Databricks Lead/Solution Architect

Job: Databricks Lead/Solution Architect

Location: Minneapolis, MN Hybrid

Employment: Full-Time

We are looking for an experienced Databricks Lead / Solution Architect to design and lead enterprise-scale cloud and modern data platform solutions. This is a senior, hands-on architecture role requiring strong expertise across Microsoft Azure, Databricks Lakehouse, data engineering, governance, security, and cloud architecture.

The ideal candidate will bring 12 15 years of overall IT experience, strong architectural leadership, and the ability to translate business requirements into scalable, secure, and cost-efficient technical solutions.

• Architect enterprise-scale cloud and data solutions using Microsoft Azure and Databricks.
• Design Databricks Lakehouse architectures leveraging Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, MLflow, governance, and MLOps patterns.
• Architect scalable ETL/ELT pipelines, batch processing, and real-time streaming solutions.
• Design hybrid cloud/on-premise data platforms using Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Event Hubs, Azure Functions, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), and Microsoft Purview.
• Create HLDs, LLDs, data-flow diagrams, integration patterns, deployment models, and security reference architectures.
• Lead requirements discovery and translate business needs into solution architectures and technical roadmaps.
• Guide Data Engineering, Analytics, DevOps, and Platform teams through implementation and optimization.
• Conduct architecture assessments and identify opportunities to improve scalability, reliability, performance, security, and cloud cost efficiency.
• Establish engineering standards around CI/CD, infrastructure automation, data governance, security, coding practices, and environment management.
• Serve as a technical SME during client workshops, architecture discussions, and executive presentations.

• 12 15 years of experience across data engineering, cloud platforms, and enterprise architecture.
• 5+ years of hands-on Azure architecture experience delivering production-grade solutions.
• 5+ years of strong Databricks experience, including Spark, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, and MLflow.
• Strong hands-on expertise in Python, SQL, PySpark, and distributed data processing.
• Deep understanding of data modeling, data governance, metadata management, lineage, and modern data architecture.
• Experience with Terraform, Azure Bicep/ARM Templates, CI/CD, GitOps, and infrastructure automation.
• Strong understanding of Azure security and networking, including VNets, NSGs, Private Endpoints, RBAC, encryption, identity governance, and Microsoft Entra ID.
• Knowledge of enterprise security frameworks such as NIST and CIS benchmarks.
• Strong client-facing communication and the ability to influence both technical and business stakeholders.