Principal Solutions Architect (Strategy/Data Governance)

Our Principal Solutions Architect plays a critical role in driving delivery excellence and ensuring customer success. As a key figure in strategic customer accounts, the Principal Solutions Architect also partners closely with Sales to drive account expansion and long-term value. We prioritize hiring not just brilliant engineers, but technical consultants who excel in both engineering and client engagement, thereby elevating the quality of our consulting services. In this role, you’ll manage multiple work streams, build executive relationships, and guide clients through complex data challenges, all while designing scalable solutions. 

This role goes beyond engineering—it's about creating value, fostering trust, building relationships, and positioning yourself as a strategic influencer in the evolving data landscape.

Required Experience:

• 8+ years as a hands-on Solutions Architect designing and implementing data solutions

• 4+ years previous Consulting leadership experience working with external customers with the ability to multitask, prioritize tasks, frequently change focus, and work across a variety of projects. 

• Programming expertise in Java, Python and/or Scala, SQL, and core cloud data platforms including Snowflake, AWS, Azure, Databricks and GCP and strong SQL and the ability to write, debug, and optimize SQL queries

• Demonstrated expertise in effectively leading and managing a team comprising Solution Architects and Data Engineers, fostering internal growth through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.

• Proven track record of collaborating with client stakeholders, technology partners, and cross-functional sales and delivery team members across distributed global teams, ensuring seamless, successful project delivery outcomes.

• Create strong cross-practice relationships to drive customer success.

• Exhibits a strong sense of ownership in resolving challenges, committed to ensuring exceptional outcomes for all aspects of project execution.

• Ability to develop end-to-end technical solutions into production — and to help ensure performance, security, scalability, and robust data integration.

• Client-facing written and verbal communication skills and experience

• Create and deliver detailed presentations

• Adept at making technical recommendations that are tied to business outcomes, including but not limited to the following areas:

  • Access and provisioning.

  • Integration patterns.

  • Privacy and security.

  • Regulatory needs.

  • Machine Learning and AI capabilities.

  • Future functionality on vendor roadmaps and what that means for the organization

• Able to identify supporting functional recommendations e.g. data governance process in support of a data catalog

• Can communicate relatively technical concepts to a non-technical audience verbally clearly and concisely.

• Has led technical discovery sessions and workshops, and brings a focus on business value to keep all participants centered on the objectives.

• Able to guide on technology rationalization decisions with criteria such as TCO and business need in mind.

• 4-year Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field

Technical Background & Expertise in  any of the following: 

• Production experience in core data platforms: Snowflake, AWS, Azure, GCP, Hadoop, Databricks

• Cloud and Distributed Data Storage: S3, ADLS, HDFS, GCS, Kudu, ElasticSearch/Solr, Cassandra or other NoSQL storage systems

• Data integration technologies: Spark, Kafka, event/streaming, Streamsets, Matillion, Fivetran, NiFi, AWS Data Migration Services, Azure DataFactory, Informatica Intelligent Cloud Services (IICS), Google DataProc or other data integration technologies

• Multiple data sources: (e.g. queues, relational databases, files, search, API)

• Complete software development life cycle experience: including design, documentation, implementation, testing, and deployment

• Automated data transformation and data curation: dbt, Spark, Spark streaming, automated pipelines

• Workflow Management and Orchestration: Airflow, AWS Managed Airflow, Luigi, NiFi

• Methodologies: Agile Project Management, Data Modeling (e.g. Kimball, Data Vault)

Why phData? We offer:

• Remote-First Work Environment 

• Casual, award-winning small-business work environment

• Collaborative culture that prizes autonomy, creativity, and transparency

• Competitive comp, excellent benefits, 4 weeks PTO plan plus 10 Holidays (and other cool perks)

• Accelerated learning and professional development through advanced training and certifications