Snowflake Architect

Job Title - Snowflake Architect

Location - Hybrid @ North Chicago

Job Description: Snowflake Data Architect

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Snowflake Data Architect to lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable, secure, and high-performance data solutions on the Snowflake Data Cloud. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in data architecture, cloud platforms, ETL/ELT pipelines, data governance, and analytics enablement, with the ability to translate business requirements into robust data models and solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement end-to-end Snowflake-based data architectures including databases, schemas, virtual warehouses, and storage integrations.
• Develop data modeling solutions (3NF, star schema, snowflake schema, data vault, medallion).
• Define clustering, partitioning, and performance tuning strategies.
• Data Integration & Engineering
• Architect data ingestion pipelines using Snowpipe, Streams, Tasks, Kafka, Informatica, DBT, Airflow, or similar tools.
• Implement ELT/ETL workflows for batch and real-time data processing.
• Performance & Cost Optimization
• Tune queries, warehouses, and caching for high performance.
• Optimize compute vs. storage usage for cost efficiency.
• Security & Governance
• Define and enforce RBAC policies, roles, and privileges in Snowflake.
• Implement data masking, row/column-level security, tokenization.
• Ensure compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, SOC2, SOX or other regulatory frameworks.
• Collaboration & Strategy
• Work closely with business stakeholders, data engineers, analysts, and BI teams to deliver data solutions.
• Define data strategy, standards, and best practices for Snowflake adoption.
• Support data sharing & marketplace integrations for internal and external partners.
• Innovation
• Evaluate and implement emerging features of Snowflake (Iceberg tables, Snowpark, Cortex, Unistore).
• Integrate Snowflake with AI/ML, BI, and data science platforms.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with Snowflake architecture (warehouses, databases, schemas, stages, streams, tasks, micro-partitions).
• Strong proficiency in SQL, data modeling, and ETL/ELT design.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and storage integrations (S3, Blob, GCS).
• Familiarity with data engineering tools (DBT, Informatica, Airflow, Fivetran, Talend, Kafka).
• Knowledge of BI tools (Tableau, Power BI, Looker, Qlik).
• Understanding of data governance, security, and compliance frameworks.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• 8 years of experience in data engineering/architecture with at least 3 years on Snowflake.
• Certifications: SnowPro Core / Advanced Architect / Data Engineer.
• Experience in data lakehouse architectures (Snowflake Iceberg/Delta).
• Exposure to AI/ML integration with Snowflake.
• Experience in life sciences, finance, or retail data ecosystems (domain-specific is often a plus).

Salary and Other Compensation:

Applications will be accepted until Nov

The annual salary for this position is between $115-135K depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Salary : $100,000 - $150,000