Principal Architect

Job Title: Principal Architect
Duration: 6-12+ Months Contract
Location: Edison, New Jersey 

Job Description: 

Owns the target architecture, the delivery plan and the reporting line into Client, and is Client’s single point of contact for the whole engagement. Combines hands-on architecture across IBM i, change data capture, SQL Server, data warehousing, Power BI Report Server and API design with day-to-day delivery management. Client expects Cardinal to deliver end to end while its own staff shadow the build, then to hand over a platform Client can run itself. The design therefore has to stay operable by a small in-house team, and knowledge transfer is a core part of the job.

Key responsibilities

Architecture and design

• Own the end-to-end target architecture: journal-based CDC from Db2 for i, the SQL Server operational data store, the data warehouse, Power BI Report Server, the API gateway with read-only services, and the controlled inbound path into IBM i.
• Keep Db2 for i as the system of record. Make sure external clients and BI tools never connect directly to production IBM i, and that inbound updates reach Db2 only through Client’s existing IBM i programs, called as stored procedures or program calls.
• Design for Client’s stated usage: read-only SQL Server for statistical and reporting purposes, morning enrollment batch peaks and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM access peaks.
• Lead the availability design with Client’s infrastructure team. Because falling back to IBM i is not an option, define recovery targets, SQL Server high availability, a DR instance and the behavior of the APIs when SQL Server is unavailable.
• Decide with Client whether the API tier runs on containers or virtual machines, and keep optional platform components (Kubernetes, Prometheus and Grafana) proportionate to what Client will run after go-live.
• Define the security architecture for protected health information: least-privilege access to IBM i and SQL Server, encryption in transit and at rest, auditing, and gateway authentication and authorization.
• Keep the optional roadmap coherent (business events, more source systems) without adding them to the committed scope.

Discovery (4 weeks)

• Run discovery workshops with Client’s application, IBM i, infrastructure and reporting teams.
• Lead the CDC tool evaluation and proof on Client data. Candidates include IBM Data Replication, Precisely and Qlik. Criteria cover support for Client’s IBM i release and any planned upgrade, coexistence with Assure iTERA remote journaling and journal receiver retention, initial-load and refresh behavior, monitoring and alerting, operability by Client, and licensing cost.
• With the Db2 for i Specialist, scope the active subset of the roughly 20,000 tables and set the order in which files are brought in.
• With the SQL Server DBA, inventory and classify the roughly 250 reports into exact-match, improve and retire, and agree which come first in the pilot.
• Produce server, SQL Server edition and Power BI Report Server licensing specifications so Client can procure. On SQL Server 2022 and earlier, Microsoft requires Enterprise edition with active Software Assurance for Power BI Report Server; on SQL Server 2025, any paid Standard or Enterprise edition qualifies.
• Raise the IBM i 7.4 lifecycle position with Client and plan around any upgrade decision Client makes.
• Deliver an agreed scope, a CDC tool decision and a sized plan for the pilot and Phase 2.

Pilot and Phase 2 delivery

• Own the integrated plan, milestones, dependencies, RAID log, change control and weekly status, and run a steering cadence with Client leadership.
• Set acceptance criteria with Client, including exact-match criteria for contractual reports, CDC lag during the morning enrollment run, and reconciliation results.
• Oversee the CDC build, the operational store and warehouse models, reconciliation, and the first Power BI reports through to reports in daily use.
• In Phase 2, lead the remaining file replication, report rollout, repointing of the reporting web applications off IBM i, the read-only client APIs, and the inbound update path.
• Coordinate with Client’s Java team on API services, and agree who builds which services.
• Manage the 30-year history load as its own workstream, with run windows that avoid business hours and the morning enrollment processing.

Knowledge transfer, handover and support

• Run a structured knowledge-transfer plan for Client’s full-time shadow staff, covering architecture, CDC operations, reconciliation, the warehouse, reports and recovery.
• Deliver the runbooks, operating procedures and monitoring needed for Client to run SQL Server and the data pipelines after go-live.
• Shape the post-go-live support proposal with Client, including support hours and response times.

Deliverables

• Target architecture document and architecture decision records
• CDC tool evaluation, proof-of-concept results and recommendation
• Discovery report: active-table scope, report inventory and classification, risks, and sized plan for the pilot and Phase 2
• Infrastructure and licensing specifications for Client procurement
• Security, availability and recovery design
• Integrated delivery plan, RAID log, status reports and steering packs
• Acceptance criteria and sign-off records for each phase
• Knowledge-transfer plan, runbooks and handover pack

Required qualifications

• 15+ years in data and integration roles, including at least 5 years as a principal or lead architect accountable for delivery.
• Led delivery of log- or journal-based change data capture from IBM i (Db2 for i) or mainframe Db2 into SQL Server or another relational target.
• Working knowledge of IBM i journaling, commitment control and the operational impact of replication on production systems.
• Designed dimensional data warehouses (facts, dimensions, slowly changing dimensions) and reporting platforms on SQL Server.
• Experience with Power BI, including on-premises Power BI Report Server or SQL Server Reporting Services and paginated reports.
• Architected API platforms: gateway, authentication and authorization, REST services, and read models separated from systems of record.
• Designed SQL Server high availability and disaster recovery, such as Always On availability groups.
• Managed fixed-scope client engagements end to end: planning, budget, change control, risk and acceptance.
• Delivered systems handling protected health information under HIPAA, or equivalent regulated data.
• Strong client-facing communication with both executives and engineers, and a track record of transferring knowledge to client teams.

Preferred qualifications

• Hands-on experience with IBM Data Replication (CDC), Precisely Connect or Qlik Replicate with an IBM i source.
• Experience alongside IBM i high-availability products such as Precisely Assure iTERA or MIMIX.
• Health insurance, benefits administration, claims or eligibility domain experience.
• Experience reconciling replicated data against a source system at scale.
• Familiarity with Java and Spring Boot service design, to work with Client’s Java team.
• Kubernetes, Prometheus and Grafana, for the optional platform components.
• PMP, PRINCE2, SAFe or equivalent delivery certification.Technical environment
• IBM i 7.4, Db2 for i, journals and remote journaling, Precisely Assure iTERA
• CDC tool to be selected in discovery (IBM Data Replication, Precisely or Qlik)
• Microsoft SQL Server (edition and version set in discovery), Power BI Report Server
• API gateway and read services on containers or virtual machines; Java and Spring Boot at Client
• Optional: Kubernetes, Prometheus, Grafana; later options include Kafka
• Must be willing to complete HIPAA training, background checks and any confidentiality or Business Associate terms Client requires.