Data Architect

Location: Shawnee Mission

Description Kforce has a client in Lenexa, KS that is looking for an experienced Data Architect.

Responsibilities:
* Own the target-state data architecture spanning Fabric and on-premises SQL Server, including the roadmap for which workloads migrate, remain on-prem, or run hybrid
* Establish and enforce the medallion standard - append-only Bronze ingestion with source and batch metadata, conformed Silver entities, business-ready Gold star schemas in the Fabric Warehouse
* Design logical and physical data models and maintain the enterprise data model, business glossary, and data dictionary
* Produce reference architectures and decision records;
Review significant designs before build and represent data architecture to stakeholders
* Architect SQL Server-to-Fabric integration, selecting among mirroring, Data Factory pipelines, Dataflows Gen2, One Lake shortcuts, and on-prem gateways based on latency, volume, and cost
* Define CDC, incremental-load, and watermarking strategies that keep Fabric current without destabilizing transactional systems
* Partner with the SQL Server DBA/Data Engineer on HA/DR, retention, and archival design - including D365 and legacy data archival - and set on-prem design, indexing, and partitioning standards
* Design tenant and workspace topology, capacity allocation, and the Dev, Test, Prod promotion path across the IT platform layer, FP&A semantic layer, and business-facing reporting work spaces
* Maintain clear ownership boundaries: IT owns ingestion through Gold, FP&A owns business logic and KPI definitions, the business consumes curated Power BI Apps
* Set Direct Lake as the connectivity standard over Import and Direct Query, and define the exceptions where alternatives are warranted
* Establish capacity monitoring, cost management, and Azure Dev Ops Git source-control standards for pipelines, notebooks, semantic models, and SQL objects Requirements
* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Management, or a related field
* 5+ years designing and delivering enterprise data solutions, including 2+ years in a data architecture or lead data engineering capacity
* Demonstrated experience architecting a modern cloud analytics platform - Microsoft Fabric strongly preferred;
Synapse, Databricks, or equivalent Lakehouse experience considered
* Deep hands-on SQL Server experience: T-SQL, database design, indexing, partitioning, and performance tuning on-premises
* Experience integrating on-premises sources with cloud platforms, including gateways, CDC, and incremental load patterns
* Proven expertise in dimensional modeling and star schema design, medallion architecture, and ETL/ELT pipeline design
* Working proficiency with Power BI semantic modeling, DAX, and row-level security;
PySpark or Python for large-scale transformation;
Git and Azure Dev Ops for data assets
* Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for executive audiences

Preferred Qualifications:

* Microsoft certification such as Fabric Analytics Engineer, Fabric Data Engineer, or Azure Solutions Architect Expert
* Experience with Dynamics 365 F&O data structures and integration patterns, and with Microsoft Purview
* Experience supporting FP&A or financial reporting, including GL, cost center, and allocation data models
* Prior participation in architecture governance bodies (ARB, ITSAC) and enterprise standardization efforts
* Experience in construction, specialty contracting, or a comparable project-based industry

Job Type Contract Compensation
60 - $66