Data Architect Lead

Calgary, AB
Corporate Services – Information Technology Services /
APT Temporary Salary /
Hybrid
SAIT’s Information Technology Services department handles all software and hardware needs, as well as technological and networking issues for both employees and students who rely heavily on computer systems across our campuses. Technical support — which includes help with computer hardware and software technical problems, email, audio-visual needs and more — is available to everyone at SAIT, whether the problem occurs at home or on-campus.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Manager of the Data Governance Office, the ITS department is looking to hire a Data Architect Lead who will be responsible for steering the data architecture strategy and implementation within the SAIT Data Governance Office, ensuring the integrity, security, and accessibility of data.

This role involves producing and governing data frameworks, translating business needs into technical solutions, and leading data model designs and development to bolster data-driven decision-making. The role will support and enhance the Azure Data Platform's operations, including the continued growth of SAIT’s Enterprise Data Warehouse for analytics and reporting purposes. 

They will collaborate closely with various IT teams, project managers, and stakeholders to align data initiatives with organizational objectives while staying abreast of industry trends and continuously refining the data architecture landscape.

The Role

    • Contribute to developing SAIT's overall data strategy and roadmap and assess institutional data-related needs. 
    • Develop and implement a strategic data architecture vision and roadmap. 
    • Lead the design and maintenance of scalable and reliable data solutions to support business processes.
    • Develop and maintain data models, schemas, and database structures to support data integration, storage, and retrieval. 
    • Design and implement data integration processes and ETL pipelines (Extract, Transform, Load)
    • Document data architecture standards, designs, and processes.
    • Conduct Data architecture, Integration, Ingestion and Data model reviews to approve solutions and identify areas for improvement.
    • Ensure that User self-serve guides and Data platforms are compliant with data privacy and protection guidelines.
    • Staff supervision, mentoring, coaching, professional development plans, goal setting, and priority setting.
    • Escalate and follow up on issues as required. 
    • Oversee the Azure Data Platform group’s daily activities and performance.
    • Ensure the data platform's technical solutions and common issues are being documented, as well as.
    • Identifying, creating, and implementing efficiencies within the Data team
    • Facilitate and coordinate the collaboration and communication between business users, IT teams, data engineers, data analysts and stakeholders to improve data efficiency, quality, and value.
    • Stay updated with industry trends and advancements in emerging data technologies to enhance data architecture, enhance data capabilities and drive innovation.

Qualifications & Experience

    • Education and Experience
    • Post-secondary Degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Information Systems, or another quantitative field or relevant industry experience.
    • 5+ years’ work experience in the IT data-related field.
    • Experience developing and deploying IT best practices, policies, and processes.
    • Advanced knowledge and experience working with relational databases and dimensional models.
    • Advanced knowledge of cloud-based technologies such as Azure Synapse. 
    • Experience leading the development and optimization of data pipelines, architectures, and data sets.
    • Experience building the infrastructure required for optimal extraction, transformation, and data loading from various sources.
    • Experience developing high-performance complex SQL queries.
    • Experience and familiarity with data reporting and analytics tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or similar.
    • Proven ability to react quickly under high development requests and adjust priorities accordingly.
    • Experience supporting and working with cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment. 
    • Familiar with Scrum or Agile methodologies.
    • Knowledge of various collaboration and management tools, including MS Teams, SharePoint, Service Now (support), Jira, GitHub, Ataccama (Data Catalog, Data Quality), and Confluence.

    • Preferred
    • Strong experience with analytics end-to-end with Azure Synapse technologies (Azure Synapse Analytics, Pipelines, Azure Data Lake Storage, Spark pools, Dedicated SQL pools, Azure DevOps & GitHub, etc.)
    • Advanced knowledge of SQL language 
    • 5+ years of supervisory experience with demonstrated supervision of technical teams.
    • Microsoft certification.
    • ITIL certification

    • Skills required
    • Technical proficiency in database design, data modelling, and Data integration 
    • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
    • Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
    • Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
    • Technical leader with supervision, mentoring, and coaching skills

Job classification: SUPERVISOR - P5932
Salary range: $100,000 - $117,000
Paid Leave: 4 Weeks Vacation / 14 Flex Days per year
Hours Per Week: 37.5
Position End Date: July 1, 2025
Posting closing date: May 17, 2024

View a summary of our benefits and perks for salaried employees as one of Alberta's Top Employers, including health & dental care, pension plan, vacation & special leave and flexible work options at our beautiful inner-city campus.


About SAIT
 
SAIT is a global leader in applied education. Named one of Alberta’s Top Employers, we offer the chance to work with a purpose — preparing the next generation of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, advocates and explorers.
 
Building on our 100+ year history, we’re looking for innovative, bold and collaborative employees who embrace change and deliver world-class customer experiences. Your future starts now at SAIT.
 
Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is essential to achieving SAIT’s vision to be a global leader in applied education. It creates the conditions for a healthy campus where everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered to succeed. SAIT values fairness, shared accountability and the importance of representation. The institution expects a commitment from its students and employees to continuously develop an equitable and inclusive mindset that celebrates diverse experiences and perspectives. Learn more about EDI at SAIT.

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