Remote Databricks Lakehouse Architect - Data Modernization

Cognizant; Madison (WI); Remote; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant in Madison, WI seeks an experienced Databricks Architect to lead design and implementation of enterprise data modernization, with focus on Databricks Lakehouse, AWS, and large-scale migrations.

This role drives architecture decisions, mentors engineers, defines data governance, and collaborates across business, analytics and engineering teams to deliver scalable data solutions.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of Data Engineering/Data Architecture experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on Databricks Architecture experience.
• Strong expertise in: Databricks Lakehouse, Apache Spark / PySpark, Delta Lake, Databricks Workflows, Unity Catalog, Databricks SQL, Python, SQL.
• AWS Cloud experience (S3, IAM, networking, security).
• Experience designing enterprise data models and data integration patterns.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks.
• Experience with large-scale cloud migration and modernization initiatives.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-scale Databricks Lakehouse architecture.
• Lead data modernization and migration programs from legacy platforms to Databricks.
• Architect scalable ELT/ETL pipelines using Databricks, Spark, Delta Lake, and Python.
• Define data governance, security, lineage, and metadata management strategies using Unity Catalog.
• Design batch and real-time data processing solutions.
• Provide architecture guidance for cloud-native solutions on AWS.
• Collaborate with business, analytics, and engineering teams to define data strategies.
• Establish best practices for data quality, monitoring, performance tuning, and cost optimization.
• Create architecture standards, reference architectures, and technical documentation.
• Mentor data engineers and technical leads throughout the development lifecycle.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies and AI/ML capabilities within the Databricks ecosystem.

Skills

Databricks Lakehouse

Apache Spark

PySpark

Delta Lake

Databricks Workflows

Unity Catalog

Databricks SQL

Python

SQL

AWS Cloud

Data governance

Data migration

Cloud architecture

Tools

Terraform

Snowflake

Infrastructure as Code

Job description

Cognizant in Madison, WI seeks an experienced Databricks Architect to lead design and implementation of enterprise data modernization, with focus on Databricks Lakehouse, AWS, and large-scale migrations.

This role drives architecture decisions, mentors engineers, defines data governance, and collaborates across business, analytics and engineering teams to deliver scalable data solutions.