Data Architect – (AWS Modernization Project)

Hi,

Job Title: Data Architect – (AWS Modernization Project)

Location: Clinton, NJ - 3 Days Onsite

Duration: 6+ Months Contract

Job Description:

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Data Architect to lead the enterprise-wide modernization of our data infrastructure onto AWS. The role is strategic and hands-on, responsible for designing a multi-zone data architecture that enables seamless integration, analytics, and reporting while reducing operational overhead and vendor dependencies. The architect will serve as a bridge between business stakeholders, data engineers, and analysts to ensure a cloud-first, scalable, and governed data platform.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and implementation of a multi-zone AWS data architecture (Raw/Landing, Integration, Analytical, Reporting zones).
• Define and enforce enterprise data standards, data modeling conventions, and governance practices.
• Collaborate with business units to translate analytics and reporting requirements into scalable data solutions.
• Assess on-premises systems (Oracle, Redshift, PostgreSQL, Access) and plan their migration to AWS, optimizing for performance, cost, and reliability.
• Implement best practices for data security, access control, and compliance.
• Oversee data quality frameworks, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and traceability of metrics.
• Evaluate and integrate AWS-native and third-party tools to reduce operational complexity and vendor dependency.
• Mentor and guide data engineers and analysts on architecture best practices and data governance.
• Continuously monitor emerging AWS technologies and data trends to enhance the platform’s capabilities.

Roles & Responsibilities:

• Conduct a comprehensive assessment of current on-premises and cloud data systems (Oracle, Redshift, PostgreSQL, Access).
• Identify data silos, tool fragmentation, inconsistencies, and operational challenges.
• Analyze existing data flows, reporting mechanisms, and metrics definitions.
• Engage with business stakeholders and technical teams to understand requirements, pain points, and strategic goals.
• Propose a multi-zone AWS data architecture (Raw/Landing, Integration, Analytical, Reporting zones) aligned with business needs.
• Recommend AWS services and tools for ingestion, transformation, storage, analytics, and reporting.
• Highlight data governance, security, and compliance requirements for the proposed architecture.
• Provide a roadmap and transition plan for moving from current systems to AWS-based architecture.
• Prepare documentation and presentations for executive and stakeholder review.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 10+ years in data architecture or related roles with enterprise-scale projects.
• Hands-on experience with AWS data services (S3, Glue, Redshift, Athena, Lake Formation, EMR).
• Strong knowledge of ETL/ELT processes, SQL, and data modeling techniques.
• Proven experience in cloud migration and multi-database environments.
• Strong understanding of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Certifications

• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (preferred)
• AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty (highly desirable)
• Any other cloud/data certifications (e.g., Snowflake, Google Cloud Platform/Azure knowledge a plus)

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker) and self-service analytics.
• Exposure to DevOps practices for data pipelines.
• Familiarity with big data frameworks (Spark, Hadoop) and AI/ML integration.
• Previous experience in cross-functional, global teams.

Impact: This role directly influences the organization’s ability to make data-driven decisions, reduces siloed operations, and ensures a scalable, modern data platform.