Principal Architect

Service Experts; Richardson (TX); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Service Experts is looking for a Principal Architect in Richardson, Texas. This role involves leading the architectural strategy for the Operational Data Platform, including defining standards, managing team resources, and ensuring platform reliability. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in data architecture, particularly with Azure, and proven leadership in hybrid delivery models. Service Experts offers a supportive environment that encourages diversity and accessibility in the workplace.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data, platform, or enterprise architecture roles.
• 3+ years designing and operating cloud-native data platforms.
• Experience leading onsite and offshore teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise architecture for the Azure-based data platform.
• Define and maintain platform architecture standards.
• Lead and coordinate all onsite and offshore resources.

Skills

Data architecture

Cloud-native data platforms

Azure Databricks

Data governance

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Power BI

Azure Data Factory

Delta Lake

Job description

Welcome!

Service Experts is seeking a Principal Architect to lead the architectural strategy, operating model, and technical governance of the enterprise Operational Data Platform (ODP) and Data‑as‑a‑Product (DaaP) transformation. This role serves as the single‑threaded owner of the data platform architecture and is accountable for platform stability, scalability, governance, vendor performance, and long‑term modernization.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise architecture for the Azure‑based data platform, including Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Delta Lake, and Power BI.
• Define and maintain platform architecture standards, reference patterns, and future‑state roadmaps aligned to business strategy.
• Ensure the platform enables analytics, reporting, and AI/ML workloads at enterprise scale.

Data‑as‑a‑Product Operating Model

• Establish and govern Data‑as‑a‑Product standards including ownership, SLAs, documentation, metadata, lineage, and quality requirements.
• Partner with Product Owners and domain teams to enable scalable data product delivery.

Team & Vendor Leadership

• Lead and coordinate all onsite and offshore resources supporting the Operational Data Platform, including L1–L3 support, data engineering, analytics, and platform operations teams.
• Act as the single architectural and operational authority for a hybrid delivery model spanning onshore leadership and offshore execution teams.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and RACI frameworks across vendors and internal teams.
• Hold managed service providers accountable for SLAs, security standards, architectural compliance, and operational excellence.

Data Operations & Reliability

• Own the Data Ops operating model including incident management, change governance, release coordination, and production support.
• Establish severity‑based support coverage and on‑call models.
• Lead root cause analysis initiatives and drive continuous platform reliability improvements.

Governance, Security & Compliance

• Define and enforce governance standards for RBAC, data masking, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, and audit readiness.
• Ensure SOX and privacy controls are embedded in platform architecture and operations.
• Serve as technical authority during audits by providing architectural artifacts and operational evidence.

Observability & Continuous Improvement

• Define the observability strategy for pipeline health, data quality, platform metrics, cost telemetry, and SLA enforcement.
• Champion Data Reliability Engineering practices and proactive monitoring.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data, platform, or enterprise architecture roles.
• 3+ years designing and operating cloud‑native data platforms (Azure strongly preferred).
• Deep expertise in Azure Databricks, Spark, Delta Lake, Power BI, and Data Ops practices.
• Experience leading onsite and offshore teams within managed services or hybrid delivery models.
• Strong background in governance, security, and regulated environments (SOX).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; Master’s degree preferred.

Minimum Experience: 10+ Years

Years Minimum Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Why This Role Matters

This Principal Architect role is foundational to Service Experts’ data strategy and long‑term digital modernization. The position combines architectural authority with operational accountability and team leadership, ensuring the data platform is treated as a reliable, governed, enterprise product.

Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The job description is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties or skills required for the job and is subject to review and change at any time, with or without notice, in accordance with the needs of Service Experts.

Service Experts is committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request an accommodation, please email [e-mail]