Principal Solutions Architect

Experian; Costa Mesa (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Experian, a global data and technology company, seeks a Principal Solutions Architect to design large-scale data platforms and lead technical direction for complex systems. You will partner with engineering, product, and business teams to shape architecture for high-volume data environments.

You will define end-to-end architecture, build automated pipelines using Spark/Trino, and establish best practices for data ingestion, storage, and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Computer Science or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 8+ years in software/data engineering or technology architecture.
• 5+ years with Big Data technologies and large-scale distributed processing.
• Experience building automated data pipelines with Spark/Trino or similar.
• Experience designing enterprise-scale data platforms and cloud solutions.
• Proficient in Python, Java, Scala, or SQL.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end architecture for large-scale data platforms and distributed systems.
• Develop automated data pipelines using Spark, Trino, or similar technologies.
• Establish architecture best practices for ingestion, transformation, storage, and usage.
• Improve performance, scalability, resiliency, and cost efficiency across data platforms.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Security, Cloud, and Architecture teams to modernize workflows.
• Lead architecture reviews and mentor architects and engineers; communicate strategy to leadership.
• Design solutions in cloud environments and oversee governance, security, and observability.

Skills

Big data architectures

Cloud environments

Mentoring & leadership

Communication with stakeholders

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science or related field

Master's preferred

Tools

Apache Spark

Trino

Python

Java

SQL

Data lakes / data warehouses

Job description

Experian is a global data and technology company, powering opportunities for people and businesses around the world. We operate across a range of markets, from financial services to healthcare, automotive, agribusiness, insurance, and many more. Experian invests in people and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data. We have an amazing team of 25,200 people in 32 countries.

At Experian, we believe great work happens when people come together. We're focused on attracting talent in and around our designated hub locations who are open to collaborating with colleagues in person. Aligning employees to these talent markets helps foster collaboration, strengthen team connections, and support long-term career growth within Experian. You will report to the Head of Technology, and reside in or near one of our collaboration hubs:

Costa Mesa, CA; San Jose, CA; Allen, TX; Austin, TX; Franklin, TN; New York, NY; Schaumberg, IL; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Seattle, WA

As a Principal Solutions Architect, you'll be a senior technical leader who designs large-scale data platforms. You'll partner with engineering, product, and business teams to set technical direction for complex, high-volume data systems.

You'll have opportunity to:

• Define end-to-end architecture for large-scale data platforms and distributed systems

• Develop automated, custom data pipelines using Apache Spark, Trino, or similar Big Data technologies

• Establish architecture best practices for data ingestion, transformation, storage, and usage

• Improve performance, scalability, resiliency, and cost efficiency across data platforms

• Partner with Product, Engineering, Security, Cloud, and Architecture teams to modernize legacy workflows and translate our needs into technical solutions

• Lead architecture reviews, resolve cross-team technical decisions, and define practices for data governance, security, and observability

• Mentor architects and engineers, and communicate technical strategy and risk to senior leadership

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience (Master's preferred)

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, data engineering, or technology architecture

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Big Data technologies and large-scale distributed data processing

• Experience designing and building automated, custom data pipelines using Apache Spark, Trino, or similar frameworks

• Experience architecting enterprise-scale data platforms and distributed systems

• Experience designing solutions in cloud environments and with expertise in Python, Java, Scala, or SQL

• Experience with data lakes, data warehouses, object storage, and distributed query engines

• Reside in, or near the designated Collaboration Hub(s) for this role.

Our uniqueness is that we celebrate yours. Experian's people first, inclusive and purpose driven culture is multi award-winning; World's Best Workplaces 2025 (Fortune Global Top 25), Great Place To Work in 26 countries to name a few. Check out Experian Life on social or explore our Careers Site to understand why. Experian is also proud to be an Equal Opportunity and affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know at the earliest opportunity.