Data Architect

Salary: $74,853.00 - $127,252.00 Annually
Location : La Plata Campus - 8730 Mitchell Rd., La Plata, MD
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: FY25-88
CSM Department: Information Management and Technology Division
CSM Division: Information Management Team
Opening Date: 09/17/2026


Position Summary


Located 45 minutes from the Nation's Capital, nestled in a history-rich community of southern Maryland, The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) has been twice named in the top 150 community colleges by the Aspen Institute with academic programs in over 100 disciplines. CSM is among America's top 100 producers of Minority associate degrees in twenty categories, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. CSM offers excellent health insurance benefits; State Retirement Pension plan; wellness programs; Code Green early closure Fridays in the summer; college closure for spring break and several major holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year; and for several days in March for Spring Break. We are an innovative institution committed to student success and well known for our flexibility to meet student and community needs.

The Data Architect is a pivotal role within the IMT Division responsible for providing critical support in the design/development, oversight, implementation, management, and understanding of the CSM data infrastructure. This role is responsible for designing, creating, deploying and managing CSM's data architecture. The Data Architect will support and guide CSM in defining how data will be stored, consumed, secured, integrated and managed by different data entities and IT systems, as well as any applications using or processing that data. Duties include ensuring integrity, availability, and security of data across all systems and platforms. A significant responsibility in this role involves collaborating with various stakeholders to understand data requirements, design efficient data models and data visualizations, and implement data management best practices to support the college's strategic, academic, reporting, and administrative goals.
The Data Architect is responsible for overseeing and optimizing the suite of enterprise IT SW applications and services that drive the institution's core data analytics and reporting/business intelligence (BI) business functions including Power Bi and Colleague Reporting and Operational Analytics (CROA). This role provides planning, implementation, and operational support/leadership in the implementation of the CSM data lake/data warehouse initiative. The Data Architect also provides technical/strategic direction for the oversight/management of Data Analytics and Reporting infrastructure and provides leadership in the planning/ implementation of the "CSM Blueprint for Data Responsive Decision-making" which frames CSM's Data Management/Data Governance strategic goals and support activities. The Data Architect will prepare special reports as directed by the Program and Project Management Executive Director, Deputy CIO or CIO.
Reports to: VP Information Management and Technology/CIO

The hiring salary for this position will be from the min to mid-point of the salary range advertised. This position is open until filled.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities
20% Data Architecture Design and Development

• Support, design and implement an efficient, scalable data lake/data warehouse solution and data models to support institutional needs.
• Develop and maintain data architecture frameworks and standards.
• Ensure data integration across various systems, including Student Information Systems (SIS), Learning Management Systems (LMS), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
• Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of available systems software/hardware and evaluate/make appropriate recommendations for system upgrades and purchases.

15% Reporting and Analytics

• Develop and implement Reporting and Analytics Strategic Roadmap.
• Support the development of institutional reports and dashboards.
• Collaborate with institutional research and analytics teams to ensure data availability for decision-making.
• Develop data solutions to support strategic planning and operational efficiency.

20% Data Management and Governance

• Provide technical and operational leadership/support in the implementation of the CSM "Blueprint for Data-Responsive Decision-Making" data governance strategy.
• Establish and enforce data governance policies and procedures.
• Implement data quality and data security best practices.
• Manage data lifecycle, ensuring data is accurate, accessible, and secure.

10% Technology Evaluation and Implementation

• Evaluate emerging technologies and tools related to data architecture.
• Recommend and implement new technologies to enhance data capabilities.
• Ensure all data architecture solutions align with industry best practices and emerging trends.

15% Data Assessment and Analysis:

• Conduct regular assessments of data quality across the institution.
• Analyze data trends and provide insights to support strategic decision-making including data visualizations.
• Develop and implement assessment tools to evaluate the effectiveness of institution's systems and processes.

10% Data Integration and ETL Processes

• Design and oversee the implementation of Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes.
• Ensure seamless integration of data from multiple sources and systems.
• Optimize data workflows for performance and reliability.

10% Collaboration and Support

• Work closely with IT, faculty, administration, staff, and other stakeholders to understand and fulfill data requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to data analysts, database administrators, and other IT staff.
• Conduct training sessions for staff on data-related best practices and tools.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure project success.

Additional Duties:

• Performs other related work as required.

Minimum Education and Training

• Bachelor's Degree in a computer technology field preferred, and 3 years' experience in data reporting and analytics, business intelligence, data management/administration, data governance, or software programming required , an Associates Degree and 5 years' experience in data reporting and analytics, data governance, business intelligence, or related field preferred, or 7+ years' experience in data governance, business intelligence, data reporting and analytics or related fields.
• Strong data management and visualization skills and ability to integrate data from various sources
• Experience in analytical thinking and problem-solving
• Knowledge of data privacy and security regulations
• Strong collaboration and communication skills
• Knowledge in data integration and governance
• Skills to support Business Intelligence and Analytics
• Working knowledge of data lake/data warehouse solutions
• Experience in SQL and programming language is desired
• Ability to develop and implement enterprise application systems, policies, procedures and plans.
• Ability to review IT solutions to improve software efficiencies and optimization.
• Ability to adapt quickly to rapidly changing technology.
• Ability to translate technical terms for non-technical persons.
• Work experience and proficiency with Microsoft Office is desired.
• Excellent communications (written and oral), customer service and problem-solving skills.
• Experience providing end-user training in individual and group environments.

Licenses or Certifications:

• Relevant certifications such as Business or Data Analytics certifications or similar are highly desirable.
• This position may require financial disclosure.

Minimum Qualifications and Standards Required

• Ability to plan and execute multiple, complex technical projects concurrently.
• Ability to develop and implement enterprise application systems, policies, procedures and plans.
• Data modeling, data strategy, data lake/warehouse, data visualizations tools, database management, or data querying languages
• Ability to adapt quickly to rapidly changing technology.
• Ability to translate technical terms for non-technical persons.
• Work experience and proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Excellent communications (written and oral), customer service and problem-solving skills.
• Experience leading technical teams.
• Experience as a lead in a technical environment.
• Experience providing end-user training and teaching experience.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• The work is medium work which requires exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

WORK ENVIRONMENT•

• Office environment with occasional travel.
• Availability to work outside regular business hours as needed.

General Employment Information

The College of Southern Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.


Background Checks

The College of Southern Maryland conducts background checks in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the College's staff and students. The final candidate for this position will be subject to the following background checks: Criminal History Check and Sex Offender Registry Check.

Conflict of Interest Policy

No College of Southern Maryland employee shall engage in or have a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in any activity that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict with his or her duties and responsibilities. CSM Employees shall not at any time engage in any outside employment or independent consulting that would adversely affect their employment status or performance as employees at the college, create a conflict of interest, or, with the exception of constitutionally protected activities, would compromise or embarrass the college, or adversely affect professional standing. Any full-time college employee who also holds a full-time position or its equivalent in consulting elsewhere (whether permanent or seasonal) will be deemed to have a conflict of interest and will be asked to resign from one of the full-time positions. Full-time employees must promptly disclose in writing, on a form available from the Human Resources Office to the college all other full-time employment or its equivalent in independent consulting.


Employment Frequently Asked Questions

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1. What's your experience with data warehousing solutions?
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2. How do you handle data stewardship and ownership across departments?
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3. How do you support institutional research and strategic planning through data architecture?
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4. How do you collaborate with institutional stakeholders (e.g., registrars, faculty, IT) to align data strategy with academic goals?
Required Question