Senior Data Architect

Xcel Energy; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Xcel Energy is seeking a Senior Data Architect to advance enterprise data products and Xcel Data Fabric adoption with a focus on Databricks Lakehouse, Unity Catalog, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP). The role partners with architecture, engineering, product, security, and governance to translate business needs into practical designs across the full data lifecycle.

The successful candidate will develop reference architectures, run prototypes, and guide delivery teams while ensuring governance and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Technology, Science, Business or related field or 4 years of equivalent experience.
• Ten years of related functional experience.
• Architectural acumen across multiple domains including network, infrastructure, software, hosting models, mobile platforms, and security.
• Exposure to diverse systems, technologies and processing environments in a large corporate setting.
• Project solution architecture experience.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Review and approve projects to ensure compliance with architectural standards.
• Design data products and AI-ready solutions using XDF, Databricks Lakehouse, Unity Catalog, AWS, and GCP.
• Lead cross-organizational work, coaching and mentoring where needed.
• Develop overarching IT strategy and reference architecture standards.

Skills

Data architecture

Databricks Lakehouse

Cloud platforms

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

10+ years experience

Tools

Unity Catalog

AWS

GCP

Job description

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) is a leading energy provider and Fortune 500 company, dedicated to serving millions of electricity and natural gas customers across eight states: Minnesota, Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas. We make energy work better for our customers, helping them thrive every day. That means always raising the bar - delivering better service and providing more reliable, resilient, and sustainable energy.

Xcel Energy is a place where you’ll have opportunities to grow, expand your skills, and help lead the clean energy transition. We offer meaningful rewards, recognition, and support to help you build your career and make an impact - both on the job and beyond. Most importantly, it means you’ll be joining a company that knows employees are the driving force behind its success and is committed to helping you be your best.

Xcel Energy supports a hybrid work model to enable collaboration and flexibility. Many roles are expected to work onsite three days per week (Tuesday–Thursday); however, work location expectations vary based on role, team, and business needs.

Position Summary

The Senior Data Architect is a key role within the IT organization and a hands-on architecture partner to delivery teams. This role advances enterprise data products and Xcel Data Fabric (XDF) adoption, with emphasis on Databricks Lakehouse, Unity Catalog, AWS, GCP, AI-ready data architecture, and governed integration and data‑sharing patterns. The architect collaborates with peer architects, engineering teams, product teams, security, and data governance to translate business outcomes into practical, supportable solution designs across the full data lifecycle. The role develops reusable reference architectures, patterns, and implementation guidance; produces architecture deliverables; and performs technical prototypes to validate designs and reduce delivery risk. Delivery teams retain ownership of detailed solution implementation and approvals, while the Senior Data Architect provides standards‑based guidance, identifies risks and tradeoffs, and recommends governance escalation when appropriate.

Essential Responsibilities

• Architectural Operations: Review and approve projects and work efforts to ensure that they are compliant with architectural standards. Track and manage exceptions to standards. Continuously improve operational processes. Assess, report, and make recommendations to eliminate operational risk related to technology or architecture.
• Technical Expertise: Advise delivery teams on hands‑on data and solution architecture. Design data products and AI‑ready solutions using XDF, Databricks Lakehouse, Unity Catalog, AWS, and GCP. Define integration, API, event, and data sharing patterns. Create reusable guidance and technical prototypes that reduce delivery risk.
• Leadership: Lead work cross‑organizationally through coaching and feedback, and through significant interactions and influence with leaders. Govern work efforts to ensure alignment with reference architecture, IT strategy, and policy. Collaborate cross‑organizationally to influence alignment on and adoption of enterprise architecture standards.
• Planning and Strategy: Participate in creation and renewal of an overarching IT strategy. Develop and enforce reference architecture standards that are aligned with IT strategies and principles. Contribute to architecture road maps and provide input to technology roadmaps. Ensure the domain IT Strategy aligns with Enterprise Architecture framework and standards.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Technology, Science, Business or related field, or 4 years of experience equivalent to the position.
• Ten years of related functional experience.
• Architecture acumen across multiple domains including network, infrastructure, software, hosting models, mobile platforms, and security.
• Exposure to diverse systems, technologies and processing environments in a large Corporate setting.
• Project solution architecture experience.
• General knowledge of core aspects of enterprise architecture (Software, Hardware, Network, Integration, Data, hosting models, platform types, etc.) Strong analytical, problem‑solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Extensive knowledge of future technology trends within area of expertise.
• Demonstrated leadership on technical aspects of large scale projects.
• Excellent communication skills, effective with varying organizational levels and skill sets.
• Excellent Relationship Management and collaboration skills, with a track record of working as one team cross‑organizationally to drive innovation and business results.

