Data Architect: Azure, Databricks & AI

Contract to hire: About 3 to 6 months fulltime conversion to our client FTE role. Location: Onsite at Los Angeles, CA OR Houston TX We are seeking a Enterprise Data Architect with strong hands-on experience designing and modernizing enterprise-scale data platforms, with a focus on Azure, Databricks, data governance, and AI-ready architectures.

Key Requirements: 8+ years of experience in Enterprise Data Architecture, Data Engineering, or Data Platform Modernization. Strong hands-on expertise in Azure Databricks, ADLS Gen2, Microsoft Fabric, Synapse, Azure Data Factory, and Spark . Deep understanding of enterprise data modeling, integration, metadata management, data lineage, governance, and security .

Experience designing lakehouse architectures, AI/ML-ready data platforms, semantic layers, and scalable data pipelines . Experience with GenAI, vector databases (Pinecone, pgvector, Qdrant), and AI-driven data architectures preferred. Knowledge of enterprise governance tools such as Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Informatica Cloud Data Governance or Alation .

Proven ability to lead enterprise architecture strategy while remaining hands-on with technical design and implementation . Strong communication skills and experience collaborating with senior technology and business stakeholders. Industry Preference: Financial Services experience preferred, but not mandatory.