LSAC’s mission is to advance law and justice by promoting access, equity, and fairness in law school admission and supporting the learning journey from prelaw through practice. 

Pay rate: $160,000 to $173,000, depending on experience

We are seeking a strategic and hands-on Data Architect to lead the design, modernization, and governance of enterprise data platforms across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. This role will define and implement scalable, secure, and high-performance data architectures that enable operational excellence, advanced analytics, and data-driven innovation.

The Data Architect will play a key leadership role in shaping the organization’s data strategy, partnering across engineering, analytics, and business teams to deliver a robust, future-ready data ecosystem leveraging Oracle, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and Microsoft Azure technologies.

Essential Job Functions

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. The individual employed in this position will be required to:

Enterprise Data Architecture & Strategy

• Define and maintain enterprise-wide data architecture, including conceptual, logical, and physical data models
• Establish data standards, architecture principles, and best practices
• Develop and evolve the organization’s data strategy aligned to business objectives

Cloud & Platform Modernization

• Lead migration and modernization of on-premises Oracle platforms to OCI and Azure
• Architect scalable, resilient solutions using Azure SQL Database, SQL Server, Elastic Pools, and Cosmos DB
• Drive adoption of cloud-native and hybrid data design patterns

Data Engineering & Integration

• Design and oversee data pipelines using Azure Data Factory and modern ETL/ELT frameworks
• Enable efficient data ingestion, transformation, and delivery across operational and analytical systems
• Ensure reusability and scalability of data services and pipelines

Performance, Scalability, and Reliability

• Define and implement strategies for partitioning, indexing, and query optimization
• Ensure high availability, disaster recovery, and backup architectures
• Monitor and optimize performance, cost, and reliability across environments

Data Governance & Security

• Establish and enforce enterprise data governance, data quality, and security frameworks
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and organizational standards
• Promote data stewardship and ownership across the organization

Technology Leadership & Innovation

• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements to the data ecosystem
• Provide architectural guidance and mentorship to data engineers, DBAs, and developers
• Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with business leaders, analytics teams, and application owners to align data solutions with business needs
• Translate complex technical concepts into actionable business insights
• Support enterprise initiatives involving analytics, reporting, and AI/ML readiness

Competencies

• Holds a strong sense of accountability for both individual and team objectives.
• Embraces a forward-thinking mindset, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and creativity.
• Excellent time management, prioritization, attention to detail and organization skills
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and mentor technical staff
• Proven ability to design and implement modern data integration frameworks
• Strong SQL development and performance optimization skills

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s preferred in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field
• 8+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or database design
• Proven experience leading enterprise-scale data initiatives
• Advanced expertise in Oracle databases (performance tuning, Data Guard, RAC, high availability)
• Strong experience with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) (Autonomous Database, storage, networking)
• Deep knowledge of Microsoft Azure data services, including:
• • Azure SQL Database / SQL Server
  • Elastic Pools
  • Azure Data Factory
  • Cosmos DB
• Expertise in relational and NoSQL data modeling techniques
• Experience with distributed and globally scalable data systems
• Experience with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, ARM, or Bicep)
• Familiarity with data lake, lakehouse, and analytics architectures
• Exposure to data platforms supporting AI/ML and advanced analytics

Supervisory Responsibilities

This role does not have people management responsibilities

Position Type

The LSAC standard business hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. ET. While these are the standard office hours for LSAC, as an exempt employee, the employee will be expected to work the hours necessary to satisfactorily complete their assignments in a responsible and professional manner.

Work Environment

This job operates in a remote and professional office environment. Whether remote or in-office, this role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Travel Requirements

There is no travel expected for this position.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee must regularly write, read, and communicate effectively.

Additional Information:

Please note that this job description may not contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Job responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.

Except as otherwise provided by law, all terms of employment are subject on an at-will basis and can change at any time.

At LSAC we foster a culture based on our stated values and actively seek to broaden our pipeline of current and future leaders. We are committed to attracting, retaining, and developing individuals who have a passion for the work they do and the mission of LSAC. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply. We recognize that experience comes from a variety of places and know that job applicants will possess many, but not necessarily all, of the qualities listed in the job description. While no one candidate will embody every single quality, the successful candidate will exemplify a robust combination of the skills and competencies listed to excel in the position. LSAC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applications from individuals from all identities and backgrounds.