Data Architect
Zaner-Bloser
IT
Columbus, OH, USA
Data Architect
Department: Data Solutions & Architecture
Reports To: Director, Data Solutions & Architecture
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Summary
The Data Architect is responsible for designing, documenting, and governing data architecture for Highlights' Microsoft Fabric & Azure platforms. This role focuses on hands-on data modeling, establishing Bronze/Silver/Gold layer standards, and ensuring consistent implementation across all data domains. Working closely with the Highlights Intelligence Team / Analytics team and data engineers, this architect translates business requirements into well-designed data structures that enable reliable reporting and analytics.
This is a builder role. You will create and maintain the Fabric Architecture Playbook, design dimensional models, establish naming conventions, and provide patterns that data engineers follow. You own the accuracy and completeness of architecture documentation and serve as the go-to resource for "how should we model this?" questions.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Data Modeling & Design
- Design logical and physical data models for the Microsoft Fabric lakehouse environment
- Create dimensional models (star schemas) for the Gold layer supporting business intelligence
- Define Bronze layer landing patterns ensuring source data is captured accurately and immutably
- Design Silver layer transformations including entity resolution, slowly changing dimensions (SCD Type 2), and data quality flags
- Establish surrogate key strategies and historical data patterns
- Document data models using standard notation and maintain model artifacts in version control
- Create Data Architecture for data products such as the Customer Merge / Match tool, contract preferences and other future solutions.
- Work with HIT and other teams to establish lab environments where teams can experiment with speed and agility but ensure security & cost considerations are adhered to and ensure the output of these environments is not used as a workaround for the code data platform.
Data Architecture
- Own and maintain the Fabric Architecture Playbook (SPOT Playbook), ensuring accuracy and completeness
- Define and enforce naming conventions for lakehouses, tables, columns, and pipelines
- Create reusable patterns and templates for common data scenarios
- Establish data quality validation patterns at each medallion layer
- Document architecture decisions using Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
- Conduct design reviews for data engineering work, ensuring alignment with standards
- Establish and review metrics on cost, performance, usage and value of data insights to the organization. Work with the Tech Lead and other team members to maintain appropriate ranges for these measures.
Business Partnership
- Work directly with HIT to understand reporting and analysis requirements
- Translate business questions into data model designs
- Partner with business domain SMEs to capture entity definitions and business rules
- Collaborate with the Data Platform Tech Lead on implementation feasibility
- Participate in requirements sessions and design workshops
- Evangelize the value and importance of data to leaders throughout Highlights.
- Ensure consumption of data / insights is performed in a sustainable & best practices manner.
Data Governance. Work with data owners to:
- Inform the data dictionary and business glossary entries for modeled entities
- Document data lineage from source systems through Gold layer
- Define data classification for tables and columns (PII, confidential, etc.)
- Support data quality metric definition and monitoring
- Participate in Architecture Review Board discussions
What You Should Know on Day One
- Medallion Architecture: Understand Bronze immutability principles, Silver transformation scope (entity resolution, SCD2, quality flags), and Gold business logic patterns
- Dimensional Modeling: Confident designing star schemas, fact/dimension relationships, and handling slowly changing dimensions
- Microsoft Fabric/Lakehouse: Working knowledge of OneLake, lakehouses, Delta tables, and how they differ from traditional data warehouses
- SQL Proficiency: Ability to write and review complex SQL for data transformations
- Data Modeling Tools: Experience with ERwin, ER/Studio, or similar; comfortable with diagramming data flows
Within Your First Month
- Complete onboarding to current Fabric environment and existing data models
- Review and provide feedback on Fabric Architecture Playbook
- Build relationships with Analytics team members and understand their data pain points
- Assess current Bronze/Silver/Gold implementations for consistency with standards
- Identify 3-5 modeling improvements or documentation gaps to address
Within Your First Year
- Establish complete logical data models for core business domains (Retail, Finance, Operations)
- Document all major data flows from source systems through to Gold layer
- Create pattern library covering common scenarios (SCD, late-arriving facts, multi-source entities)
- Achieve consistent adoption of naming conventions and modeling standards across new development
- Reduce data-related rework by establishing clear design review checkpoints
- Support successful integration of future Order Management System data
Supervisory Responsibilities
None. This is an individual contributor role. Provides architectural guidance to data engineers without direct reporting relationship.
Education and Experience
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or equivalent experience
- 5-7 years of experience in data architecture, data modeling, or senior data engineering roles
- Demonstrated experience creating logical and physical data models
- Strong knowledge of dimensional modeling, star/snowflake schemas
- Experience with cloud data platforms (Azure, AWS, or Databricks)
- Proficiency in SQL and understanding of data transformation patterns
- Experience documenting data architectures and creating design artifacts
- Solid communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to business stakeholders
Preferred
- Experience with Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse, or Databricks
- Knowledge of Delta Lake format and lakehouse architecture
- CDMP certification or data modeling certification
- Experience in retail, consumer products, or subscription business environments
- Familiarity with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred)
- Experience with data catalog or metadata management tools
- Understanding of data governance principles
Physical Requirements
Prolonged periods sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer.
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