Senior Director, Cloud Solutions Architect

Acxiom; Progress (PA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Databricks Platform & Solutions Architect to lead the design and implementation of data ecosystems. In this remote role, you will architect scalable solutions, drive data modernization initiatives, and mentor engineering teams. Your expertise in Databricks, cloud integration, and data governance will be crucial in delivering high-performance data solutions. This position offers a unique opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with diverse teams, ensuring long-term client success and measurable business outcomes. If you are passionate about data and innovation, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of data architecture experience with 5+ years on Databricks.
• Strong expertise in Apache Spark, Delta Lake, and MLFlow.
• Experience with cloud providers and data migration projects.

Responsibilities

• Architect scalable Databricks solutions for data processing and analytics.
• Lead data modernization initiatives and cloud migrations.
• Mentor teams in data engineering best practices.

Skills

Databricks

Apache Spark

Python

SQL

Data Migration

ETL/ELT Pipelines

Data Governance

Cloud Integration

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Master's in Engineering

Tools

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Azure DevOps

Informatica

dbt

Airflow

Job description

Job Title: Databricks Platform & Solutions Architect at Acxiom

As a Databricks Platform & Solutions Architect at Acxiom, you will lead the design, implementation, and modernization of enterprise data ecosystems on the Databricks platform. You will work closely with business stakeholders, engineers, and partner teams to architect scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions. This role demands deep expertise in Databricks (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, MLFlow), cloud-native data modernization strategies, and experience migrating legacy data systems to modern cloud data platforms. You will be instrumental in translating strategic, high-level concepts into detailed, actionable technical designs, guiding the cloud delivery team through the full implementation lifecycle. This influential individual contributor role demands a combination of visionary thinking, deep technical proficiency, and hands-on execution ability to deliver measurable business outcomes and ensure long-term client success.

Location: This job can be located almost anywhere in the U.S.

What You Will Do:

1. Architect and design scalable Databricks solutions for enterprise data processing, analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence workloads.
2. Lead complex data modernization initiatives, including assessments, roadmap creation, and execution of legacy-to-cloud migrations (on-prem Hadoop, EDWs, etc.).
3. Define end-to-end architecture for ETL/ELT pipelines, data lakes, lakehouses, and real-time streaming platforms using Delta Lake and Databricks-native tools.
4. Partner with client and internal teams to define data architecture patterns, security models (Unity Catalog, row/column-level access), and data governance standards.
5. Drive presales efforts by shaping solution strategies, crafting client proposals, contributing to RFP responses, authoring SOWs, and developing tailored demos.
6. Implement CI/CD practices for Databricks notebooks/jobs using DevOps principles and infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps).
7. Develop and publish reference architectures, reusable frameworks, and accelerators to enable consistent platform adoption across teams.
8. Mentor engineering teams in best practices for data engineering, lakehouse design, performance tuning, and workload optimization in Databricks.
9. Stay current with evolving Databricks platform capabilities and contribute to internal Centers of Excellence and capability building.
10. Design and implement data governance, access control, secure data sharing strategies & data clean rooms using Unity Catalog and Delta Sharing to enable compliant, cross-platform collaboration across partners.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
2. 15+ years of data architecture experience, with at least 5+ years on the Databricks platform.
3. Strong expertise in Apache Spark, Delta Lake, Databricks SQL, Unity Catalog, and MLFlow.
4. Demonstrated experience in data migration projects (e.g., Teradata, Hadoop, Oracle to Databricks).
5. Proficient in Python, SQL, Spark (PySpark), and hands-on experience with REST APIs and automation.
6. Solid understanding of modern data architectures (lakehouse, streaming pipelines, real-time analytics).
7. Experience integrating Databricks with cloud providers (AWS/GCP/Azure), Snowflake, and enterprise tools (Informatica, dbt, Airflow, etc.).
8. Experience with security and compliance controls on Databricks: encryption, auditing, access controls.
9. Familiarity with cost optimization and performance tuning in Databricks environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Databricks or cloud certifications (e.g., Databricks Certified Data Engineer, AWS/GCP/Azure Architect).
2. Experience with industry use cases in marketing analytics, clean rooms, customer 360, or real-time segmentation.
3. Success in solutioning roles within client-facing teams and agile delivery models.

Additional Information:

Location: Remote, Continental US (preferably in Texas or Arkansas)

Primary Location: Home-based - Conway, Arkansas

Acxiom is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected statuses.