Principal Data Architect

Role Description

Lifeway is seeking a Principal Data Architect to serve as a senior technical and strategic leader responsible for designing, governing, and evolving our enterprise data landscape. Working closely with our Business Intelligence and Master Data teams, you will set the architectural direction for data integration, warehousing, master data management, and AI-readiness across the organization. This is a remote role with significant cross-functional influence — ideal for a seasoned data architect who is energized by both technical depth and strategic leadership in a mission-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Lives out Lifeway’s mission and values, showing deep commitment to Kingdom work.
• Define and maintain the enterprise data architecture roadmap, aligning data strategy with long-term business priorities and technology goals.
• Lead the design and evolution of data platforms including data warehouse and lake-house architecture.
• Develop and champion a Data Mesh strategy enabling domain-oriented data ownership, self-serve data infrastructure, and federated governance.
• Architect and oversee enterprise data integration patterns including batch ETL, real-time streaming, and event-driven architectures.
• Establish standards for data pipelines, transformation logic, lineage tracking, and integration frameworks across on-premises and cloud environments.
• Lead efforts to make the organization's data AI-ready to support machine learning and AI applications.
• Drive adoption of data contracts and data product thinking to improve reliability and trust in data assets.
• Lead the design of Master Data Management integrations and provide technical leadership across MDM initiatives.
• Act as a strategic advisor on data initiatives across business units, ensuring architectural soundness and alignment with enterprise standards.
• Provide technical mentorship and architectural guidance to data engineers, BI developers, and MDM Software Engineers.
• Limited travel: 2-4 times per year, typically overnight.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field, required.
• Master's degree in a related field, preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in data engineering, software development, or data architecture roles.
• 5+ years in a senior or principal-level data architecture capacity with ownership of enterprise-scale data programs.
• Deep expertise in data warehousing strategies (Inmon, Kimball, lake-house architecture).
• Proven experience designing Data Mesh architecture including domain ownership models and data product definitions.
• Strong background in ETL/ELT design and data integration patterns including batch, micro-batch, and streaming.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise integration platforms (Kafka, dbt, Airflow or equivalents).
• Experience with cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, or Google BigQuery.
• Proficiency in Python, SQL, Scala, or Java with experience in modern software delivery practices.
• Deep knowledge of Master Data Management principles, tooling, and implementation patterns.
• Ability to travel to the Middle Tennessee area 2-4 times annually for team gatherings.
• Actively involved in an evangelical Christian church.

Requirements

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field, preferred.
• Familiarity with data cataloging, metadata management, and data observability tools.
• Experience with data governance frameworks and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Ability to build and present data architecture roadmaps tied to measurable business outcomes.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits plans including healthcare, vacation and sick time, holiday pay, care days, 401(k) plan, maternity and paternity leave, adoption assistance, mission trip time, and more.
• Strong Work from Anywhere (WFA) culture with autonomy and flexibility with work hours.
• Equipment and resources provided for a productive and ergonomic workspace.
• All-team meetings several times per year and travel for key team gatherings for remote-based team members.