Data Architect

Title: Lead Data Architect
Location: Remote (U.S. Based)
Terms: Full-Time
Clearance: U.S. Citizenship required and ability to obtain and maintain a Federal Security Clearance
Travel: 0–10%

RESULTS. INNOVATION. VALUES. ACCOUNTABILITY.

That’s RIVA. Our employee-first approach has manifested a culture that attracts the best and brightest. By investing in people first and providing a flexible work environment, our employees have higher morale, higher productivity rates, and lower turnover. At RIVA, people are our #1 priority.

Program Overview

RIVA Solutions supports a large federal intellectual property organization by providing enterprise-level data and architecture expertise that enables modernization, interoperability, and data-driven decision-making across a broad portfolio of mission-critical systems.

This program operates within a centralized Enterprise Architecture and Data Governance function, serving as a strategic advisory and delivery partner to dozens of product teams. The organization has made significant investments in modern data platforms, including Databricks, to establish a scalable, governed, and standards-based data ecosystem that supports analytics, reporting, and operational insight across the enterprise.

Position Overview

RIVA Solutions is seeking a Lead Data Architect to serve as a senior member of an enterprise architecture “tiger team” responsible for defining, guiding, and governing data architecture across 50+ product lines.

This role is highly visible and advisory in nature. The Lead Data Architect will work across programs as a trusted expert, helping teams solve complex business problems through sound data design, platform alignment, and architectural best practices. While cloud experience is important, the core objective of this role is deep data architecture leadership, with a strong emphasis on Databricks as a foundational enterprise data platform.

The ideal candidate brings both hands-on technical expertise and the ability to influence, guide, and align multiple teams to shared standards and blueprints within a large, complex federal environment.

Core Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead data architect within an enterprise architecture group supporting dozens of product teams
• Provide architectural guidance and advisory support to application, platform, and analytics teams across the organization
• Define, evolve, and enforce enterprise data architecture standards, patterns, and blueprints
• Lead the design and governance of data solutions leveraging Databricks as a core enterprise data platform
• Advise teams on effective use of Databricks for data ingestion, transformation, analytics, and integration
• Ensure data architectures align with organizational standards, security requirements, and governance policies
• Collaborate with product teams to translate business requirements into scalable, well-governed data solutions
• Review and provide feedback on solution designs, data models, and platform implementations
• Support enterprise-wide data governance initiatives, including data quality, lineage, and interoperability
• Partner with cloud, security, and platform teams to ensure data architectures are compliant and scalable
• Act as a technical mentor and thought leader within the enterprise architecture community
• Contribute to long-term data strategy and modernization roadmaps

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or enterprise data design
• Demonstrated experience serving in a lead or enterprise-level data architect role
• Strong hands-on experience with Databricks in enterprise environments
• Deep understanding of data architecture concepts, including data modeling, integration patterns, and analytics platforms
• Experience advising multiple teams or programs within a large, complex organization
• Strong ability to communicate architectural concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Experience working within governed, standards-driven environments
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a Federal Security Clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting large federal IT organizations or enterprise programs
• Experience working within an Enterprise Architecture or Data Governance Office
• Strong familiarity with modern cloud-based data ecosystems
• Experience defining and maintaining architectural standards and reference architectures
• Databricks certifications highly preferred (e.g., Databricks Data Engineer, Databricks Lakehouse Architect)
• Experience mentoring architects or serving as a center-of-excellence advisor

Salary

Negotiable, based on experience

RIVA Benefits

• Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Benefits / 401K with company matching
• HSA/FSA Spending Accounts
• Long- and Short-Term Disability
• Pet Insurance
• Wellness Program Initiatives
• RIVA Flex
• Additional Workplace Benefits

Equal Opportunity Statement

RIVA Solutions is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any protected class. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or to submit an online application, please email accommodations@rivasolutionsinc.com. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned.