Sr. Data Architect, Snowflake and AI

Our client is a global hospitality company with a large-scale, enterprise data platform supporting operations across thousands of properties worldwide. The Data Platform & Infrastructure team sits at the center of the organization’s data strategy, powering analytics, reporting, AI initiatives, and business-critical integrations across the enterprise.

This is a ground-floor, hands-on, highly visible team positioned for significant growth. The team is collaborative, passionate about data, and works closely with engineering, cybersecurity, and business stakeholders across the organization.

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer with deep Snowflake expertise and strong AWS experience to join the Data Platform & Infrastructure team. This is a hands-on individual contributor role - you will own and architect data solutions, not just participate in them.

You will design and build the enterprise data architecture, establish standards for data flows and governance, and integrate Snowflake with AWS services and enterprise platforms. You will also support the data layer that powers the organization’s growing AI and generative AI initiatives, working closely with the AI Platforms team.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Data Architecture & Engineering

• Lead the design and implementation of enterprise-scale Snowflake data architecture, including data models, schemas, and consumption patterns
• Build, optimize, and maintain robust data pipelines across Snowflake and AWS (S3, Lambda, Glue, and related services)
• Define and enforce standards for data flows, data aggregation, migration, curation, and data placement across the platform
• Validate data architecture for adherence to defined policies, standards, and regulatory requirements
• Design scalable data lake and data warehouse solutions that support analytics, reporting, and AI/ML workloads

Governance & Security

• Ensure proper data governance, masking, and role-based access controls across the platform
• Partner with Cybersecurity and Compliance teams on data protection controls (PII masking, redaction, tokenization)
• Implement audit logging, monitoring, and observability for data platform infrastructure
• Manage secrets, API keys, and secure connectivity across integrated systems

AWS & Cloud Infrastructure

• Utilize and integrate AWS services including IAM, S3, Lambda, CloudWatch, API Gateway, and Step Functions
• Support secure integration of data services within cloud environments
• Develop automation for data provisioning, pipeline management, and policy enforcement using Python, PowerShell, or Bash
• Support CI/CD pipelines and DevOps processes for data applications

AI & Platform Integration

• Provide clean, governed, and accessible data to support AI/ML workflows and generative AI platforms
• Leverage Snowflake Cortex for embedded AI/LLM capabilities where applicable
• Integrate data solutions with enterprise systems and business intelligence platforms
• Partner with internal stakeholders to define data principles and support data strategy initiatives

Required

• 5 years of hands-on Snowflake experience — architecture, data modeling, pipeline development, and administration
• Strong AWS experience with IAM, S3, Lambda, CloudWatch, and cloud-native integration patterns
• Experience designing and building data pipelines and enterprise data architectures at scale
• Proficiency in SQL and Python; scripting experience in PowerShell or Bash a plus
• Proven ability to work as a hands-on individual contributor with end-to-end ownership of data solutions
• Experience integrating Snowflake with AWS services and enterprise platforms
• Strong understanding of data governance, access control, and security best practices
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — comfortable presenting, demoing, and collaborating across technical and business teams

Preferred

• Experience with Snowflake Cortex or AI/ML integrations within Snowflake
• Familiarity with Databricks or other modern data platforms
• Experience with BI tools such as Tableau, Power BI, ThoughtSpot, or Looker
• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer, or DevOps)
• Experience with cloud migrations (on-prem to AWS or Snowflake)
• Knowledge of networking, cloud security groups, and regulatory compliance (SOC2, ISO 27001)
• Experience with databases including PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Redis
• Familiarity with serverless and cloud-native architectures
• Advanced degree in Computer Science or a related field

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field preferred
• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer, DevOps) strongly preferred
• AI/ML certifications a plus
• Other cloud certifications (Azure, GCP) are a plus

WHY THIS ROLE

• High visibility within a large, well-resourced global enterprise
• Ground-floor opportunity on a growing, collaborative data platform team
• Work at the intersection of data engineering and AI - directly supporting the company’s generative AI initiatives
• Hands-on ownership - this is a role where your fingerprints will be on the architecture
• Hybrid work model

Pay: $140,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Chicago, IL 60606

Salary : $140,000 - $200,000