Principal Cloud Data Architect -Remote

HRC Global Services; Dallas (TX); Remote; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

HRC Global Services is seeking a highly experienced Principal Cloud Data Architect to lead architecture, modernization, and implementation of enterprise-scale cloud data platforms on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The role requires hands-on delivery, strategic vision, and leadership across large data and analytics programs.

Responsibilities include defining data architecture strategy, migrating from AWS to GCP, building self-service data platforms, establishing governance and security, and guiding

Qualifications

• 18 20 years of overall experience in Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, BI, and enterprise data architecture.
• Minimum 6+ years hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Demonstrated success leading at least two enterprise-scale, petabyte-level cloud migrations.
• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise-grade, self-service data platforms.
• Strong background in AWS-to-GCP migration strategies and execution.
• Experience leading large, cross-functional engineering teams in Agile/DevOps environments.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in CS, IS, Engineering, or related discipline.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute scalable, secure, future-ready cloud data architecture strategies.
• Design modern self-service data platforms supporting distributed teams.
• Establish architectural standards and long-term data modernization roadmaps.
• Lead enterprise-scale data migrations, especially AWS to GCP.
• Oversee cloud-native data integration, processing, storage, and analytics.
• Provide architectural guidance to data engineering, infra, and analytics teams.
• Promote IaC adoption and DevOps practices; communicate risks and value to leadership.

Skills

GCP

BigQuery

Data Lakehouse

Data Modeling

Data Governance

IaC

Terraform

Pulumi

Kubernetes

Security

Education

Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification

Tools

Dataplex

BigQuery Omni

Looker

Job description

Principal Cloud Data Architect GCP & Enterprise Data Platforms Job Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced, hands‑on Principal Cloud Data Architect to lead the architecture, modernization, and implementation of enterprise‑scale cloud data platforms leveraging Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in large‑scale cloud migrations, modern data engineering, self‑service analytics platforms, and enterprise data governance. This role requires a strong combination of architectural expertise, technical leadership, and strategic business understanding.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Architecture & Strategy

• Define and execute scalable, secure, and future‑ready cloud data architecture strategies aligned with enterprise objectives.

• Design and implement modern, self‑service data platforms that support distributed business and engineering teams.

• Establish architectural standards, best practices, and long‑term data modernization roadmaps.

Cloud Migration & Platform Modernization

• Lead complex, enterprise‑scale data migrations, particularly from AWS to GCP.

• Architect and optimize petabyte‑scale data ecosystems, ensuring performance, reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency.

• Oversee cloud‑native data integration, processing, storage, and analytics solutions.

Data Governance & Security

• Establish comprehensive data governance, security, and compliance frameworks.

• Implement IAM, VPC Service Controls, encryption, data masking, and automated governance using Dataplex.

• Ensure enterprise‑wide data quality, accessibility, and regulatory compliance.

Engineering Leadership & Automation

• Provide architectural guidance to cross‑functional data engineering, cloud infrastructure, and analytics teams.

• Drive Infrastructure as Code (IaC) adoption using Terraform or Pulumi.

• Promote DevOps, CI/CD, Agile methodologies, and automated cloud deployment practices.

• Collaborate with senior leadership to communicate architectural decisions, business value, technical risks, and investment priorities.

Required Technical Expertise

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Data Storage & Warehousing: BigQuery, BigLake, BigQuery Omni, Google Cloud Storage.

• Data Processing: Dataflow, Apache Beam, Dataproc, Apache Spark, Hadoop.

• Workflow Orchestration: Cloud Composer, Apache Airflow.

• Streaming & Messaging: Google Pub/Sub, Apache Kafka, Confluent.

• Analytics & AI: Looker, Vertex AI, BigQuery ML.

• Data Governance: Dataplex, IAM, VPC Service Controls, encryption and data protection.

Modern Data Engineering

• Strong expertise in dbt, Airflow, and modern ELT/ETL frameworks.

• Hands‑on experience with Kubernetes, GKE, and containerized environments.

• Proficiency in Terraform or Pulumi for infrastructure automation.

• Strong understanding of distributed data processing, data lakehouse architectures, and enterprise data integration.

Experience & Qualifications

• 18 20 years of overall experience in Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, Business Intelligence, and enterprise data architecture.

• Minimum 6+ years of hands‑on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

• Demonstrated success leading at least two enterprise‑scale, petabyte‑level cloud migration initiatives.

• Proven experience designing and implementing enterprise‑grade, self‑service data platforms.

• Strong background in AWS‑to‑GCP migration strategies and execution.

• Experience leading large, cross‑functional engineering teams in Agile and DevOps environments.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and technical decision‑making skills.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related discipline.

Mandatory Certification

• Active Google Cloud Professional Data Engineer certification.

Preferred Qualification

• A verified Data Readiness Placement (DRP) ID with a score of 50 or above is highly desirable.

Ideal Candidate Profile

A seasoned cloud data architecture leader who combines deep technical expertise with hands‑on implementation experience. The successful candidate will have a strong track record of architecting complex GCP data ecosystems, delivering large‑scale cloud transformations, establishing governance frameworks, and guiding engineering teams through enterprise modernization initiatives.