Lighthouse Technology Services is partnering with our client to fill their Data Solution Architect position! This is a 12+ month contract opportunity based in Buffalo, NY and is open to local and remote candidates. If outside of Buffalo, the Solution Architect will travel to Buffalo every 4-6 weeks (Mon-Thurs in office). This role will be a W2 employee of Lighthouse Technology Services.

Position Overview:

The Data Solution Architect is responsible for designing and delivering enterprise-grade data platforms and solutions that enable advanced analytics and business intelligence. This role requires deep expertise in data engineering, cloud-native architecture, and modern data technologies. The architect will work closely with engineering, product, and compliance teams to build secure, scalable, and regulatory-compliant data solutions. All solutions must align with the principles, standards, and reference architectures established by the Enterprise Architecture function, ensuring consistency, interoperability, and strategic fit across the organization.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Architect and deliver cloud-based data platforms and scalable data pipelines (e.g., Azure Data Lake, Databricks, Kafka).
• Develop and implement ETL/ELT frameworks to ingest, transform, and integrate data from diverse sources.
• Design and deploy data warehouses, lakehouses, and analytics environments supporting Power BI and Snowflake.
• Define and enforce standards around data governance, quality, metadata, and compliance.
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture to align solutions with strategic reference models and standards.
• Lead evaluations and proof-of-concepts for emerging data technologies and architectures.
• Produce deliverables including architecture diagrams, data flow maps, security models, and documentation.
• Guide Agile/DevOps teams through CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and infrastructure-as-code implementations.

Expected Deliverables:

• End-to-end solution architectures for data platforms, including detailed diagrams, technology stack specifications, and integration patterns.
• ETL/ELT pipeline designs and implementation plans for onboarding new data sources and modernizing legacy systems.
• Data governance frameworks, including policies for data quality, lineage, and access control, aligned with Enterprise Architecture standards.
• Technical documentation packages: architecture blueprints, operational runbooks, and security protocols.
• Prototypes and proof-of-concept implementations demonstrating new data engineering capabilities (e.g., streaming analytics, automated data quality checks).
• Performance benchmarks and scalability assessments for deployed solutions.
• Risk mitigation plans, including security audit findings and disaster recovery strategies.

What You’ll Need to Have:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in solution architecture or technical implementation, including 2+ years in data engineering or enterprise data platforms.
• Relevant certifications such as AWS/Azure Solutions Architect or Certified Data Engineer.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Proficiency in cloud-native development, including microservices and Kubernetes.
• Experience with API design (REST) and integration frameworks (ETL/ELT).
• Strong knowledge of data modeling, data pipeline orchestration, metadata management, and data lifecycle practices.
• Familiarity with data lakes, data warehouses, and lakehouse architectures.
• Experience with real-time and batch data processing, data integration, and automation.
• Understanding of financial systems such as payment networks, liquidity management, and settlement processes.
• Working knowledge of global data privacy and compliance standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
• Familiarity with security practices including data encryption, access controls, and penetration testing.
• Strong analytical problem-solving abilities for complex data systems.
• Proven leadership in Agile/DevOps environments, including CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as Jira.
• Demonstrated success deploying scalable financial systems such as digital wallets, payment gateways, or blockchain-based platforms.

Pay Range: $53-$63+/hr

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