Principal Data Architect

BlueFlag is hiring a Principal Data Architect to lead data architecture for a premier data and artificial intelligence (AI) platform at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The platform powers reporting, analytics, and machine learning for Veterans' health and benefits. This remote role is customer-facing every day. You will lead senior data engineers, guide VA leaders through architecture decisions, and help build the platform's future on Azure Commercial with Databricks and Unity Catalog.We're looking for an engineer first: someone who built pipelines and warehouses hands-on, then grew into leading teams and advising customers. You'll join a friendly, collaborative team doing work that makes a real difference for Veterans and their families.What You'll DoWork with customers daily: lead architecture discussions, brief VA stakeholders, and turn their needs into clear designs and decisionsLead and mentor senior data engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and hands-on problem solvingSet architecture and standards for ingestion, storage, modeling, and serving with Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Databricks, and Delta LakeArchitect the platform's move to Azure Commercial, with Databricks as the engineering platform and Unity Catalog governing data, access, lineage, and modelsDesign metadata-driven frameworks that move thousands of tables through batch, incremental, change data capture (CDC), and streaming patternsServe reporting and machine learning workloads through the Synapse Dedicated Pool, Databricks SQL, Power BI, and model training pipelinesProtect PHI and PII through access policy, masking, and Authority to Operate (ATO) support under HIPAA and federal security requirementsWrite architecture and technical approach sections for proposalsAt BlueFlag, we're passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technology to make a real difference. You'll be at the forefront of cloud innovation, working on projects that directly impact people's lives. We offer a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment that values fresh ideas and authentic teamwork.If you're ready to take your data engineering career to new heights and contribute to meaningful projects that push the boundaries of technology, we want to hear from you. Join BlueFlag and be part of a team that's shaping the future of AI solutions!Requirements12+ years in data engineering and data architecture, starting as a hands-on data engineer, with 5+ years as a lead or principal architectProven leadership of engineering teams, including mentoring senior engineers and setting technical directionA demonstrated history of customer-facing work: leading architecture discussions, briefing executives, and writing for technical and non-technical readersExpert, hands-on cloud data engineering and data warehousing on Azure: Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics (including Synapse Dedicated Pool), Databricks, Delta Lake, and ADLS Gen2Hands-on Unity Catalog design: catalogs and grants, attribute-based access control, row filters and column masks, and lineageDesign of lakehouse (medallion) architectures, data warehouse models, and metadata-driven frameworks across thousands of tablesStrong proficiency in SQL and Python (PySpark)Experience with CDC, streaming, and incremental load patterns (e.g., Oracle GoldenGate, Azure Event Hubs, Apache Kafka)Experience migrating large on-premises data warehouses to the cloud, including parallel runs and reconciliationExperience with Git, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code for data platforms (e.g., Terraform, Databricks Asset Bundles)Working knowledge of HIPAA, NIST 800-53, and FISMA requirements for PHI and PIIBachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related fieldUS Citizen: Must be a citizen of the United StatesSecurity Clearance: Must be able to obtain a public trust clearance. Must be eligible to work in the United StatesDesiredExperience with VA health data (CDW, VistA, Oracle Health, HL7, FHIR)Experience in Azure Government or other FedRAMP High environmentsExperience with Immuta, Collibra, or Microsoft PurviewExperience with Databricks SQL, serverless compute, Microsoft Fabric, or Power BI semantic modelsExperience with MLOps and model serving on DatabricksDatabricks or Azure architect certificationsBenefitsCompetitive salaryGenerous annual leave and paid holidaysComprehensive group health and dental plans401(k) with company matchLife insurance and AD&DD coverageOngoing training and professional development opportunitiesJ-18808-Ljbffr