Data Architect

The Azure Data Architect will be responsible for leading the design, development, and optimization of Sodexo’s data architecture across key platforms, including the API Hub, Azure Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), Databricks, and the Analytics Hub. This role is central to ensuring seamless data integration, scalability, and efficiency of our data infrastructure to support business intelligence, analytics, and real-time decision-making. The architect will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver a robust, secure, and scalable data ecosystem aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives. Key Responsibilities:Architecture Design & Strategy: Design and implement scalable data architecture solutions on Azure, incorporating API Hub, Azure iPaaS, Databricks, and Analytics Hub. Develop and maintain a comprehensive data integration strategy that ensures seamless connectivity between diverse data sources and business applications. Lead the architecture of API management solutions, ensuring security, scalability, and high availability. Data Governance & Security: Establish and enforce data governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with data privacy regulations and organizational standards. Ensure robust data security and access management protocols are in place across all Azure services, including encryption, identity, and access controls. Collaboration & Leadership: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data engineers, developers, analysts, and business stakeholders, to gather requirements and deliver end-to-end data solutions. Provide technical leadership and guidance to the data engineering teams to build efficient ETL/ELT pipelines, API integrations, and analytics platforms. API & Integration Management: Oversee the development and maintenance of APIs and integrations within the API Hub and Azure iPaaS to ensure data consistency and real-time access across systems. Manage and optimize API lifecycle management, including versioning, monitoring, and performance tuning. Performance Optimization & Innovation: Continuously monitor and optimize the performance of data pipelines and cloud infrastructure, ensuring high availability, low latency, and cost-efficiency. Stay updated on the latest Azure tools, features, and best practices, incorporating them into the architecture to drive innovation and improve business outcomes. Documentation & Best Practices: Create and maintain comprehensive documentation of architecture designs, data flow diagrams, and API specifications. Define and promote best practices for data management, data integration, and API development across the organization. Project Management & Delivery: Lead the delivery of critical data projects, ensuring they meet timelines, budget constraints, and quality standards. Manage stakeholder expectations and provide regular updates on project progress, risks, and mitigation strategies.Required Skills:12+ years of professional experience in data architecture, data engineering, with a strong focus on Azure services. Proven experience in designing and implementing scalable cloud-based architectures using Azure components such as Azure Data Lake, Azure Databricks, Azure Synapse, and Azure iPaaS. In-depth experience with API management and API integration strategies, specifically with Azure API Management and other integration services. Strong background in data governance, security, and compliance frameworks, with knowledge of regulatory requirements like GDPR or HIPAA. Demonstrated leadership experience in overseeing complex data projects and managing cross-functional teams, with a focus on data integration, analytics, and performance optimization. Experience with Databricks for big data processing, machine learning pipelines, and advanced analytics is a must. Familiarity with Azure DevOps and CI/CD pipelines for deploying and managing cloud resources and APIs. Strong understanding of data modeling, ETL processes, and modern data architecture principles (e.g., Data Lakes, Data Warehouses, and Data Hubs). Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. A Master’s degree in a relevant discipline is a plus. Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate, or similar cloud architecture certifications are highly desirable.