Data Architect

About The Job

The ACLU seeks applicants for the full‑time position of Data Architect in the Product & Engineering division of the Technology Department at the ACLU’s National office. This hybrid role requires two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month of in‑office work. The Technology Department covers analytics, engineering, product design, and management, delivering solutions that advance the ACLU mission.

Reporting to the Director of Engineering, Data, you will design and implement scalable data architecture solutions, support data governance initiatives, ensure compliance with privacy regulations, and collaborate with cross‑functional teams to support the ACLU’s mission through robust data strategies and systems.

• Build, optimize, and maintain conceptual and logical data models and database architecture.
• Partner with technical and non‑technical stakeholders to document and optimize data flows, facilitating working sessions and presenting trade‑offs.
• Architect and build a consent management data model to ensure compliance with privacy legislation and constituent preferences.
• Define resilient and scalable data models, integration patterns, and governance standards that are performant, secure by design, and highly reliable.
• Lead migration of the primary fundraising CRM, collaborating with analytics and fundraising stakeholders.
• Work with business leaders to document compliance, performance, and security requirements, executing an organizational data governance strategy.
• Provide technical leadership to data engineering and analytics engineering teams, reviewing solution designs and guiding implementation decisions.
• Partner with privacy engineering to ensure compliance for data retention, deletion, and access requests.
• Improve overall data reliability, quality, accessibility, and security, proposing right‑sized solutions.
• Write clear documentation, including architecture diagrams, reference architecture, and implementation plans for both technical and business audiences.
• Mentor peers and foster technical growth within the team.
• Stay ahead of industry trends and propose innovative solutions.
• Perform data engineering tasks in Python, SQL, dbt, and Dagster when appropriate.
• Engage in special projects and other duties as assigned.

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU.
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion, and belonging in their work, respecting and valuing multiple perspectives.
• Collaborate respectfully to resolve obstacles and conflicts.

• Significant professional experience as a data architect or similar role, working on large‑scale data management solutions.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing data strategies that support organizational goals.
• Capacity to manage large, complex projects and mentor engineers to foster technical growth.
• Experience partnering with stakeholders to translate strategic work plans into data architecture roadmaps.
• Deep experience with SQL databases and familiarity with cloud‑based data platforms such as Redshift, Snowflake, Azure Data Warehouse, or Big Query.
• Strong understanding of data architecture concepts, including MDM, enterprise architecture standards, data curation, ETL/ELT, pipelines, and security best practices.
• Ability to collaborate with cross‑functional teams in a rapidly changing environment.
• Comfortable with modern data practices, including API‑driven architectures, exploration, and independent learning.
• Strong problem‑solving mindset for complex data structures and integration challenges.
• Excellent thought leadership, alignment‑building, and communication skills for senior leadership and cross‑functional stakeholders.

• Experience implementing privacy compliance products or consent management.
• Experience with master data management solutions.
• Familiarity with BI tools like Tableau and machine learning frameworks.
• Knowledge of recent privacy regulations (CCPA, etc.) and standards.

The annual salary for this position is $196,369 (Level

D), reflecting the salary for the New York, NY location. Salaries are subject…