Lead Data Architect

Job description

540 is looking for a Data Architect that will serve as a lead for various financial management data initiatives related to Advana and the Army data community called ARES.

The project engages with many systems and data sources across DoD and Army to build and manage data products by aggregating data in new ways. The goal is to create, lead and grow a data community focused on defense health and financial data.

Role Responsibilities to include the following:

• Design, configure, and maintain Databricks clusters and jobs for scalability, performance, and cost efficiency.
• Establish best practices for cluster policies, instance types, and resource governance.
• Orchestrate ETL workloads using Databricks Jobs and Workflows.
• Manage Unity Catalog or equivalent solutions for data lineage, permissions, and governance.
• Partner with data engineers, analysts, and scientists to provision compute environments that meet workload needs.
• Guide teams on compute efficiency best practices (cluster sharing, job scheduling, resource tagging).
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship in Databricks architecture and ETL design.
• Developing architectural diagrams for data flows between FM systems and Joint data platforms (e.g., Advana, Vantage)
• Developing and overseeing data mappings to modern systems and data platforms.
• Drafting and submitting data product descriptions to appropriate data catalogs (e.g., Army Data Catalog, Advana Data Catalog)
• Coordinating with OSD CDAO to maintain an Army backlog of data needs in Advana
• Coordinating with Army CDAO for needs in the Army data platform, as necessary

Location: Arlington, VA - Hybrid role with three days on-site

Citizenship & Clearance Requirement: per client requirements, must be a US Citizen with an Active DoD Secret clearance

Education Requirement: Master’s Degree

540 Internal Thrive Level: Principal Software Engineer

WHY 540?

540 is a forward-thinking company that the government turns to in order to #GetShitDone. We do more than talk about it, we break down barriers to innovation and build impactful tech. We’re looking for someone with big ideas, who thrives on innovation and is a self-starter. If you love to learn about and work with new technologies, we want to talk to you.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of professional experience in data architecture, data engineering, data modeling, or related fields.
• Strong hands-on experience with Spark (PySpark/Scala), SQL, and Python
• Experience designing and managing Databricks compute and ETL solutions
• Deep expertise in enterprise data modeling, database design, and AWS cloud data platforms
• Deep expertise in debugging and troubleshooting Spark jobs (PySpark/Scala) for failures, inefficiencies, and resource bottlenecks
• Familiarity with data governance frameworks and regulatory compliance requirements
• Strong ability to quickly assess complex projects, systems, and ecosystems, identifying relationships and dependencies
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business terms
• Proven ability to engage senior management and key stakeholders effectively
• Strong influencing and relationship-building skills, with the ability to navigate organizational complexity, manage conflict, and build consensus
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including mentoring and guiding data-focused teams
• #GetThingsDone mentality

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience working with the federal government, specifically with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Army
• Working knowledge of SAP ECC and its integration with modern data platforms
• Proficiency with CI/CD for Databricks (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, etc.).
• Infrastructure-as-Code experience (Terraform, ARM templates, CloudFormation).
• Proficiency with SQL and at least one programming language (Python, Java, or Scala)
• Knowledge of microservices architecture and API-based data integration

BENEFITS & PERKS

• Health, dental and vision insurance plans
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• 401k with employer match
• Company Sponsored Life Insurance, Short and Long Term Disability coverage
• Flexible PTO + all Federal holidays off
• Professional development opportunities (training, certifications, conferences)
• Paid cloud developer accounts
• Referral Bonus - good people know good people
• HQ Office Perks (parking / metro reimbursement, nitro coffee & lunches)
• Annual Social Events (540 week, hackathon, charity golf tournament, etc.)
• Access to 540’s Washington Capitals & Nationals tickets

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)

540’s policy is to provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.