Data Architect

Job Location: US Remote - willing to work in EST timings

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Data Architect to design and own the canonical event layer that normalizes data from multiple core systems into a unified format for downstream consumers. You will define the event schemas, schema registry, versioning strategy, and data dictionary that become the shared language across the platform. This is a working architect role. You will design the architecture and personally build data models, write transformation logic, and validate implementations before handoff. You will partner closely with application teams delivering containerized microservices, ensuring the data layer enables their success. The architecture you create must be extensible enough to support future ODS capabilities in parallel or afterward. Remote, EST hours.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build the canonical event schema that unifies data across multiple core systems with business context embedded.
• Define and implement schema registry and governance for the virtual canonical layer.
• Design event-versioning strategy to manage schema evolution over time.
• Design multi-tenant event envelope patterns for flexible consumption.
• Define and formalize the enterprise data dictionary, normalizing data models across multiple core systems.
• Design the abstraction layer that shields downstream consumers from source system complexity.
• Implement metadata management using AWS Glue Catalog to discover and catalog data sources.
• Map systems of record (SOR) to the standard data model using FDX JSON format.
• Write and validate SQL queries, transformation logic, and data quality rules to prove out architectural decisions before handoff.
• Partner with application development teams to ensure the data layer meets their integration needs.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in data management with at least 5+ years in data architecture roles.
• Experience partnering with application developers in microservices or container-orchestrated environments.
• Proven experience designing canonical data models and event schemas that unify data across multiple source systems.
• Experience with schema registry tools and event-versioning strategies.
• Strong understanding of Data Mesh principles and Data Fabric concepts.
• Expert knowledge of AWS data services (Lambda, SQS, S3, Glue, Glue Catalog, RDS, DynamoDB).
• Strong experience with event-driven architectures where data is exposed as events rather than direct database access.
• Deep expertise in data modeling (conceptual, logical, physical) using tools such as ERwin, PowerDesigner, or similar.
• Strong hands-on SQL skills for data profiling, validation, and transformation.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrates judgment and flexibility - thrives in environments with shifting priorities and rapid change.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Data Analytics Specialty.
• Experience in financial services or banking with understanding of relevant data regulations (SOX, GDPR).
• Familiarity with financial data exchange standards (FDX JSON format).
• Experience with Kafka, RabbitMQ, or AWS EventBridge.
• Experience with CQRS and Event Sourcing patterns.
• Familiarity with Node.js and Java (Spring) given the platform tech stack.
• Proficiency with Python for data analysis and validation.
• Experience with containerized environments and Kubernetes (EKS).
• Experience mentoring Data Engineers and establishing team standards.