Technical Architect

Location: Houston, TX
Work Arrangement: On-site, 5 days per week

Position Summary

EIQdigital is seeking an experienced Technical Architect to lead architecture design and early-stage implementation for a large-scale Enterprise Analytics transformation program.

This initiative involves designing and deploying a secure, governed, cloud-based analytics platform that integrates multiple enterprise systems into a unified lakehouse architecture. The Technical Architect will define the core technical blueprint across data ingestion, medallion architecture, governance integration, semantic modeling, security controls, and interoperability frameworks.

This is a hands-on architecture and delivery role. The selected candidate will both define standards and lead the implementation of foundational frameworks that establish long-term scalability, governance, and regulatory alignment. You will be a hands-on builder who moves quickly from blueprint to repeatable product. You favor pragmatic, measurable solutions that unlock customer value and enable rapid adoption. This role requires full-time, on-site presence in Houston to enable close collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

1. Enterprise Analytics Platform Architecture

• Design the target Microsoft Fabric lakehouse architecture, including:
• OneLake structure and tenancy model
• Bronze, Silver, Gold (medallion) layering strategy
• Semantic layer architecture
• Governed operational vs. sandbox environments
• Define non-functional requirements, including performance, scalability, observability, disaster recovery, and cost optimization.
• Produce and maintain version-controlled architecture blueprints covering platform, governance, integration, and security.
• Ensure architecture supports phased delivery (Foundation → Governance → Enablement → Intelligence → Productization).

2. Unified Data Integration Framework

• Define ingestion and integration patterns across multiple enterprise and external systems.
• Establish reusable, parameterized ingestion pipelines for batch and near real-time processing.
• Define orchestration, monitoring, alerting, and logging standards.
• Implement classification-driven ingestion controls.
• Design scalable patterns for multi-domain and multi-tenant growth.

3. Medallion Architecture & Data Modeling

• Define architecture and standards for:
• Bronze (raw, authoritative record)
• Silver (harmonized enterprise layer)
• Gold (domain-specific curated marts)
• Establish naming conventions, modeling patterns, and cross-domain consistency standards.
• Ensure semantic models align with curated Gold datasets and enterprise definitions.

4. Security Architecture & Compliance Alignment

• Define end-to-end security architecture aligned to:
• Zero Trust principles
• Regulatory data handling requirements
• Enterprise security frameworks
• Architect RBAC models across Fabric, governance tools, and semantic layers.
• Define encryption, network isolation, data masking, and logging strategies.
• Ensure security architecture is validated prior to onboarding sensitive data domains.

5. Governance & Metadata Integration

• Design implementation of enterprise data governance tooling (e.g., Purview).
• Define collection structures, scanning patterns, and metadata standards.
• Partner with cloud administration to operationalize governance workflows.
• Ensure data onboarding reflects approved governance and quality gate processes.

6. API & Interoperability Architecture

• Define API and event-driven integration standards.
• Establish authentication, authorization, throttling, and monitoring controls.
• Ensure interoperability across internal systems and external stakeholders.
• Align architecture with long-term AI and LLM enablement objectives.

7. Initial Implementation Leadership

• Lead implementation of reusable ingestion frameworks for priority systems.
• Implement logging, observability, and error-handling frameworks.
• Partner with Business Analysts and Data Analysts to deliver first-generation semantic models.
• Define reconciliation and cross-source validation logic.
• Ensure audit traceability and QA alignment.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data architecture, cloud architecture, or enterprise analytics platforms.
• Proven experience designing and implementing:
• Lakehouse architectures (medallion pattern)
• Enterprise data warehouses
• Cloud-native ingestion and orchestration frameworks
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric, Azure data services, or equivalent cloud analytics platforms.
• Experience implementing enterprise governance tools (e.g., Purview or similar).
• Strong expertise in:
• RBAC and Zero Trust security architecture
• Metadata-driven architecture
• Data lineage and classification frameworks
• Experience building reusable ingestion and transformation patterns.
• Strong documentation and blueprint development skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in regulated or high-security environments (energy, utilities, financial services, federal, etc.).
• Familiarity with NIST-aligned security frameworks.
• Experience supporting multi-entity or multi-tenant architectures.
• Experience designing AI-ready data foundations.