Data Architect – Enterprise Data Platforms - In person Interview-Reading, PA
Summary Statement
As a senior member of the Data organization, the Data Architect is responsible for designing, optimizing, and governing enterprise-wide database platforms supporting transactional, operational, and analytical workloads.
This role focuses on building high-performance, scalable, secure, and resilient database ecosystems across on-premises and cloud environments. You will serve as the database subject matter expert (SME), driving architecture standards, guiding engineering teams, and ensuring optimal data storage, access, and performance strategies across the enterprise.
Key Responsibilities
Database Architecture & Strategy
- Define and maintain the enterprise database strategy and roadmap
- Design database solutions across:
- Transactional systems (OLTP) – high-performance, ACID-compliant systems
- Operational systems (ODS) – integrated, near-real-time data layers
- Analytical systems (OLAP / Data Warehouses / Lakehouse platforms)
- Establish and enforce database standards, design patterns, and best practices
- Ensure alignment of database strategy with enterprise architecture and business objectives
Platform Design & Engineering
- Architect and implement highly scalable, reliable, and performant database platforms
- Evaluate and select appropriate database technologies:
- Relational (RDBMS) – Oracle 19c, Oracle 26ai, SQL Server, PostgreSQL
- NoSQL – MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, etc.
- Design for high availability, disaster recovery, replication, and failover
- Ensure optimal database configurations for performance tuning and workload management
Performance Optimization & Reliability
- Lead database performance tuning, query optimization, and indexing strategies
- Monitor and improve system throughput, latency, and concurrency handling
- Define strategies for:
- Capacity planning
- Workload balancing
- Resource optimization
- Implement observability frameworks for proactive monitoring and alerting
Data Integration & Ecosystem Enablement
- Collaborate with Data Architects and Engineers to support data integration, pipelines, and ETL/ELT processes
- Optimize database design to support:
- Streaming data ingestion
- Real-time and batch processing
- Enable seamless integration between database systems, applications, and analytics platforms
- Support modernization initiatives such as cloud migration and platform consolidation
Cloud & Hybrid Database Architecture
- Design and implement cloud-native and hybrid database solutions (preferably AWS)
- Lead database migration strategies:
- On-prem → cloud
- Cloud → hybrid architectures
- Evaluate managed services (e.g., RDS, Aurora, Redshift, DynamoDB)
- Ensure cost optimization and performance efficiency in cloud database deployments
Data Security & Governance
- Define and enforce database security standards
- Implement:
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Encryption (at rest and in transit)
- Data masking and auditing
- Ensure compliance with regulatory and organizational data governance policies
- Partner with security and governance teams to ensure secure data access frameworks
Standards, Governance & Best Practices
- Establish database development guidelines including:
- Naming standards
- Version control practices
- Deployment automation
- Define and enforce data integrity, consistency, and quality standards
- Lead database review boards and ensure adherence to architectural standards
Program Leadership & Delivery
- Act as the primary database architect for critical enterprise programs
- Provide architectural guidance across the software development lifecycle
- Ensure database solutions are delivered on time, within budget, and at high quality
- Resolve complex database-related issues and risks proactively
People Leadership & Mentorship
- Mentor database engineers, developers, and data engineers on best practices
- Provide leadership in database design reviews and performance optimization
- Drive a culture of engineering excellence, automation, and continuous improvement
- Support team development through coaching and knowledge sharing
Technical Qualifications
Experience
- 12–15+ years of overall IT experience
- 10+ years of hands-on experience in:
- Database architecture and administration
- Data modeling and database design
- 5+ years designing enterprise-scale database solutions across cloud and on-prem environments
- Experience working in Agile and DevOps environments
Database & Platform Expertise
- Deep expertise in:
- Relational databases (Oracle 19c, Oracle 26ai, OCP, Oracle HCM, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
- NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, etc.)
- Experience with:
- Data partitioning, clustering, sharding
- Replication and high-availability architectures
Performance & Optimization
- Strong experience with:
- Query optimization
- Indexing strategies
- Execution plan analysis
- Expertise in performance tuning and database troubleshooting
Cloud & Modern Data Platforms
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS preferred):
- RDS, Aurora, Redshift, DynamoDB, Snowflake, Cosmos
- Knowledge of hybrid and distributed database architecture
- Familiarity with data lakehouse integration and modern data platformsb
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