Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is a hands-on Data/Solution Architect who combines strong technical depth with client-facing leadership. They should be able to design data models and Gold-layer architecture, work directly with Snowflake and dbt, understand how clickstream events are collected and transformed, and guide engineering teams through implementation.

Solution Architect / Data Modeler – Data & Analytics

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Solution Architect / Data Modeler to own end-to-end technical architecture and delivery oversight for a modern data and analytics platform. The role will serve as the primary technical counterpart to the client's Data Engineering team and will ensure architectural consistency across the Gold-layer data pipelines, Real-Time Newsroom Web UI, and Audience Goals Dashboard.

This is a highly client-facing role requiring strong hands-on expertise in Snowflake, dbt, data modeling, and clickstream/event-tracking analytics, along with the ability to provide technical direction to offshore engineering teams.

Key Must-Have Skills

Candidates must have hands-on experience with all of the following:

• Snowflake or equivalent cloud data warehouse
• dbt
• Strong data modeling, including Bronze/Silver/Gold or Medallion architecture
• Clickstream / event-tracking / event-collection platforms, such as:
  • Snowplow
  • Segment
  • mParticle
  • Adobe Analytics event collection
  • Google Analytics event instrumentation
  • Or a comparable clickstream/event-tracking platform

These are mandatory screening criteria. Candidates missing any of these core skills should not be submitted unless the requirement has been confirmed as flexible with the client.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical architecture for Gold-layer data pipelines using dbt, Airflow, and cloud data warehouse technologies.
• Define and maintain data models across Bronze, Silver, and Gold layers.
• Design integration points between data pipelines, the Real-Time Newsroom Web UI, and Audience Goals Dashboard.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison to client Data Engineering, Data Collection, and Program Management teams.
• Translate business and technical requirements into detailed solution designs and technical specifications.
• Drive resolution of architectural dependencies, including:
  • Bronze/Silver-to-Gold handoffs
  • Event-tracking and instrumentation gaps
  • Data reconciliation and parity requirements
  • Hosting/platform dependencies
  • Role-based access and security models
• Provide hands-on technical direction and architecture guidance to offshore Data, UI, and UX engineering teams.
• Review technical designs, data models, implementation approaches, and key engineering decisions.
• Architect real-time and near-real-time analytics pipelines designed for high-volume, high-concurrency, and low-latency use cases.
• Establish data quality, validation, observability, monitoring, and runbook standards.
• Support data migration and parity validation against legacy analytics platforms.
• Ensure implementation follows engineering standards around dbt, workflow orchestration, linting, testing, and pre-commit tooling.
• Identify and proactively manage technical, architectural, scope, and delivery risks.
• Support sprint planning, technical resourcing, and delivery prioritization.
• Collaborate closely with UI/full-stack teams to ensure seamless integration between data and presentation layers.
• Support post-production activities, knowledge transfer, documentation, and transition to the client's Data Engineering team.

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in Data Architecture, Solution Architecture, Data Engineering, or related roles.
• 3+ years of experience designing cloud data warehouse-based Medallion/Bronze-Silver-Gold architectures.
• Strong hands-on Snowflake experience. Experience with Databricks or BigQuery is also valuable.
• Strong hands-on dbt experience, including data transformation, modeling, testing, and deployment.
• Strong expertise in data modeling and data architecture.
• Hands-on experience with clickstream/event-driven data collection and analytics, including Snowplow, Segment, mParticle, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, or similar platforms.
• Strong workflow orchestration experience with Airflow or similar technologies.
• Experience designing real-time or near-real-time analytics pipelines for high-concurrency/low-latency applications.
• Experience with data migration, reconciliation, and parity validation between legacy and modern analytics platforms.
• Understanding of event instrumentation and analytics data collection processes.
• Working knowledge of front-end/full-stack architecture to effectively collaborate with UI engineering teams; hands-on front-end development is not required.
• Experience providing technical leadership to offshore engineering teams.
• Strong client-facing communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to independently drive technical discussions, make architectural decisions, and resolve complex technical dependencies.
• Experience working in T&M/staff-augmentation delivery environments with a client-owned PMO.
• Familiarity with enterprise data governance, security, SSO, and Okta-based role/access models.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience with Astronomer / Cosmos or other managed Airflow orchestration solutions.
• Experience with AWS, EKS, Istio, or other cloud infrastructure technologies.
• AWS certification.
• Experience integrating or repointing Tableau or other BI platforms.
• Experience with newsroom, publishing, or editorial analytics platforms such as Parse.ly, Chartbeat, or similar.
• Experience with legacy analytics platform migration/replacement initiatives.
• Experience with CI/CD and DevOps practices for data platforms.