Data Architect With Snowflake Cortex & AI Exp in VA,GA,NY (Onsite/Hybrid)

Role: Data Architect With Snowflake Cortex & AI Exp in VA,GA,NY
Location: Arlington, VA / Alpharetta, GA / New York, NY (Onsite/Hybrid)
Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Role

Client is seeking a highly experienced Snowflake Data Architect with expertise in Snowflake Cortex, AI-powered analytics, and modern cloud data platforms. This role will be responsible for designing and leading enterprise-scale data architectures that support advanced analytics, AI/ML initiatives, and data-driven business transformation.

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of data architecture leadership, Snowflake platform expertise, cloud data engineering knowledge, and AI integration experience, enabling organizations to build secure, scalable, and intelligent data ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

Data Architecture & Platform Design

• Lead end-to-end architecture and solution design for Snowflake-based data platforms.
• Design logical, physical, and semantic data models supporting analytics, reporting, and AI/ML workloads.
• Architect data ingestion frameworks utilizing batch, streaming, Snowpipe, and ELT/ETL methodologies.
• Design and implement scalable data warehouses, data lakes, and lakehouse architectures.

Snowflake Optimization & Governance

• Optimize platform performance through warehouse strategy, query tuning, workload management, autoscaling, and cost optimization.
• Establish enterprise-grade governance frameworks covering:
  • RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
  • Dynamic Data Masking
  • Row & Column-Level Security
  • Encryption & Secure Data Sharing
  • Data Lineage and Compliance Controls
• Implement disaster recovery, replication, and high-availability solutions.

AI & Snowflake Cortex Solutions

• Architect and implement AI-powered solutions using:
  • Snowflake Cortex LLM Functions
  • Cortex Search
  • Cortex Analyst
  • Document AI
  • Vector Embeddings & Semantic Search
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Architectures
• Integrate Snowflake with external LLMs and AI platforms to support:
  • Conversational Analytics
  • AI Agents
  • Fine-Tuning Workflows
  • Multimodal Data Processing

Data Engineering & Integration

• Design scalable pipelines integrating cloud, on-premises, and SaaS data sources.
• Implement real-time and event-driven architectures using:
  • Snowpark
  • Streams & Tasks
  • Kafka
  • Spark
  • Airflow
• Enable governed, reusable data products for analytics and AI consumption.

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead migrations from legacy data warehouses and cloud platforms to Snowflake.
• Define architecture standards, best practices, and reference frameworks.
• Mentor architects and engineers on data modeling methodologies including:
  • Data Vault 2.0
  • Kimball Dimensional Modeling
  • Hybrid Semantic Modeling
• Conduct architecture reviews and guide enterprise data strategy initiatives.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Data Engineering, or Enterprise Data Platforms.
• 4+ years of hands-on experience designing and optimizing Snowflake solutions.
• Deep expertise with Snowflake capabilities including:
  • Virtual Warehouses
  • Resource Monitors
  • Time Travel
  • Zero-Copy Cloning
  • Data Sharing
  • Snowpark
  • Streams & Tasks
  • Security & Governance Controls
• Strong proficiency in:
  • SQL
  • Data Modeling (Conceptual, Logical, Physical)
  • ETL/ELT Architecture
  • Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform)
• Experience designing secure and scalable architectures for:
  • Analytics
  • Reporting
  • Data Science
  • Machine Learning
• Strong understanding of:
  • Data Governance
  • Data Quality
  • Metadata Management
  • Compliance Frameworks (GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA)
• Bachelor''''''''s or Master''''''''s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Snowflake & AI

• Hands-on experience with:
  • Snowflake Cortex Search
  • Cortex Analyst
  • Cortex LLM Functions
  • Vector Databases & Embeddings
  • RAG Implementations
  • AI Agent Development
• SnowPro Certifications:
  • SnowPro Core
  • SnowPro Advanced
  • SnowPro Architect

Modern Data Stack

Experience with:

• dbt
• Apache Airflow
• Kafka
• Apache Spark
• Fivetran
• Matillion
• Similar modern data engineering tools

Additional Expertise

• AI/ML Operations and Generative AI Workflows
• Semantic Search and Knowledge Retrieval Architectures
• Domain-Driven Design
• Data Vault 2.0
• Enterprise Data Governance Programs
• Experience within Financial Services, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, or other regulated industries