Freelance: Dataiku Principal Solution Architect

Work Mode: Work From Home

Shift: 10:00 AM to 07:00 PM

Availability: Approximately 3 - 4 hours per day, as and when required

Employment Type: Freelance / Hourly Consulting

Payroll: Direct Payroll of WalkingTree Technologies

We are seeking a Principal Solution Architect Dataiku to lead the technical solutioning and presales strategy for large-scale Data & AI transformation initiatives. This is not a hands-on delivery role.

Instead, you will be the technical face of our organization, engaging directly with client stakeholders, technical evaluation panels, and decision-makers to build confidence in our approach and secure strategic opportunities.

This role offers the opportunity to influence enterprise-scale Dataiku and Azure platform programs from inception to award, while partnering closely with sales, delivery, cloud architecture, and security leadership teams.

Reporting To: Head of Data & AI Practice / Bid Director

Key Stakeholders: Sales Leadership, Delivery Leads, Cloud Architects, Security SMEs, Client Technical Teams

Key Responsibilities

• Lead solution design for Dataiku and Azure Data Platform opportunities.
• Shape and review the technical approach for the Dataiku and Azure data platform scope: architecture, operating model, upgrade strategy, security posture and handover plan.
• Present and defend the proposal in client technical sessions, panel Q&A and clarification rounds; answer hard questions on DSS design, scalability, security, DR and cost live and credibly.
• Anticipate evaluator questions, build the Q&A bank, and run mock defence rounds with the bid team.
• Translate client requirements into a clear Dataiku solution story: deployment topology (design, automation, API nodes), Spark and Kubernetes execution, governance, MLOps and CI/CD.
• Review the team structure, skills mix and sizing so the proposed resources match the technical promises Position our experience through crisp case studies, reference architectures and lessons learned.
• Run client demos or proof-of-concept walkthroughs on Dataiku where useful.
• Advise on risks, assumptions and dependencies, and on how to handle gaps honestly without weakening the bid.
• Coach the delivery engineers who will take over after award, so the design promised is the design delivered.
• Liaise with Dataiku (vendor) contacts for licensing, roadmap and partner support when needed.

Must-Have Expertise

• 12+ years in Data & Analytics, including 6+ years with Dataiku DSS.
• Strong experience in technical pre-sales, RFPs, solutioning, and proposal defense.
• Deep knowledge of Dataiku architecture, Fleet Manager, governance, MLOps, Kubernetes, Spark, CI/CD, upgrades, and DR.
• Strong Azure expertise across AKS, ACR, Data Lake, Azure SQL, networking, identity, monitoring, and cost optimization.
• Working command of Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD concepts (Terraform, Azure DevOps) and managed-service operating models, SLAs and ITSM.
• Understanding of Terraform, Azure DevOps, security, compliance, and managed services.
• Exceptional communicator: structured, confident, able to simplify complex designs for executives and hold ground with deep technical evaluators.
• Dataiku certifications at advanced level (Core Designer is the floor).

Nice to Have

• Former Dataiku Solution Engineer/Consultant.
• Azure certifications (AZ-305, AZ-400, DP-203).
• Experience with Tableau, Azure Data Factory, and managed service transitions.
• Thought leadership through blogs, speaking engagements, or community contributions.

Ideal Candidate: A trusted advisor with strong Dataiku expertise, executive presence, and a proven ability to turn complex technical requirements into winning client solutions.