Senior Data Architect

Senior Data Architect

Location: Vienna, VA (Hybrid/On-site options available)

Clearance: Ability to obtain/maintain a Public Trust or Secret Clearance

Employment Type: Full-Time

Company Overview

SteerBridge Strategies is a CVE-Verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that bridges the gap between military precision and private-sector innovation. We specialize in delivering high-impact technical solutions for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DoD), and other federal agencies. Our mission is to modernize government infrastructure—such as reducing GI Bill processing from 30 days to 30 seconds—to better serve those who have served.

The Role

We are seeking a Senior Data Architect to lead the design and evolution of enterprise-level data ecosystems. You will be responsible for architecting scalable, secure, and high-performance data infrastructures that support mission-critical federal programs, including VA claims processing and aviation sustainment (F-35/C-130). This is a "player-coach" role that requires high-level strategic planning alongside hands-on engineering execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Architecture & Design: Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models for complex federal environments. Lead the transition from legacy on-premise systems to modern, cloud-native (AWS/GCP) data platforms.
• Pipeline Development: Architect and oversee the build of automated ETL/ELT pipelines using Python, SQL, and PySpark to ingest and transform unstructured and structured data.
• Cloud Data Warehousing: Implement and optimize enterprise data warehouses using tools like AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, AWS Glue, and Databricks.
• Governance & Compliance: Establish data governance frameworks, metadata management, and data lineage in alignment with federal standards (HIPAA, FHIR, NIST).
• Performance Optimization: Conduct index/partition design, query tuning, and sharding strategies to ensure high availability and scalability for real-time analytics.
• AI/ML Support: Design data architectures that facilitate AI/ML initiatives, including model training pipelines and real-time inference in production environments.
• Leadership: Mentor a team of data engineers, enforce software engineering best practices (CI/CD, unit testing, documentation), and serve as a technical bridge between stakeholders and delivery teams.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 10 years of progressive experience in data architecture, data modeling, or senior data engineering.
• Technical Stack: * Expertise in AWS (S3, Redshift, Glue, Athena) or GCP (BigQuery, Cloud Functions).
• Strong proficiency in Python (modular, testable code) and advanced SQL.
• Experience with big data frameworks like Spark, Dask, or Ray.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
• Compliance: Deep understanding of data security and federal compliance requirements.

Preferred Skills

• Previous experience supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs or DoD.
• Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or CloudFormation).
• Experience with data versioning (DVC) and automated policy enforcement (DataHub, Collibra).
• A background in military service or a strong passion for supporting the Veteran community.

Benefits & Culture

• Commitment to Veterans: We actively recruit and mentor Veterans through programs like DoD SkillBridge and The Honor Foundation.
• Growth: Investment in employee development through our Emerging Leaders Program and technical certifications.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Competitive salary, 401(k) with matching, comprehensive health/dental/vision insurance, and paid federal holidays.

SteerBridge Strategies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.