Principal Architect Data Engineering, AI & GCP (G4).

We are looking to urgently fill a full-time (FTE) Principal Architect – Data Engineering, AI & GCP (G4). Please find the details below:

Location: Remote in West Coast
Salary: $200k to $250k
Grade: 4

Manager's Note :
Look for someone who had worked in Google in past..
Prior Google with direct exposure to first party tooling.
Proficiency in PLX or similar structured querying languages (e.g. SQL, Dremel/Spanner)

Role Overview
Principal Architect – Data Engineering, AI & GCP (G4)
About the Role
We're looking for a Principal Architect who is a recognized SME in Google Cloud Platform, with deep roots in Data Engineering and a sharp eye for AI/ML-driven solutions. This is not a purely advisory role you'll own architecture, drive delivery, and be the technical anchor clients trust when the stakes are high.
If you've spent 12+ years building large-scale data platforms on GCP, know BigQuery and Vertex AI inside out, and thrive at the intersection of strategy and hands-on execution read on.

Architecture & Strategy
• Define short- and long-term technology vision for clients, evaluating their current landscape and charting a path forward.
• Lead end-to-end architecture for Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, and AI/ML solutions on GCP.
• Design scalable, secure, future-proof solutions using GCP-native services BigQuery, Dataflow, Cloud Composer, Vertex AI, Dataproc, Cloud Storage, and more.
• Build foundational architectures: microservices, event-driven systems, event streaming, and online ML systems.
• Champion data governance, data management best practices, and platform maintainability.
Delivery Leadership
• Act as Delivery Lead on large-scale programs owning timelines, quality, risk, and client satisfaction end to end.
• Drive program governance across workstreams, keeping cross-functional and cross-geography teams aligned.
• Step in hands-on during critical delivery phases architecture validation, performance tuning, production issue resolution.
• Bridge the gap between architecture decisions and execution realities, ensuring long-term scalability is never sacrificed for short-term speed.
• Mentor delivery teams, instilling strong engineering practices, accountability, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Client Engagement
• Become a trusted thought partner to senior client leaders understanding their pain points and translating them into actionable technical strategies.
• Proactively identify client needs and align them with innovative, business-impacting solutions.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly across executive, business, and engineering audiences.
• Build lasting relationships with senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams.

Community & Enablement
• Contribute to best practices, reference architectures, and technical content that elevate the broader practice.
• Collaborate with data engineers and data scientists to co-develop architecture that serves both analytical and operational needs.

Must-Have
12+ years in Data Engineering and Cloud-native technologies, with deep GCP expertise.
Hands-on mastery of: BigQuery, Dataflow, Cloud Composer, Vertex AI, Dataproc, Cloud Storage, GCP serverless infrastructure.
Proven delivery of end-to-end Data Engineering, Data Warehousing, or Analytics platforms at scale.
Strong programming skills in Python and/or Java.
Experience with Agile, CI/CD, DevOps, and MLOps pipelines.
Track record leading large, complex, client-facing delivery programs.
Ability to manage cross-functional, cross-geography teams with clarity and accountability.
Prior Google with direct exposure to first party tooling.
Write and optimize queries using PLX to support data analysis and product features
Proficiency in PLX or similar structured querying languages (e.g. SQL, Dremel/Spanner)

Nice to Have
• Docker & Kubernetes experience.
• DevOps on GCP.
• AWS experience, especially in hybrid cloud contexts.
• Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect Certification.

Benefits:
As a full-time employee of the company or as an hourly employee working more than 30 hours per week, you will be eligible to participate in the health, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability plans in accordance with the plan documents, which may be amended from time to time. You will be eligible for benefits on the first day of Employment with the Company. In addition, you are eligible to participate in the Company 401(k) Plan after 30 days of employment, in accordance with the applicable plan terms. The Company provides 11 paid holidays and 12 weeks of Parental Leave. We also follow a "free time” PTO policy, allowing you the flexibility to take the time needed for either sick time or vacation.
Fractal provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.