Platform/Data Architect - Databricks

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Platform/Data Architect - DPaaS for a contract assignment with one of our premier SaaS clients in San Jose, CA. Also open to PST-based remote candidates.

Start date: January 4th, 2027

Data Platform Strategy & Operations (AUP) seeks a contract Data/Platform Databricks Architect for temporary coverage during a planned parental leave. Backfills a Platform Architect on our DPaaS (Databricks-based) team, responsible for architectural continuity, unblocking in-flight initiatives, and acting as technical decision point during coverage. Fixed-term engagement, not permanent headcount.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as architecture point of contact for DPaaS (Databricks + Unity Catalog) during coverage, maintaining continuity on in-flight decisions.
• Support and unblock the SQL Server-to-Databricks migration, incl. sequencing tied to the SAP HANA cloud (RISE) migration deadline.
• Apply and enforce the team's Databricks governance framework (5 pillars): duplicate-data prevention, environment segregation, compute selection, engineering standards, cost visibility.
• Review/advise on schema, pipeline, and compute design to prevent recurrence of known anti-patterns (e.g., duplicated department-level table copies).
• Partner with DevOps, DataOps, and platform support leads to keep architecture-dependent workstreams moving.
• Advise on open platform decisions (e.g., BI tooling, compute-tier questions); final calls remain with the permanent architecture lead and director.
• Document decisions, rationale, and open issues for smooth handoff back to the returning architect.

Required Skills:

• Hands-on data/platform architect experience on Databricks, incl. Unity Catalog governance, at enterprise scale.
• Strong background in data platform migrations, ideally SQL Server-to-lakehouse or similar legacy-to-cloud.
• Solid grasp of data governance: environment segregation, compute cost management, engineering standards, duplicate-data prevention.
• Able to ramp quickly into an in-flight environment given the fixed-term engagement.
• Strong written communication for documenting decisions and a clean handoff.
• Hands-on Spark (PySpark or Scala) and Delta Lake for pipeline design, performance tuning, troubleshooting at production scale.
• Advanced SQL: query optimization and schema design across multi-schema, multi-workspace environments.
• Working knowledge of cloud infra under Databricks (Azure or AWS): networking, storage, access control.
• Experience with orchestration/CI-CD tooling for data pipelines (Databricks Workflows/Jobs, Airflow, Azure DevOps, or similar).
• Familiarity with Unity Catalog access controls, lineage, and metadata management, incl. auditability and least-privilege design.
• Understands Databricks compute cost drivers (cluster sizing, job vs. all-purpose compute, autoscaling) to advise on cost visibility.
• Experience integrating/migrating ERP-adjacent source systems (e.g., SAP/HANA) into a lakehouse architecture.

Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience in a large enterprise data platform org spanning DevOps, DataOps, FinOps, and platform support.
• Familiarity with BI tool ecosystems (Power BI, Tableau) and platform rationalization efforts.
• Experience with SAP HANA or ERP-adjacent source systems a plus.

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer service, employee development, and quality and integrity in everything we do. Be yourself, love what you do and find your passion at work. Please find us at .

SGA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of Race, Color, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Religion, National Origin, Disability, Veteran Status, Age, Marital Status, Pregnancy, Genetic Information, or Other Legally Protected Status. We are committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, and our services, programs, and activities. Please visit our company to request an accommodation or assistance regarding our policy.