Senior Data Architect in Portland, Oregon - #72333 | VanderHouwen

Description

Job Id: 72333

Senior Data Architect
Our client is seeking a Senior Data Architect to lead the design of scalable, secure, and AI-ready data environments that support complex analytics, machine learning, and modern data platform initiatives. The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader who can translate ambiguous business needs into clear architecture, guide engineering teams through execution, and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

This role is fully remote.

Senior Data Architect Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end data architecture for complex programs, including data modeling, platform design, integration patterns, governance structures, and scalable data delivery approaches.
• Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models that support analytics, reporting, AI, and modern data product development.
• Architect cloud-native data solutions using AWS services such as S3, Glue, Redshift, Athena, Lake Formation, Kinesis, MSK, Lambda, Step Functions, and EventBridge.
• Design and implement ETL/ELT workflows with strong attention to data quality, lineage, monitoring, observability, and long-term maintainability.
• Evaluate and recommend data platform technologies, including warehouse, lakehouse, streaming, orchestration, and governance tools based on program needs and technical trade-offs.
• Establish data contracts, interface standards, access controls, and integration patterns that ensure reliable data movement across source systems, pipelines, and consuming applications.
• Design data foundations for AI and LLM use cases, including document ingestion, preprocessing, enrichment, embedding workflows, vector search, and RAG-enabled architectures.
• Define data governance frameworks, including ownership, classification, retention, access policies, lineage, and metadata management practices.
• Partner with engineering, DevOps, platform, product, and machine learning teams to ensure architectures are secure, cost-conscious, operationally sustainable, and aligned with delivery goals.
• Lead client discovery sessions, translate business and operational needs into actionable technical recommendations, and present architecture decisions to diverse stakeholder groups.
• Own data architecture workstream planning, including task breakdown, sequencing, dependency mapping, estimation, delivery reviews, and Jira-based project coordination.
• Mentor data engineers and contribute to internal architecture standards, reusable patterns, documentation, onboarding resources, and technical best practices.

Senior Data Architect Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 6+ years of hands-on data engineering, data architecture, or related technical experience, including senior-level ownership of architecture decisions.
• Strong experience designing scalable data platforms, data warehouses, lakehouses, and analytics-ready data environments.
• Deep hands-on experience with AWS data services, including S3, Glue, Glue Catalog, Redshift, Athena, Lake Formation, Kinesis, MSK, Lambda, Step Functions, and EventBridge.
• Proven ability to create conceptual, logical, and physical data models for complex enterprise-scale data environments.
• Strong understanding of data governance, data quality, lineage, metadata management, access control, and production data reliability practices.
• Experience designing data architectures that support AI, LLM, RAG, vector search, embedding pipelines, and unstructured or document-based data workflows.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform or AWS CDK, along with familiarity with DevOps, DataOps, and cloud deployment practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead client-facing technical discussions, gather requirements, assess data readiness, and present architectural recommendations clearly.
• Strong technical program leadership skills, including the ability to break down ambiguous initiatives, manage dependencies, guide delivery, and resolve technical trade-offs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to adjust technical depth for engineers, business stakeholders, and executive audiences.
• Experience mentoring engineers, conducting architecture reviews, and building reusable standards or playbooks for broader team adoption.
• AWS certifications such as Solutions Architect Associate/Professional or Data Engineer Associate are preferred.
• Experience with Databricks, Delta Lake, dbt, data cataloging tools, data mesh, or data product architecture is preferred.
• Consulting, professional services, government, regulated industry, FedRAMP, Public Trust, or security clearance experience is a plus.

Salary: $115K-$140K/year. (DOE)

Benefits
Benefits are available to eligible full-time employees and include coverage for medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short and long term disability, and matching 401k.

Meet VanderHouwen
What kind of recruiter do you see yourself working with? One who prioritizes your best interest, no matter what? VanderHouwen does, and we’re in it for the long game! Our recruiters focus on YOU, building meaningful, long-term relationships while developing a deep understanding of companies’ staffing needs and workplace cultures. This approach helps us find an ideal job match that aligns with your unique career aspirations and goals.

VanderHouwen is an award-winning, Women & Diversity-Owned, WBENC certified professional staffing firm. Founded in 1987, VanderHouwen places experienced professionals across the nation! Our recruitment teams specialize in either Technology and IT, Engineering, Human Resources, or Accounting and Finance career markets. Partner with us to land your next exciting career!

VanderHouwen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify. VanderHouwen does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state, or federal civil rights laws.

#LI-Remote