Data Architect

Apogee Enterprises - Minneapolis, MN

Full-time

Minneapolis, MN

Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers

About the position

In this highly visible role, the Data Architect will provide key leadership on all aspects of Apogee Services Inc.'s data platform. This position involves implementing architectural standards, frameworks, and solutions across Data Engineering, Data Quality, and Infrastructure teams as technology emerges and as the business requires. The Data Architect will lead the design of architectural roadmaps, database, data access, and data technology architecture for the company's Master Data Management (MDM) and Data Analytics environment. This role requires expertise in the overall data ecosystem's engineering best practices, standards, architectural approaches, and complex technical solutions. The Data Architect will also be responsible for developing, presenting, and explaining the value and vision of proposed architectures and solutions to a wide range of audiences, as well as formulating best practices and organizing processes for data management, governance, and evolution. The Data Architect will evolve the enterprise data analytics platform and related capabilities by evaluating the existing data platform and creating a data modernization roadmap. They will design and implement solutions to meet business and IT needs, ensuring the technical viability of new projects, successful deployments, orchestration of key resources, and adoption of key data technologies such as Profisee MDM, Snowflake, Azure Data Services (including Azure SQL DB, Cosmos DB, Azure SQL DW, and SQL Server). Additionally, the Data Architect will deploy enterprise data models for multiple functional areas and mentor others in non-enterprise data modeling. Collaboration with Data Engineers and the Visualization Hub leader will be essential to define best practices for Data Analytics toolsets across Apogee. Furthermore, the Data Architect will partner with business stakeholders to develop business requirements for new requests, including project concept, scope, benefit, budget, and timelines. Engaging with Data Platform customers and partners to understand their needs and providing suggestions and guidance on appropriate data platform techniques will be a key responsibility. The Data Architect will also mentor Team Architects, Engineers, and Analysts, guiding Business Analysts and Engineers in the completion of assigned projects and project tasks. This role requires working with IT across the technology organization to deliver the strategy through clear leadership, direction, influence, and integration with agile development processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide Architectural leadership and vision for Apogee's Data Platform and Data Lake.
• Lead the design of architectural roadmaps, database, data access and data technology architecture for MDM and Data Analytics environment.
• Provide expertise on the overall data eco-system's engineering best practices, standards, architectural approaches, and complex technical solutions.
• Develop, present, and explain the value and vision of proposed architectures and solutions to a wide range of audiences.
• Formulate best practices and organize processes for data management, governance, and evolution.
• Evaluate existing data platform and create a data modernization roadmap.
• Design and implement solutions to meet business and IT needs, ensuring technical viability of new projects, successful deployments, orchestration of key resources and adoption of key data technologies.
• Deploy enterprise data models for multiple functional areas and mentor others for non-enterprise data modeling.
• Partner with Data Engineers and Visualization Hub leader to define best practices for Data Analytics toolsets across Apogee.
• Partner with business and peers to develop business requirements for new requests, including project concept, scope, benefit, budget, and timelines.
• Engage with Data Platform customers/partners to understand their needs and provide suggestions/guidance on appropriate data platform techniques.
• Mentor Business Analysts / Engineers in the completion of assigned projects and project tasks.

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree (Computer Science, MIS or equivalent) with certification or advanced degree in data analytics.
• 3+ years of experience in cloud architecture and scaling data transformations.
• 7+ years of experience in design and implementation of enterprise data store, data warehouse, data governance, data quality management, real-time data ingestion, data modeling, and metadata management, in tools such as Azure Synapses or Snowflake.
• Experience with data ingestion, modeling, and visualization capabilities, such as Snowflake, Microsoft Azure (ADF) and Power BI.
• Expertise in metadata management, ETL processing, reference data management.
• Experience in data application/platform instrumentation, measurement, log data processing, and monitoring.
• Experience with scripting, automation and SQL/PL-SQL and high-level languages such as Python and Java.

Nice-to-haves

• Ability to understand strategic and business objectives and how they might impact the business process design and requirements.
• Ability to identify conflict and assist others in conflict resolution in a positive manner to help the project move forward.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability and desire to mentor and coach others.
• Proactive, self-managed and detail-oriented.