Senior data architect

Senior Data Architect

Fully Remote-United States

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Overview

Tanaq Technical Services (TTS), a division of St. George Tanaq (SGT) Corporation, is an 8(a) Alaskan Native Small Business that specializes in delivering Enterprise Integrated Technology Solutions and Support Services to the Federal Government. TTS's innovative approach combines proactive strategies, efficient processes and emerging technologies to deliver seamless, integrated services for our clients. TTS prides itself in being Mission Driven, People Focused. To learn more about us, visit

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Data Architect to support the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of the Chief Information Officer (HUD OCIO). The Senior Data Architect serves as the enterprise level authority responsible for shaping and governing the data architecture that underpins the agency's artificial intelligence, analytics, and cloud modernization strategy. Operating at a strategic and technical leadership level, this role defines the long-term data vision, establishes enterprise standards, and architects scalable, secure, cloud native data ecosystems that support mission AI/ML critical operations.

A Senior Data Architect will drive agency wide data governance by constructing the metadata, data lineage, quality, and stewardship frameworks while ensuring full compliance with federal mandates such as FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST, and privacy regulations. In this role, they lead the development of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) AI agent knowledge layer and establish enterprise modernization standards by authoring canonical data models and policies, defining event streams and shared data products adopted by LRS and partner programs while coaching Data and AI Engineers in delivering secure, reusable, and compliant data capabilities.

This is a fully remote position supporting a federal government contract that requires a federal background check and NACI clearance. Candidates must reside in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the agency's enterprise data architecture strategy supporting AI, analytics, and cloud modernization.

• Architect cloud-native data platforms and oversee the modernization of legacy data systems into secure, scalable environments.

• Develop and maintain enterprise data models and standards that ensure interoperability across programs and systems.

• Lead agency-wide data governance initiatives, including metadata management, data lineage, quality frameworks, and stewardship.

• Lead and partner with AI/ML teams to design data pipelines, feature stores, and model-ready datasets that support advanced analytics.

• Advise senior leadership on data strategy, modernization roadmaps, and emerging technologies relevant to mission needs.

• Ensure compliance with federal security and privacy requirements, including FISMA, FedRAMP, NIST, and the Privacy Act.

• Establish and enforce enterprise data integration patterns, APIs, and interoperability standards.

• Lead cross-functional working groups and serve as the technical authority for data architecture decisions.

• Mentor data engineers, analysts, and junior architects, fostering a culture of technical excellence.

• Configure and manage AI/ML-ready cloud infrastructure (AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI).

• Oversee the development of data catalogs, master data management (MDM) solutions, and enterprise data services.

Requirements

Required Experience and Skills

• 7+ years of experience in data architecture, enterprise architecture, or large-scale data engineering

• Enterprise data modeling spanning grants, housing, and broader program domains

• Metadata, lineage, and governance implemented through policy-as-code approaches

• Design of an AI-ready knowledge layer, including document and record schemas, embedding and RAG strategies, and explainability metadata

• Implementation of access, retention, and privacy controls using ABAC/RBAC models and Zero Trust principles

• Lakehouse architectures and data-contract patterns (e.g., Delta/Iceberg, schema registries), along with MDM, deduplication, and PII minimization or tokenization

• Event-driven and CDC-based architectures to decouple legacy systems (e.g., LRS), with familiarity in both analytical and vector data stores

• Compliance with FISMA and FedRAMP requirements, including comprehensive logging, auditability, and production of ATO evidence

• Expertise in cloud-native data systems and large-scale data processing

• Design and implement AI/ML pipelines, reproducible workflows, and federal compliant systems

• Ability to pass required Federal background screening and obtain and maintain both government clearance and customer approval

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future

Technical Skills

• Cloud platforms: Azure and AWS

• Cloud Native Services: AWS Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, S3, Redshift, Data Factory

• Deep knowledge of relational, NoSQL, and distributed data systems

• Strong experience with ETL/ELT frameworks: Airflow, Spark, Databricks, data integration patterns, and API-driven architectures

• Demonstrated experience supporting AI/ML initiatives and understanding of model lifecycle data needs

• Data modeling, schema design, and optimization for AI workloads

• Programming: Python, SQL, Scala, PySpark, Java, Terraform, Kafka, JSON, Bash/Powershell

• Version control: Git/GitHub/GitLab

• Data governance, metadata management, and logging

• Proven experience designing and governing enterprise data architectures in complex, multi-system environments.

Core Competencies

• Exceptional communication skills to work with and collaborate with senior stakeholders, Program Managers, Project Managers, Data Scientists, DevOps, and UX teams

• Strong command of data governance, metadata management, and data quality frameworks

• Problem-solving for scalable AI/ML pipelines and producing quality documentation and reproducible workflows

• Experience working within federal agencies or regulated environments with strict compliance requirements

• Experience with federal data standards and frameworks (e.g., CDM, FIBF, NIST)

• Knowledge of MDM, data virtualization, and knowledge graph technologies.

• Agile development mindset and iterative improvement

• Security, privacy, and compliance awareness

Education and Training

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Information Systems, or related field. Master's degree in related field, preferred.

• Certifications in cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure), AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Data Engineer preferred

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. May occasionally need to lift up to 25 pounds.

Benefits Information

Benefits offered may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Tanaq. Full-time US-based employees gain access to healthcare benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision), Basic Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k), Flexible Spending Account, EAP, Education Reimbursement, Paid Time Off and Holidays.

Who We Are

Tanaq Technical Services (TTS) strives to deeply understand and analyze our clients' vision, needs, and requirements so we may provide alternative solutions, empowering them to choose the best resolution. We aim to achieve excellence by delivering on our commitments to our clients, employees, and partners.

Our Commitment to Non-Discrimination

Tanaq Technical Services is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Tanaq complies with the Drug-free Workplace Act of 1988 and E-Verify.

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance completing any part of the application process, please email [email protected] to request a reasonable accommodation. This email is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Notice on Candidate AI Usage

Tanaq is committed to ensuring a fair and competitive interview process for all candidates based on their experience, skills and education. To ensure the integrity of the interview process, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during phone, in person and virtual interviews is not allowed. However, candidates who require a reasonable accommodation that may involve AI are required to contact us prior to their interview at [email protected].

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