Sr. Data Architect

SteerBridge; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and life insurance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Disability coverage

Retirement savings

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

SteerBridge, a modern technology company, seeks a Senior Data Architect to own the enterprise data architecture for the Modern Disability Claims program. You will design data models, govern data, and guide cross-system data strategies to scale for analytics and AI/ML initiatives.

The role requires 6+ years in data architecture, strong SQL/Python skills, and experience with cloud data platforms. Local on-site work in Vienna, VA is expected with hybrid options at supervisor discretion.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Bachelor’s Degree or Above in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
• Must hold, or be able to obtain, a Public Trust clearance (an active Secret or Top Secret clearance also satisfies this requirement).
• Minimum 6+ years of experience in data architecture, including strong experience with Python, SQL, Pandas, PySpark, and Git; enterprise data warehousing and lake technologies; cloud-based architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models for enterprise-scale systems.
• Establish data modeling standards and best practices across teams (dimensional modeling, data vault, star/snowflake schemas).
• Lead cloud-native data platform design on AWS, GCP, or Azure and multi-cloud strategies.
• Define integration patterns for ETL/ELT pipelines and real-time data integration.
• Establish data governance, catalog, lineage, and security controls for HIPAA and compliance requirements.
• Architect AI/ML data platforms and feature stores for analytics initiatives.
• Lead architecture reviews, mentor engineers, and translate requirements into roadmaps.
• Led cross-functional architecture reviews aligning stakeholders on a shared technical roadmap.

Skills

Python

SQL

Pandas

PySpark

Git

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science / Systems Engineering / Data Science

Tools

Databricks

Redshift

BigQuery

Snowflake

Job description

SteerBridge is a modern technology company delivering innovative, mission‑focused solutions to the U.S. Government and private sector. Leveraging deep expertise in federal acquisition, digital transformation, and emerging technologies, we deliver agile, commercial‑grade capabilities that accelerate operational effectiveness and drive measurable mission success. At the core of SteerBridge is our people—especially the veterans whose leadership, problem‑solving mindset, and commitment to excellence elevate every project we support. We don’t simply hire exceptional talent; we cultivate it, creating meaningful career pathways for veterans, military spouses, and professionals who share our passion for advancing technology and strengthening the missions we serve.

Position Overview

SteerBridge seeks a highly skilled and motivated individual to join our team as a Senior Data Architect to own the enterprise data architecture strategy for our Modern Disability Claims program. This role sets the technical direction for how claims, clinical, and healthcare data is modeled, stored, integrated, and governed across our systems, ensuring our data infrastructure scales to support claims adjudication, analytics, and AI/ML initiatives.

In this role, you will completely own our data architecture domain — translating ambiguous business and mission requirements into clear, scalable technical designs, resolving complex cross-system data challenges, and mentoring engineers and junior architects. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker, an excellent communicator, and has a track record of designing data platforms that hold up at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Data Architecture and Modeling

• Designing conceptual, logical, and physical data models for enterprise-scale systems
• Establishing data modeling standards and best practices across teams (dimensional modeling, data vault, star/snowflake schemas)
• Expertise in master data management and enterprise data architecture patterns
• Balancing OLTP and OLAP workload design across the platform
• Project Experience: Defined and rolled out an enterprise data modeling standard adopted across multiple product teams, improving consistency and reducing rework

Enterprise Data Platforms and Cloud Strategy

• Selecting and architecting cloud‑native data platforms (data lakes, data warehouses, data mesh) on AWS, GCP, or Azure
• Designing multi‑cloud or hybrid‑cloud data strategies where appropriate
• Establishing cost governance and performance standards for large‑scale data workloads
• Evaluating and recommending emerging data platform technologies
• Project Experience: Led the architectural design for a cloud data platform migration, defining the target‑state architecture that guided the engineering team’s implementation

Data Integration and Pipeline Strategy

• Defining integration patterns and standards for ETL/ELT pipelines across structured and unstructured sources
• Architecting for both batch and real‑time data integration needs
• Setting standards for schema evolution, data versioning, and pipeline observability
• Project Experience: Designed the integration architecture connecting multiple claims systems of record into a unified analytics layer

Data Governance, Security, and Compliance

• Establishing enterprise data governance frameworks, including data cataloging, lineage, and metadata management standards
• Designing role‑based access control and data protection architecture for sensitive healthcare and claims data
• Ensuring architecture aligns with relevant compliance frameworks (e.g., HIPAA, federal data handling requirements)
• Project Experience: Implemented a data governance and lineage framework that gave stakeholders auditable visibility into claims data flows

AI/ML and Analytics Enablement

• Architecting data platforms and pipelines to support AI/ML and advanced analytics initiatives
• Partnering with data science teams to design feature stores and ML‑ready data infrastructure
• Evaluating architecture implications of emerging AI/ML tooling
• Project Experience: Designed the data architecture underpinning an AI/ML claims‑adjudication initiative, enabling reliable training and inference pipelines

Leadership and Stakeholder Collaboration

• Leading technical design reviews and architecture review boards
• Mentoring data engineers and junior architects on architectural best practices
• Translating ambiguous business and mission requirements into clear technical roadmaps
• Communicating architectural decisions and tradeoffs to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders

Project Experience

Led cross‑functional architecture reviews that aligned engineering, data science, and program stakeholders on a shared technical roadmap.

Required Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Bachelor’s Degree or Above in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field
• Must hold, or be able to obtain, a Public Trust clearance (an active Secret or Top Secret clearance also satisfies this requirement)
• Minimum 6+ years of experience in data architecture, to include:
• Strong experience with Python, SQL, Pandas, PySpark, and Git
• Experience with enterprise data warehousing and lake technologies (Databricks, Redshift, BigQuery, or Snowflake)
• Demonstrated ownership of enterprise‑scale data architecture within cloud‑based ecosystems
• Location: Preferred local to the Vienna, VA area and able to work on‑site at our Vienna, VA office (3+ days/week). Hybrid opportunities at supervisors’ discretion

Preferred Qualifications

• Infrastructure as code and DevOps practices supporting data platform deployment
• Strong documentation and architecture communication skills (diagramming tools, technical writing)

CI/CD familiarity as it relates to data platform and pipeline delivery.

SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer

SteerBridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all qualified applicants and employees are treated with respect and dignity—regardless of race, color, gender, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable laws. If you require assistance during the application process, we encourage you to reach out so we can support your needs.

If you would like information about how your application is processed, please contact us.

The posted compensation range reflects the scope and requirements of this position. A final offer will be determined based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and work location, along with the responsibilities of the position. Where applicable, contract requirements, wage determinations, and federal contract labor categories may also inform the offer.

• health and life insurance
• paid time off
• paid holidays
• disability coverage
• retirement savings
• professional development opportunities

Benefits vary by position and eligibility.