Data Architect (Azure, Lakehouse)

<h3>Why Join Exadel</h3>
<p>We’re an AI-first global tech company with 25+ years of engineering leadership, 2,000+ team members, and 500+ active projects powering Fortune 500 clients, including HBO, Microsoft, Google, and Starbucks.</p>
<p>From AI platforms to digital transformation, we partner with enterprise leaders to build what’s next.</p>
<p>What powers it all? Our people are ambitious, collaborative, and constantly evolving.</p>
<h3>Project Duration <em> </em></h3>
<p>4-month engagement with the possibility of extension</p>
<h3>Project Tech Stack</h3>
<p>Databricks, Microsoft Azure, Medallion Architecture, Star Schema / Dimensional Modelling, Fact & Dimension tables, Databricks SQL, T-SQL, Python, Azure DevOps CI/CD, Git-based deployment pipelines</p>
<h3>What You’ll Do </h3>
<ul>
<li>Rapidly review and understand the original Statement of Work, change requests, and any pre-existing contractual dependencies</li>
<li>Audit the current state of the Databricks environment: what has been built, its quality, and its alignment to the agreed design</li>
<li>Identify root causes for delivery gaps — distinguishing between client-side blockers, scope ambiguity, and engineering shortfalls</li>
<li>Assess the medallion architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold) and the ADF pipeline design against best practice and the client's requirements</li>
<li>Review all outstanding work items (including dependent database views, gold views, ingestion, test framework, and UAT artefacts) and produce a clear, honest picture of the remaining effort</li>
<li>Validate and, where necessary, correct or redesign the existing solution architecture to ensure it is fit for purpose, scalable, and maintainable</li>
<li>Own the technical design for all remaining deliverables: ADF pipelines, Databricks SQL views, medallion layers, Unity Catalog, and CI/CD deployment via Azure DevOps</li>
<li>Ensure architectural decisions are documented clearly and are explainable to both technical and non-technical client stakeholders</li>
<li>Define the reconciliation and testing framework for view validation against SQL Server source systems</li>
<li>Lead and execute the engineering delivery of all remaining scope, including: porting SQL Server views to Databricks SQL, building and validating ADF pipelines (batch ingestion), implementing gold-layer dimensional models and analytic views, deploying via Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines (Test and Production environments)</li>
<li>Produce high-quality, well-documented, maintainable code — not quick fixes</li>
<li>Execute or oversee the reconciliation framework to prove view correctness against source systems</li>
<li>Manage dependencies on the client (CDC enablement, SQL account provisioning, UAT availability) and escalate blockers promptly to the Engagement Lead</li>
<li>Produce a realistic, structured delivery plan covering all remaining scope, with clear milestones, dependencies, and acceptance criteria</li>
<li>Support the Engagement Lead in presenting the recovery plan to the client for sign-off</li>
<li>Attend client-facing working sessions as the technical authority — you must be credible and confident communicating with both IT and commercial stakeholders</li>
<li>Support the delivery management function with regular, accurate progress reporting</li>
</ul>
<h3>What You Bring </h3>
<ul>
<li>Expert-level proficiency in Azure Data Factory: pipeline design, linked services, integration runtimes (including Self-Hosted IR), incremental load patterns, and CDC</li>
<li>Strong command of Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Unity Catalog, and Azure networking fundamentals relevant to data platform connectivity (VNets, Private Endpoints)</li>
<li>Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps for CI/CD pipeline construction covering Databricks and ADF deployment across Dev / Test / Prod environments</li>
<li>Familiarity with Microsoft Purview for data governance and lineage (desirable)</li>
<li>Deep, hands-on Databricks experience — this is not a theoretical understanding; you must have delivered real solutions on the platform</li>
<li>Expertise in Databricks SQL, Delta Lake, and the medallion architecture (Bronze / Silver / Gold)</li>
<li>Ability to design and implement performant Databricks SQL views at scale, including complex join patterns, cross-database references, and performance validation</li>
<li>Experience with Unity Catalog configuration and RBAC</li>
<li>Familiarity with Databricks Lakeflow (desirable)</li>
<li>Strong T-SQL / SQL Server background — you will be porting SQL Server views and need to understand source system data structures across OLTP and analytical databases</li>
<li>Proven ability to design and implement fact/dimension tables, staging tables, and analytic models in a lakehouse context</li>
<li>Experience building and running reconciliation frameworks to validate migrated data against source systems</li>
<li>Solid Python skills for pipeline logic, test scripting, and utility development</li>
<li>Demonstrated experience designing greenfield modern data platforms — you must be able to evidence solutions you have architected from scratch</li>
<li>Demonstrated experience leading modernisation or transformation of brownfield data environments — migrating legacy reporting layers, rationalising fragmented data estates, or re-platforming to cloud-native architectures</li>
<li>Ability to produce clear, concise architecture artefacts: solution design documents, data flow diagrams, entity models, and deployment architecture</li>
<li>Sound understanding of data modelling — conceptual, logical, and physical — in the context of Lakehouse and dimensional design</li>
<li>Proven ability to operate in a consulting or client-facing environment: credible, articulate, and capable of managing expectations under pressure</li>
<li>Experience producing and owning delivery plans — not just contributing to them</li>
<li>Comfortable working in a recovery or turnaround context, where rapid assessment and honest communication are more important than defending prior decisions</li>
<li>Experience working under an engagement lead / principal and operating with a high degree of autonomy within that structure</li>
</ul>
<h3>English level</h3>
<p>Upper-Intermediate</p>
<h3>Legal & Hiring Information</h3>
<ul>
<li>Exadel is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion across minority, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, and more</li>
<li>Reasonable accommodations are available to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions</li>
<li>Please note: this job description is not exhaustive. Duties and responsibilities may evolve based on business needs</li>
</ul>
<h3>Your Benefits at Exadel </h3>
<p>Exadel benefits vary by location and contract type. Your recruiter will fill you in on the details.</p>
<ul>
<li>International projects</li>
<li>In-office, hybrid, or remote flexibility</li>
<li>Medical healthcare</li>
<li>Recognition program</li>
<li>Ongoing learning & reimbursement </li>
<li>Well-being program</li>
<li>Team events & local benefits </li>
<li>Sports compensation </li>
<li>Referral bonuses </li>
<li>Top-tier equipment provision</li>
</ul>
<h3>Exadel Culture</h3>
<p>We lead with trust, respect, and purpose. We believe in open dialogue, creative freedom, and mentorship that helps you grow, lead, and make a real difference. Ours is a culture where ideas are challenged, voices are heard, and your impact matters.</p>