Data Architect

Job Description: Data Architect

Location: Remote

Type: Contract

Role Overview

Rockwoods is seeking a hands-on Data Architect to lead the design, implementation, and optimization of modern data platforms. This role requires a strong balance of technical expertise, architectural vision, and independent ownership . The ideal candidate will be deeply skilled in Snowflake, dbt, Python, orchestration frameworks, and cloud infrastructure , while also bringing experience in AI-ready semantic/metadata foundations, LLM integration, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) .

This is not a purely advisory role — we need someone who can roll up their sleeves, own solutions end-to-end, and consistently drive progress without heavy oversight . The right candidate will demonstrate strong communication, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to operate independently in complex, fast-paced environments.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Implementation

• Define and implement modern data platform patterns across Snowflake, dbt, Python, orchestration tools (Airflow, ADF, etc.), and cloud-native services (AWS/Azure/GCP) .
• Design API-based and event-driven ingestion frameworks for scalable, real-time data processing.
• Establish semantic and metadata foundations to enable AI-ready environments, including support for LLM and RAG-based architectures .
• Build scalable data pipelines, transformation layers, and advanced data models for analytics and AI/ML workloads.

Governance, Security & Standards

• Set and enforce data modeling, governance, and security standards , ensuring compliance and scalability.
• Implement data quality frameworks, lineage tracking, and monitoring solutions to build trust in analytics.
• Drive cost optimization strategies across Snowflake and cloud infrastructure.

Leadership & Ownership

• Guide engineers through design reviews, solution standards, and best practices.
• Take full ownership of tasks and solutions — from understanding context and investigating independently to delivering outcomes with minimal follow-up.
• Provide clear visibility into progress, proactively communicate updates, and ensure alignment with business objectives.

Problem-Solving & Delivery

• Troubleshoot production issues with a pragmatic, hands-on approach.
• Raise well-researched, relevant questions when blocked, explaining prior investigation and context.
• Balance technical rigor with delivery pragmatism to achieve business outcomes efficiently.

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in Data Architecture/Data Engineering roles.
• Strong hands-on expertise with Snowflake, dbt, Python, and orchestration tools (Airflow, ADF, etc.) .
• Deep knowledge of data modeling, pipeline development, and event-driven architectures .
• Proven experience with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) and API-based ingestion frameworks.
• Strong understanding of query optimization, workload/resource management, cost management, and governance/security controls .
• Exposure to AI/ML data environments, LLM integration, and RAG-based architectures .
• Excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to independently drive outcomes .

What We’re Looking For

Beyond technical skills, we value ownership, attention to detail, proactive communication, and independent execution . We need professionals who:

• Can own tasks end-to-end without requiring constant direction.
• Pay attention to prior discussions and documentation, avoiding repetitive basic questions.
• Investigate issues thoroughly before seeking help, and when they do, come prepared with context and clear articulation of blockers.
• Consistently drive work forward, ensuring visibility and accountability.

Why Join

• Opportunity to own architecture and delivery end-to-end in a modern data platform environment.
• Work with cutting-edge technologies across Snowflake, dbt, Python, cloud-native services, and AI-ready architectures (LLM, RAG) .
• Remote flexibility with a contract-based engagement.
• Culture that values independence, proactive communication, and pragmatic problem-solving .