Data Architect

Position: Data Architect

Duration: 12 months to start, project up to 2 years

Work Location: Austin, TX

Hybrid: M & F remote, Tuesday-Thursday onsite

Pay: $85-90/HR

This position is eligible to enroll in medical, dental, vision after 60 days. In addition, this position is eligible to enroll in a 401(k) after 90 days.

We're hiring a hands-on Data Architect to lead the data strategy, architecture, and migration for a large-scale ERP transformation. This role is critical to successfully transitioning from our on-premise ERP to a new SaaS-based ERP platform, ensuring data integrity, governance, and long-term scalability. You'll operate at the intersection of business, technology, and institutional data - designing a future-state architecture while guiding complex data conversion and integration efforts.

Key Responsibilities

Data Strategy & Architecture

• Define and own the enterprise data architecture aligned to SaaS-based ERP capabilities and constraints
• Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models across student, finance, HR, and advancement domains
• Establish data standards, naming conventions, and architecture principles for the program
• Document user stories, journeys, process models, and create data models to support them.
• Ensuring data architecture supports strategic initiatives, such as accelerating AI readiness or improving operational efficiency

Data Migration & Conversion

• Lead end-to-end migration strategy from on-prem ERP to SaaS-based ERP, including:
  • Data profiling, cleansing, and enrichment
  • Data mapping and transformation rules
  • Migration waves and cutover planning
• Oversee validation, reconciliation, and audit processes to ensure accuracy and completeness
• Establishing standards for data security, data lineage, and data management to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Data Governance & Quality

• Define and document data governance framework (ownership, stewardship, controls, roles)
• Define and monitor data quality KPIs and remediation processes
• Partner with functional leaders to align on data definitions and business rules
• Define and establish data lifecycles
• Define and establish archival and accessibility of cold data.
• Establish data management and access roles

Integrations & Ecosystem

• Architect integrations between SaaS-based ERP and other enterprise systems (CRM, LMS, reporting, identity management, etc.)
• Define API, middleware, and data flow patterns with the data integration team.
• Ensure scalability, security, and performance across the data ecosystem

Analytics & Reporting Enablement

• Design data structures to support reporting, analytics, AI and regulatory/compliance needs
• Partner with BI teams to enable modern reporting platforms and data access strategies
• Create subject area data models and catalogs

Leadership & Delivery

• Serve as the data authority within the program, advising executive stakeholders and workstream leads
• Collaborate closely with PMO, functional SMEs, and system integrators
• This strategic role aligns data technology with business goals to enable analytics, AI, and regulatory compliance.
• Mentor data engineers, analysts, and data stewards

Required Qualifications

• 7-12+ years in data architecture, data engineering, or enterprise data roles
• Hands-on experience leading full-cycle ERP data migrations
• Demonstrated expertise in:
  • Data modeling (conceptual/logical/physical)
  • ETL/ELT processes and tools
  • Data governance frameworks
  • SQL, data warehousing, and cloud data platforms
• Experience with integration patterns (APIs, middleware, event-based architecture)
• Experience creating Self-Service Reporting and Analytics environments.
• Experience standing up data quality strategies
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Strong communication and leadership skills to align teams on standards
• Expert-level skills in creating conceptual, logical, and physical data models (star/snowflake schemas).
• Prior consulting or large-scale transformation program experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in SaaS transformation
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
• Experience shifting to "Data as a Strategic Asset" approach.
• Knowledge of compliance and regulatory reporting in higher ed (IPEDS, FERPA, etc.)