Data Architect | Microsoft Fabric | Azure Data Platform | AI Data Foundations

Principal Data Architect AI & Azure Data Platforms

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We're Hiring: Principal Data Architect AI & Azure Data Platforms

Are you passionate about building modern data platforms that power AI? We are looking for an experienced Principal Data Architect to lead the design, implementation, and evolution of enterprise-scale data architectures across Azure and modern open-source ecosystems.

In this role, you will drive data architecture strategy, lead complex data migration initiatives, establish Data Readiness for AI frameworks, and partner closely with AI architects to build the data foundations behind RAG, AI agents, ML systems, and analytics platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Reference data architectures. Canonical Azure-based blueprints medallion lakehouse on Microsoft Fabric / Synapse + ADLS Gen2, operational stores on Azure SQL / Cosmos DB / Azure Database for MariaDB and PostgreSQL, governance and lineage on Microsoft Purview. Versioned, opinionated, with working sample implementations.

Data modeling end-to-end. Conceptual logical physical. Dimensional (Kimball), Data Vault, medallion (bronze/silver/gold), and normalized OLTP schemas. You pick the right one for the job and document the why.

ETL/ELT and data pipelines. Design and oversee pipelines using Azure Data Factory, Synapse pipelines, Fabric Data Engineering, and Azure Databricks with dbt, Spark, and Airflow where theyre a better fit. Streaming with Event Hubs, Kafka, or Stream Analytics where the use case demands it.

Migration leadership. Plan and execute heterogeneous data migrations including SQL Server MariaDB / MySQL / PostgreSQL covering schema conversion, CDC-

based low-downtime cutover (Azure Database Migration Service, Debezium), reconciliation, and post-migration validation. Build the migration playbooks the CoE reuses.

Data Readiness for AI the service offering. Build out and run the productized client offering: data quality assessments, schema rationalization, master/reference data, lineage and cataloging on Purview, governance scaffolding, and the playbook that gets a clients data ready to power AI/ML workloads. This is something the practice sells; youre the technical owner.

AI/ML data layer in the CoE. Partner with the AI Architect on the data layer behind production AI: retrieval indices on Azure AI Search and Cosmos DB vector, document chunking and embedding pipelines, feature stores, training and eval dataset curation, and the data quality bar required for AI to actually work.

Governance, quality, and lineage. Cataloging, classification, sensitive-data handling, and lineage on Microsoft Purview. Data quality frameworks (Great Expectations, Soda, or native Fabric/Synapse checks). The governance posture that lets us operate in regulated client environments.

R&D and team enablement. Track whats shipping in Azure data (Fabric, OneLake, Purview, AI Search) and the open-source ecosystem (Iceberg, Delta, Hudi, dbt, Spark, Airflow), prototype what matters, run internal workshops and labs, and level up the data engineering team.

Presales partnership. Senior data voice on qualified pursuits technical discovery, scoping data engagements, shaping solution architectures, contributing to SOWs and proposals, presenting to client data leaders and CDOs.

Team leadership. Lead and grow a small team of data engineers. Run architecture reviews, code reviews, and design sessions across the CoE, and partner closely with client delivery teams.

Required Experience

12+ years of Data Engineering and Data Architecture experience

Deep expertise in Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Azure SQL, ADLS Gen2, Purview, and Cosmos DB

Strong experience with SQL Server, MariaDB/MySQL, PostgreSQL, and enterprise-scale data migrations

Hands-on expertise with Spark, dbt, Airflow, Kafka, Debezium, Iceberg, Delta Lake, or Hudi

Experience building AI/ML data foundations, vector pipelines, RAG architectures, and production-grade data platforms

Proven consulting, stakeholder management, and team leadership experience

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert