Data Architect

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Azure Data Architect to design and implement secure, scalable, and high-performing data platform solutions. This role will lead the end-to-end architecture of enterprise-grade data systems, integrating Azure and Microsoft Fabric services with Databricks to drive analytics, AI, and business intelligence initiatives across data, apps, and AI. Key Responsibilities Architecture & Design: Design and implement modern data platform architectures leveraging Azure Data Lake, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, Microsoft Fabric (OneLake, Dataflows Gen2, Pipelines, Direct Lake Mode, Semantic Models), Azure Databricks for data engineering, machine learning, and real-time analytics. Provide architectural direction for enterprise data lakehouse and warehouse environments, including medallion (Bronze/Silver/Gold) designs within Fabric and Databricks. Build end-to-end pipelines (ingestion, transformation, modeling, and publishing) using Fabric pipelines and Databricks notebooks. Design and deploy Power BI solutions with Direct Lake, Lakehouse, or Warehouse connectivity. Governance & Security: Define data governance, security, and compliance frameworks in collaboration with IT security teams. Collaborate with governance teams to integrate Microsoft Purview for data cataloging, classification, lineage, and sensitivity labeling. Define and enforce RBAC, managed identity access, private endpoint strategy, and DLP policies across all data services. Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks such as GDPR, PDPA, or HIPAA. Performance & Cost Optimisation: Optimise performance and cost by selecting appropriate storage and compute SKUs, caching, partitioning, and workload management strategies. Implement real-time ingestion and streaming solutions using Real-Time Hub and Event Streams in Fabric. Collaboration & Leadership: Work closely with Data Engineers, BI Developers, Data Scientists, and Business Analysts to translate business requirements into technical designs. Mentor technical teams in implementing best practices for data architecture, DevOps, and CI/CD automation. Participate in cloud transformation initiatives, migrations, and legacy modernization projects. Required Skills and Experience Core Technical Skills Azure Services: Synapse Analytics, Data Factory, Data Lake Gen2, Key Vault, Monitor, Purview, Event Hub, Functions, Storage Accounts, Private DNS Microsoft Fabric: OneLake, Pipelines, Notebooks, Semantic Models, Real-Time Hub, Data Activator Databricks: Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, MLflow, Delta Live Tables, Job Clusters, Notebooks Power BI: Advanced DAX, deployment pipelines, pbip projects, dataset modeling Security: Private Endpoints, RBAC, Managed Identity, network isolation, Purview integration Infrastructure-as-Code: Terraform, ARM Templates, Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions for CI/CD Experience Minimum 5 years in data architecture or equivalent roles At least 3 years of experience in Azure data stack Hands-on experience with Microsoft Fabric (public or private preview) and production workloads in Databricks Proven experience implementing secure and governed enterprise data platforms Preferred Certifications Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate Databricks Certified Data Engineer (Associate/Professional) Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate Soft Skills Strong communication and stakeholder management skills Analytical mindset with a problem-solving attitude Familiarity with Agile and DevOps methodologies Ability to work across cross-functional teams in multi-cloud or hybrid environments #J-18808-Ljbffr