Data Architect (Azure)
6-Month Contract
Greater Toronto Area - Markham, ON
Hybrid, 4 days onsite
Start: ASAP
We're partnering with a large Canadian organization that's in the middle of a major technology modernization, moving legacy systems onto modern, cloud-based platforms. They need a hands-on Data Architect to design a data architecture on Azure that's scalable, secure and well governed, and that supports analytics, reporting and emerging AI work.
What you'll do
- Design and own the target state data architecture across a hybrid Azure environment, connecting on-premises systems to the cloud over ExpressRoute
- Define data models, integration patterns and data flows that move information from legacy platforms to modern Azure services, including Azure SQL Database
- Work with business stakeholders to turn data and reporting needs into technical designs
- Guide development and engineering teams on how to use Azure data services well
- Set secure-by-design standards for data platforms, including access through Entra ID, secrets management in Key Vault, encryption in transit and at rest, and least-privilege controls
- Turn data governance and configuration standards into Azure Policy to audit and enforce compliance
- Define data architecture standards that support GenAI, MLOps pipelines and LLM integrations
- Make sure third-party data integrations meet identity and security requirements (SSO, MFA, SCIM) and comply with standards such as SOC 2 and GDPR
- Help optimize data platform costs and set up monitoring for IaaS and PaaS data workloads
- Create and maintain architecture diagrams, data models, standards and operational documentation
What you bring
- 8+ years in data architecture, data engineering or a related field, including time designing enterprise data solutions on Azure
- Strong knowledge of Azure data services, especially Azure SQL Database, and of data modeling (conceptual, logical and physical)
- Experience in hybrid Azure environments that include Microsoft 365 and Entra ID/Active Directory
- Experience with Azure DevOps CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code (Bicep) for data platform deployments, plus PowerShell scripting
- Solid understanding of cloud networking, security and compliance as they relate to data
- Exposure to AI/ML data pipelines and GenAI use cases
- Strong communication skills and confidence guiding technical teams and engaging stakeholders
- A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT or a related field
- Azure certifications (such as DP-203, DP-600 or AZ-305) are an asset, and experience with AWS or GCP is a plus
