Senior Data Architect

Senior Data Architect

Founded in 2008, Hightower is a wealth management firm that provides investment, financial and retirement planning services to individuals, foundations and family offices, as well as 401(k) consulting and cash management services to corporations. Hightower's capital solutions, operational support services, size and scale empower its vibrant community of independent-minded wealth advisors to grow their businesses and help their clients achieve their financial vision. Based in Chicago with advisors across the U.S., we operate as a registered investment advisor (RIA).

As a Senior Data Architect, you will design and evolve Hightower's enterprise data ecosystem, leading initiatives in data modeling, Master Data Management (MDM), and data standards development. You will play a key role in implementing cloud-scale architecture and advancing our Collibra Intelligence Platform, including workflows, lineage, and metadata management. Additionally, you will operationalize Collibra Unified Data Quality (UDQ) to ensure data accuracy, consistency, and trust across the organization. This position requires close collaboration with business and technology teams to align data strategies with enterprise goals while serving as a technical leader and advisor on governance and best practices.

Strategy & Planning

• Define and implement long-term data architecture vision, standards, and governance.
• Develop short-term tactical solutions aligned with strategic objectives.
• Oversee metadata management and ensure accuracy.
• Establish processes for monitoring and improving data quality.
• Plan for data capacity, lifecycle, security, backup, disaster recovery, and compliance.

Enterprise Data Architecture & Modeling

• Lead development of conceptual, logical, and physical data models for enterprise initiatives.
• Maintain data standards, naming conventions, and reusable design patterns.
• Define canonical models across key data domains.
• Translate business requirements into scalable, high-performance data models.
• Ensure compliance with governance and regulatory requirements.

Data Governance, MDM & Collibra

• Drive Master Data Management strategy for consistent, governed data.
• Operationalize Collibra platform for glossary, workflows, lineage, and stewardship.
• Implement Collibra Unified Data Quality with automated monitoring and exception handling.
• Integrate DBT with Collibra and Snowflake for transparency and alignment.

Data Engineering & Integration

• Collaborate with engineering teams to optimize physical data structures.
• Support integration of financial systems, CRM, trading platforms, and third-party data sources.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Develop and execute enterprise data architecture roadmap.
• Advise business and technical leaders on best practices.
• Mentor team members in modeling and governance.
• Communicate complex data concepts to diverse audiences.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in data architecture, enterprise data modeling, or data engineering.
• Expertise in conceptual, logical, and physical data modeling, including normalization and dimensional modeling.
• Proven track record implementing enterprise data standards, frameworks, and reusable design patterns.
• Hands-on experience with Collibra platform (workflow design, cataloging, lineage, glossary, metadata models).
• Deep knowledge of Collibra Unified Data Quality (UDQ), including automated rules and anomaly detection.
• Strong background in Master Data Management (MDM) and governance processes.
• Proficiency in SQL and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) with modern ELT/ETL tools.
• Experience with financial or wealth management data preferred.
• Exceptional communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Personal Attributes

• Strong presentation and interpersonal abilities.
• Demonstrated leadership, influence, and collaboration skills.

What We Offer

• Coverage on the first day of employment for medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid parental leave (16 weeks for primary caregiver and 8 weeks for secondary caregiver)
• Mother's lounge onsite
• Flexible PTO plan
• Hybrid work schedule (Monday- Thursday onsite, Fridays remote)
• Free brand-new gym in the Chicago office
• 401k matching plan
• HSA employer contributions
• Student loan assistance
• Pet insurance
• Base salary of $150,000-$175,000 plus discretionary bonus (exact base salary amount will be dependent on experience)

Hightower is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, national origin, citizenship, veteran status, ancestry, age (over 40), physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related), gender identity or expression, genetic information including sickle cell or hemoglobin C trait, or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state, or local law.

You are a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident or possess other unrestricted U.S. work authorization and will not require sponsorship for U.S. work authorization now or anytime in the future.