Data Architect

Kforce has a client in Lenexa, KS that is looking for an experienced Data Architect. Responsibilities:

• Own the target-state data architecture spanning Fabric and on-premises SQL Server, including the roadmap for which workloads migrate, remain on-prem, or run hybrid
• Establish and enforce the medallion standard - append-only Bronze ingestion with source and batch metadata, conformed Silver entities, business-ready Gold star schemas in the Fabric Warehouse
• Design logical and physical data models and maintain the enterprise data model, business glossary, and data dictionary
• Produce reference architectures and decision records; Review significant designs before build and represent data architecture to stakeholders
• Architect SQL Server-to-Fabric integration, selecting among mirroring, Data Factory pipelines, Dataflows Gen2, OneLake shortcuts, and on-prem gateways based on latency, volume, and cost
• Define CDC, incremental-load, and watermarking strategies that keep Fabric current without destabilizing transactional systems
• Partner with the SQL Server DBA/Data Engineer on HA/DR, retention, and archival design - including D365 and legacy data archival - and set on-prem design, indexing, and partitioning standards
• Design tenant and workspace topology, capacity allocation, and the Dev, Test, Prod promotion path across the IT platform layer, FP&A semantic layer, and business-facing reporting workspaces
• Maintain clear ownership boundaries: IT owns ingestion through Gold, FP&A owns business logic and KPI definitions, the business consumes curated Power BI Apps
• Set Direct Lake as the connectivity standard over Import and DirectQuery, and define the exceptions where alternatives are warranted
• Establish capacity monitoring, cost management, and Azure DevOps Git source-control standards for pipelines, notebooks, semantic models, and SQL objects

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Management, or a related field
• 5+ years designing and delivering enterprise data solutions, including 2+ years in a data architecture or lead data engineering capacity
• Demonstrated experience architecting a modern cloud analytics platform - Microsoft Fabric strongly preferred; Synapse, Databricks, or equivalent Lakehouse experience considered
• Deep hands-on SQL Server experience: T-SQL, database design, indexing, partitioning, and performance tuning on-premises
• Experience integrating on-premises sources with cloud platforms, including gateways, CDC, and incremental load patterns
• Proven expertise in dimensional modeling and star schema design, medallion architecture, and ETL/ELT pipeline design
• Working proficiency with Power BI semantic modeling, DAX, and row-level security; PySpark or Python for large-scale transformation; Git and Azure DevOps for data assets
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for executive audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

• Microsoft certification such as Fabric Analytics Engineer, Fabric Data Engineer, or Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Experience with Dynamics 365 F&O data structures and integration patterns, and with Microsoft Purview
• Experience supporting FP&A or financial reporting, including GL, cost center, and allocation data models
• Prior participation in architecture governance bodies (ARB, ITSAC) and enterprise standardization efforts
• Experience in construction, specialty contracting, or a comparable project-based industry