Principal Enterprise Data Architect (Databricks)

job summary:

Randstad is seeking a Principal Enterprise Data Architect on behalf of our premier client in Washington, D.C., to drive the overarching architectural vision, financial management (FinOps), and governance of a next-generation enterprise Databricks lakehouse platform. Serving as the ultimate technical authority, this strategic leader will bridge the gap between enterprise business strategies and engineering execution by establishing rigorous coding standards, defining data compliance frameworks via Unity Catalog, and advising executive leadership on cloud infrastructure roadmaps. This position operates under a SAFe (Scaled Agile) framework with a hybrid schedule, requiring on-site attendance for critical ceremonies like PI planning in Washington, D.C.

location: Washington, Washington, D.C.

job type: Contract

salary: $75 - 85 per hour

work hours: 9am to 5pm

education: Bachelors



responsibilities:

Enterprise Governance & Blueprinting: Define high-level architectural designs, integration patterns, and enterprise-wide governance frameworks for the Databricks environment.

Executive Liaison & FinOps: Act as the primary conduit to senior executives and business leaders, translating complex technical trade-offs and cloud financial implications into clear strategic choices.

Platform Standard Setting: Establish strict coding standards, design patterns, and architectural review processes to guide cross-functional engineering squads.

Lakehouse Architectural Optimization: Standardize the enterprise Medallion Architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and optimize advanced Spark configurations (Liquid Clustering, Photon engines) to maximize performance and manage compute spend.

DevOps & Security Guardrails: Architect automated multi-tier CI/CD pipelines and design data security policies (data masking, access controls) utilizing Unity Catalog.

qualifications:

Professional Experience: 8+ years of total technical experience in data engineering and IT architecture, including a minimum of 3+ years operating specifically as a Senior/Principal Solution Architect.

Databricks Platform Mastery: Authoritative, high-level architectural experience designing and deploying enterprise-grade, high-availability production solutions natively on Databricks.

Advanced Pipeline & Streaming Design: Proven track record of architecting complex Delta Live Tables (DLT) frameworks and real-time streaming applications in a large-scale corporate environment.

Data Ecosystem Modeling: Expert-level knowledge of Medallion architecture, relational/dimensional data modeling, and master data management (MDM).

Enterprise DevOps Tools: Strong experience establishing multi-environment CI/CD deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, or Terraform.

Executive Communication: Exceptional facilitation, negotiation, and leadership skills with a proven ability to steer corporate technology roadmaps.

Agile Integration: Ability to thrive in a SAFe (Scaled Agile) environment, including full commitment to iteration planning and on-site PI planning in Washington, D.C.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status.

At Randstad Digital, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact

Pay offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc. In addition, Randstad Digital offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance offerings, short-term disability, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).

This posting is open for thirty (30) days.