Manager, Platform Architecture

Together We Innovate. Together We Change.

Design and govern an enterprise-scale data platform on Microsoft Azure and Databricks for a fortune 500 company with some of the most iconic brands! Have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or a related field? Have five years in data engineering, data platform engineering, or cloud data architecture with architecture ownership at scale, including 3+ years architecting solutions on Azure Databricks?

If so, we want to speak with you!

We are actively recruiting a Manager, Platform Architecture
, to join our team in Richmond, VA.

This role will own the architectural blueprint for a unified Lakehouse ingestion, transformation, governance, and serving, that powers analytics, data engineering, and AI/ML across the organization. The architect sets technical standards, leads architecture decisions across initiatives, partners across IT and with external delivery partners, and connects platform investments to business value, while balancing performance, security, scalability, and cost. This is a strategic architecture and leadership role rather than a hands-on engineering position.

• Platform Architecture: Own the reference architecture for the Azure + Databricks Lakehouse — medallion design, Delta Lake standards, and Unity Catalog and multi-workspace topology.
• Cross-Functional IT Partnership: Partner with enterprise IT — cloud infrastructure, network engineering, and security teams — to co-design landing zones, connectivity, and platform guardrails aligned to enterprise standards and shared services.
• Vendor & Managed Service Oversight: Provide architectural direction and quality governance to managed service providers and system integrators; define standards and acceptance criteria, review deliverables, set and monitor SLAs, and hold partners accountable to the reference architecture and security controls.
• CI/CD & Automation: Establish Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD standards (Azure Dev Ops / Git Hub Actions, Terraform, Databricks Asset Bundles) for repeatable, governed delivery across environments.
• Performance & Cost Optimization (Fin Ops): Drive tuning and cost-efficiency across compute, pipelines, and SQL workloads; embed Fin Ops discipline, tagging, and chargeback.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Run proofs-of-concept, pilot emerging Azure/Databricks capabilities (including Microsoft Fabric), and evolve architecture patterns to improve performance, cost, and capability.
• Standards & Leadership: Define and enforce architecture governance and best practices; lead design and architecture reviews; and shape the platform’s multi-year roadmap.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 5+ years in data engineering, data platform engineering, or cloud data architecture with architecture ownership at scale, including 3+ years architecting solutions on Azure Databricks.
• Strong expertise in Apache Spark / PySpark, Delta Lake, and Databricks Lakehouse architecture, including Unity Catalog governance and Databricks administration (provisioning, RBAC, cluster policies, security controls).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and technical leadership skills
• Databricks certifications (e.g., Certified Data Engineer Professional/Associate) and/or Microsoft Azure certifications (Azure Data Engineer, Azure Solutions Architect Expert), preferred.

The starting salary is based on but not limited to experience, knowledge, and qualifications in determining compensation decisions. The Salary Range for this position is: $ - $.

At Altria, we believe a great career starts with feeling supported — both at work and in life. Here’s what you’ll find here:

• Work where life works for you — with flexible and remote options that fit your world, not the other way around.
• Own your time — start with 15 days of paid time off, 13 paid holidays, 2 floating holiday days, and a 37.5-hour workweek so you can recharge and live fully
• A place where you belong — where your ideas are welcomed, your growth is encouraged, and your impact is real
• Get recognized for…