problem‑solving skills, business acumen, and the ability to collaborate with programmers, data scientists, business system experts, and executives.

Essential Functions

• Manage the development, design, and maintenance of data warehouses and transformation tools that enable actionable business insights through dashboards and reports.
• Design, build, and manage data pipelines—including data transformation mapping, data flow diagrams, and metadata collection—to ensure data accessibility, accuracy, and security. Strong SQL skills are required.
• Document and maintain conceptual, logical, and physical data models, along with metadata management solutions, to support efficient and effective data usage.
• Design and maintain data ontologies by defining object types, properties, and relationships that accurately represent business entities and their connections, ensuring consistency and enabling enterprise-wide analytics.
• Lead planning sessions with customers to improve business processes, prioritize data and infrastructure investments, and translate data strategies into data integration frameworks and user-facing applications.
• Contribute to the development and documentation of consistent methodologies and governance approaches for extracting, transforming, and analyzing data from sources such as Snowflake and Palantir, ensuring effective visualization and reporting.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with IT and Data Analytics teams to optimize resources, align initiatives, and prevent duplication of effort across the enterprise, while maintaining comprehensive documentation including pipeline specifications, data schemas, and user guides.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years of relevant experience; OR a graduate degree and a minimum of 7 years of related experience; OR, in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Preferred Skills

• Experience building and managing datasets, objects, pipelines, and transforms in Foundry.
• Experience designing and implementing ontologies within Foundry.
• Experience creating Foundry applications and workshops for end‑user consumption.
• Familiarity with Foundry’s Code Repositories (Python, SQL, TypeScript).

Technical Skills

• 2+ years of experience with ETL/ELT patterns, data storage, and data modeling using Palantir Foundry Pipeline Builder and/or Python.
• 2+ years of experience with Power BI or similar data visualization tools; experience with Foundry’s native visualization capabilities preferred.
• Experience working with Palantir Foundry in data warehouse environments.
• Understanding of role‑based granular access control, the principle of least privilege, and logical segregation of sensitive data.
• Proven ability to handle complex problems, conduct independent research, engage in self-learning, and implement solutions.

Professional Skills

• Ability to adapt to evolving technology stacks and flexibility in exploring alternate solutions.
• Excellent communication skills, strong commitment to quality, customer focus, adaptability, and collaboration.
• Ability to translate data‑related requirements into innovative user solutions using standard procedures and analytical reasoning.
• Strong attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy and minimal oversight.
• Experience working with cross‑functional teams to influence outcomes in an agile environment.

#LI-SP1

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug‑free workplace and performs pre‑employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

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