Principal Platform Architect; AWS Cloud Native

DETAILS

Location:

Dallas, TX 75251 (onsite 2 days per week [Mon/Tues or Mon/Wed])

Position Type: 12M+ Contract (Multi‑phase / Architecture Review through Future‑State Design)

Hourly / Salary: to $120W2+ (based on experience)

Vaco is seeking a Principal Platform Architect for a 12M+ Contract (Multi‑phase / Architecture Review through Future‑State Design) that is located in Dallas, TX 75251 (onsite 2 days per week [Mon/Tues or Mon/Wed]). The Principal Platform Architect will lead an architecture‑focused evaluation and refinement of the Data Platform. The Principal Platform Architect will independently assess an in‑flight data platform architecture, validate alignment with business, regulatory, and technology requirements, and define a 2026 executable architecture and a fully realized future‑state target architecture.

The Principal Platform Architect will be part of an engagement that is architecture‑led and governance‑driven, working in close partnership with existing delivery teams and enterprise architecture leadership. Additionally, the Principal Platform Architect will not be responsible for platform build, data pipeline implementation, or operational support.

This Architect will be performing overall Solution Architecture, including MDM, AWS Cloud Native / AWS Native MSK / Flink / Glue Streaming / S3 + Iceberg / Dynamo

DB / API Gateway, etc. This Architect must be able to support end‑to‑end technical architecture and at the same time provide technical insight to the implementation and delivery of the solution. This Architect must be technically strong in a real‑time event‑based streaming solution with API delivery mechanisms. Additionally, this Architect will drive the end‑to‑end design and implementation of the overall solutions.

• Review Existing PCB Architecture Artifacts / Assumptions / Design Decisions
• Evaluate Alignment to Business Outcomes / Non‑Functional Requirements / Regulatory Considerations
• Assess Technology Selections / Architectural Patterns Against Best Practices
• Evaluate Conformance to Modern Data Platform / Domain‑Oriented / Event‑Driven Architectures
• Produce Objective Architecture Assessment with Clear Recommendations

• Refine / Finalize a 2026‑Ready Architecture that Delivery Teams can Immediate Execute
• Define Logical / Physical Architecture Models
• Establish System‑of‑Record v. System‑of‑Use Boundaries
• Define Business Logic Ownership / Accountability Models
• Document Data Flow / Integration Patterns / Non‑Functional Architecture Guidance

• Design Fully Realized / Unconstrained Future‑State Architecture
• Data Mastering / Ownership Decision Frameworks
• Define data mastering and ownership decision frameworks
• Clarify Application v. Platform Responsibility Boundaries
• Create an Evolution Roadmap from the 2026 Architecture to the Future State

• Participate in Architecture Review Boards / Architecture Ceremonies
• Prepare / Present Architecture Artifacts for Forman Review / Approval
• Align Recommendation to Architectural Standards / Long‑Term Technology Strategy
• Document / Justify Any Proposed Deviations Through Formal Governance Channels

• Architecture Assessments Utilizing Red / Amber / Green (RAG) Framework
• Explicit Architectural Decision Logs (Decisions / Questions / Assumptions)

• Executive / Architecture Leadership Readouts
• Approved Architecture Artifacts for 2026 / Future‑State Designs
• Each Assessment Includes: RAG Status / Concise Rationale / Recommendation (Confirm / Refine / Correct) / Impact (if unaddressed)

• Platform Architect Tech Stack: AWS Cloud Native / AWS Native MSK / Flink / Glue Streaming / S3 + Iceberg / Dynamo
  
  DB / API Gateway / MDM, etc.
• Architecture / Data Platform Expertise
  • Enterprise / Data Platform Architecture (8+ years) – Designing / Reviewing / Governing Large‑Scale Data Platforms in Regulated Enterprise Environments
  • Modern Data Platform Patterns – Domain‑Oriented Architecture / Event‑Driven Architecture / Data Products / System‑of‑Record v. System‑of‑Use…