Preferred Requirements

• Demonstrated experience designing and delivering enterprise data products and advancing adoption of an enterprise data fabric or data product operating model.
• Hands‑on architecture experience with Databricks Lakehouse and Unity Catalog, including governed data access, cataloging, lineage, security, and data‑sharing patterns.
• Experience architecting cloud‑native data solutions on AWS and GCP, including cross‑platform interoperability and governed data movement or sharing.
• Experience designing integration solutions using APIs, events, streaming, batch, and approved data‑sharing patterns, with clear attention to source of truth, latency, freshness, resiliency, and long‑term supportability.
• Experience creating AI‑ready data architectures and AI solutions, including retrieval‑augmented generation, vector search, semantic layers, agentic solutions, governed model access patterns, and responsible AI controls.
• Ability to produce high‑quality solution designs, data‑flow diagrams, architecture decision records, interface specifications, reference architectures, and implementation patterns.
• Hands‑on experience developing technical prototypes or proofs of concept in Databricks, AWS, or GCP to validate architecture decisions and reduce delivery risk.
• Working knowledge of data modeling, metadata management, lineage, data quality, master data, and reference data practices.
• Experience with security, privacy, identity and access management, observability, operational support, and governance requirements across the full data lifecycle.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring to architects and engineers without direct management authority.
• Utility industry experience, including experience with SAP utility data, operational technology data, meter data, customer data, or regulated data environments.

Our culture is grounded in shared values and employee commitments that guide how we work, support one another, and grow together.

Our Values

Connected, Committed, Trustworthy, Safe

Our Employee Commitments

• Work that makes a difference
• A team you can count of
• Opportunities to grow
• Rewards that help you thrive

Xcel Energy provides job applicants reasonable accommodations for disabilities throughout the application process. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the Applicant Accommodation Request Form (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=g6WyJAVcaku06U4S3AAlrVld9SFTyvlNkqxgjYWAK9xUQ1JIS1JUSjg3TkNXU1hVU01PS1pVSEVDNSQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl) .

Non-Bargaining

The anticipated starting base pay for this position is: $135,000.00 to $165,000.00 per year

This position is eligible for the following benefits: Annual Incentive Program, Medical/Pharmacy Plan, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, Health Care Reimbursement Account, Health Savings Account (HSA) (if enrolled in eligible health plan), Limited-Purpose FSA (if enrolled in eligible health plan and HSA), Transportation Reimbursement Account, Short-term disability (STD), Long-term disability (LTD), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Fitness Center Reimbursement (if enrolled in eligible health plan), Tuition reimbursement, Transit programs, Employee recognition program, Pension, 401(k) plan, Paid time off (PTO), Holidays, Volunteer Paid Time Off (VPTO), Parental Leave

Benefit plans are subject to change and Xcel Energy has the right to end, suspend, or amend any of its plans, at any time, in whole or in part.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information including but not limited to dates of school attendance and graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Deadline to Apply: 10/16/26

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All Xcel Energy employees and contractors share responsibility for protecting the company's information and systems by adhering to cybersecurity policies, standards, and best practices, recognizing that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.

Accessibility Statement

Xcel Energy endeavors to make https://www.xcelenergy.com and https://jobs.xcelenergy.com accessible to any and all users. If you are in need of an accommodation to complete the application process, now or at any time in the future, please complete the Applicant Accommodation Request Form (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/DyR78vcb7K) . For any other application related questions, including application follow-ups or technical issues, please use our Recruiting Assistance, Electra, for assistance. Electra can be found in the lower right-hand corner of our Xcel Energy Careers site.