Associate Director, Lead Data Architect - Databricks
Guidehouse
- Location
- McLean, VA
- Employment
- Full Time
- Work model
- On-Site
- Level
- Senior
- Posted
- Sep 21, 2026
Skills
About this role
Job Family : Data Science Consulting Travel Required : Up to 25% Clearance Required : Ability to Obtain Public Trust What You Will Do: Serve as deputy to the Data Workstream Lead and lead day-to-day technical architecture decisions. Define the secure Databricks lakehouse architecture, environments, workspaces, storage patterns, identity and access considerations, and Unity Catalog structure. Define canonical HR data models, domain boundaries, curated layers, semantic approaches, and reusable data-product standards. Establish DataOps , ingestion, transformation, orchestration, integration, API, and other consumption patterns. Develop the migration architecture, source-to-target design standards, metadata and lineage approach, and data-contract framework. Define architecture standards for security, privacy, quality, observability, performance, testing, deployment, and supportability. Review detailed models, mappings, pipelines, interfaces, and data products for conformance with the target architecture. Facilitate architecture decisions and communicate tradeoffs to technical teams, business stakeholders, and leadership. Mentor architects and engineers and provide technical quality assurance across Prepare, Stabilize, and Operationalize.
What You Will Need
Must be able to OBTAIN and MAINTAIN a Federal or DHS "PUBLIC TRUST"; candidates must obtain approved adjudication of their PUBLIC TRUST prior to onboarding with Guidehouse. Candidates with an ACTIVE PUBLIC TRUST or SUITABILITY are preferred Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data engineering, information systems, engineering, or a related field. EIGHT (8) or more years of experience in enterprise data architecture, data engineering, cloud platforms, or analytics modernization. Experience architecting Databricks lakehouse solutions and Unity Catalog security and governance structures. Strong knowledge of dimensional, relational, canonical , and data-product modeling patterns. Experience with ingestion, API, integration, orchestration, metadata, lineage, data contracts, quality, and DataOps patterns. Experience designing migration architectures and guiding source-to-target mapping and conversion decisions. What Would Be Nice To Have: Databricks Data Engineer Professional, Databricks Architect, or equivalent certification. Ability to lead technical teams and communicate architecture decisions to executive and non-technical audiences. Experience with HR, workforce, ERP, or financial data models. Experience with Azure, AWS, or cloud networking and security patterns. Experience supporting public-sector data modernization. What We Offer : Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace. Benefits include: Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance 401(k) Retirement Plan Basic Life & Supplemental Life Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Student Loan PayDown Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities Skills Development & Certifications Employee Referral Program Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program Mobility Stipend About Guidehouse Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation. Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you have visited our website for