Data Architect

To Apply for this Job

Job Title:

Staff Data Architect
Job Type: Direct hire

Location:

Cincinnati Ohio
Work Authorization: US Citizen or Green Card Holder

We are seeking a Staff Data Architect to lead our transition from a legacy Redshift warehouse to a modern Data Lakehouse architecture (S3 + Iceberg + Spark). This is a high-impact, hands‑on role where you will design the architecture, write the core frameworks, and mentor a team of 16 engineers to elevate our engineering culture.

You will own the “Data Layer” strategy. Your mandate is to decouple compute from storage, formalize our governance, and build a scalable identity engine that processes petabytes of data for Enterprise and Agency clients.

• Architect the Future: Design and implement a raw-to-consumption Data Lakehouse architecture using AWS S3, Apache Iceberg, and Spark
  .
• Lead the Migration: Strategize and execute the migration of heavy compute workloads (Identity Resolution, Household Scoring) from Redshift to Spark/EMR.
• Code & Standards: Write the foundational PySpark pipelines and establish “Golden Patterns” for the rest of the team to follow.
• Governance & Quality: implement a centralized Data Catalog, enforce schema validation (no more untyped CSVs), and establish Data Lineage/Audit trails for Enterprise compliance.
• Mentorship: Act as the technical anchor for our engineering team. Run code reviews, introduce CI/CD best practices, and help legacy engineers upskill into modern data engineering.
• Cost Optimization: Monitor and optimize cloud spend, implementing lifecycle rules and choosing the right compute engines for the right workloads.

• The Modernizer: You have taken a company from a monolithic database (Redshift/Postgres) to a distributed Lakehouse before. You know where the bodies are buried in these migrations.
• The Pragmatist: You prefer “boring,” stable technology that works (Iceberg, SQL) over the latest unproven hype. You understand that technology exists to serve the P&L.
• The Teacher: You enjoy explaining complex architectural concepts to engineers who may have never worked in a modern CI/CD production environment.
• The Polyglot: You are fluent in SQL, highly proficient in Python, and comfortable with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform/Cloud Formation).

• Experience: 8+ years in Data Engineering, with at least 3 years at a Senior/Staff level.
• Core Stack: Deep expertise in Apache Iceberg
  , Apache Spark (PySpark), and AWS S3
  .
• Warehousing: Deep understanding of Redshift (and how to strangle it) and Snowflake.
• Orchestration: Experience with Airflow, Dagster, or similar workflow engines.
• Concepts: Strong grasp of Identity Resolution, Graph Theory, or Probabilistic Matching is a massive plus.

• Impact: You won’t be tweaking a button. You will be rebuilding the company’s core IP.
• Autonomy: You will report directly to the CTO and define the technical roadmap.
• Stability: We are profitable and growing, not a desperate startup burning cash.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Gravity IT Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.