Staff Data & AI Architect (Forward-Deployed)

Cognizant; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Staff Data & AI Architect (Forward-Deployed) to translate data and AI strategy into scalable, production-ready solutions. You will design enterprise data products, govern platforms, and lead data-driven transformations with strong governance and operational metrics.

This onsite Plano-based role combines architecture leadership with hands-on ownership, driving initiatives across data engineering, AI capabilities, and platform modernization.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in data architecture and data engineering for enterprise-scale solutions.
• Proven ability to design and govern data platforms with AI capabilities.
• Strong experience with Databricks and modern data lakehouse patterns.
• Hands-on in building and deploying data pipelines with CI/CD practices.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management across large teams.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise data solutions across data layers and models.
• Lead integration of AI-enabled capabilities into data platforms.
• Own delivery of transformation initiatives with measurable business outcomes.
• Establish data governance, lineage, quality, and operational practices.
• Provide technical leadership and architecture reviews for engineering teams.

Skills

Data architecture

Data engineering

AI/Generative AI

Databricks

CI/CD for pipelines

Communication skills

Tools

Databricks Delta Lake

Delta Live Tables

Unity Catalog

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.

Staff Data & AI Architect (Forward-Deployed)

About the role

As a Staff Architect, you will make an impact by translating enterprise data and AI strategy into scalable, production-ready solutions that drive measurable business outcomes. You will be a valued member of the Data & AI organization and work collaboratively with Principal Architects, data engineers, product teams, business stakeholders, and platform specialists to design, implement, and govern enterprise-scale data products, AI-enabled solutions, and modern data platforms.

This role combines architecture leadership with hands-on technical ownership, ensuring roadmap initiatives are delivered against defined business objectives, operational metrics, and transformation goals.

In this role, you will:

• Design and implement enterprise data solutions spanning Bronze, Silver, and Gold data layers, canonical data models, and modern data architecture patterns.
• Lead the integration of AI-enabled capabilities, data products, automation frameworks, and agent-based solutions into enterprise data platforms.
• Own the technical delivery of assigned transformation initiatives, ensuring successful execution against business outcomes, performance targets, and operational metrics.
• Establish and maintain data governance, lineage, quality, and operational best practices across data products and platform capabilities.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and oversight for engineering teams through architecture reviews, solution design sessions, and delivery governance.

Work model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring work in a Cognizant or client office in Plano, Texas.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, data architecture, analytics, or related technology disciplines.
• 3+ years of experience serving as a Staff Architect, Solution Architect, Lead Data Architect, or comparable technical leadership role.
• Hands-on experience designing and implementing Databricks Lakehouse solutions in production environments.
• Experience building and supporting enterprise data pipelines, data platforms, and large-scale modern data architectures.
• Strong expertise in data modeling, Data Vault methodologies, canonical data models, dimensional modeling, and source-to-target mapping design.
• Experience integrating AI, Generative AI, or agentic solutions into enterprise data ecosystems.
• Strong experience developing and deploying ETL/ELT solutions using PySpark and cloud-based data engineering technologies.
• Experience implementing CI/CD processes, automated testing, and quality assurance for enterprise data pipelines.
• Demonstrated ability to own technical delivery commitments with measurable business and operational outcomes.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and technical leadership skills.

These will help you stand out

• Experience with Databricks technologies including Delta Lake, Delta Live Tables (DLT), Unity Catalog, Mosaic AI, and Databricks SQL.
• Knowledge of enterprise AI platforms, agent orchestration frameworks, and intelligent automation solutions.
• Experience implementing data quality frameworks such as ICEDQ, Great Expectations, or similar validation platforms.
• Experience supporting large-scale enterprise modernization initiatives involving ERP transformations, SAP S/4HANA migrations, or legacy platform decommissioning.
• Familiarity with BI modernization and reporting platforms including Power BI, Tableau, and Qlik Sense.
• Knowledge of FinOps, cloud cost optimization, enterprise governance, data lineage, and operational excellence frameworks.

Salary and Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until September 11, 2026.

The annual salary for this position is between $150,000 - $186,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer:

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.