Data Architect

Data Architect
Remote | Product and Development | Full-Time

WHO WE ARE

Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Ncontracts leads the industry in integrated risk management and compliance solutions, serving over 5,000 financial institutions nationwide. As a six-time Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies honoree and consistent year-over-year recipient of "Best Places to Work" awards, we offer a thriving, work environment where career growth and life-work balance go hand in hand.

At Ncontracts, you'll join a team of industry experts dedicated to strengthening the financial services sector through innovation and thought leadership. We're seeking creative, collaborative, and self-driven professionals across all areas of our business - from developing cutting-edge solutions to sales, marketing, customer support, and beyond. Join us in our mission to make the financial industry stronger and more resilient, while advancing your career in a supportive, dynamic environment that values your unique skills and perspectives.

THE ROLE

The Data Architect is a senior technical role reporting directly to the CTO. This individual will shape and implement the architectural foundation that unifies data across our 17 products - systems built through a mix of acquisition and organic growth. This is not a consulting or advisory role. We're looking for someone who is as comfortable at the whiteboard as they are in SQL or Python, someone who can lead by doing. 

The Challenge We're Solving: 

Our customers' data is currently segmented and siloed across multiple applications, with inconsistent representations of the same concepts across our products. As we transform into an AI-first company, we need to unify this data into canonical models that can power intelligent features and insights. This role is critical to establishing the foundation that will enable our AI strategy and provide seamless experiences across our product portfolio. 

What you'll be responsible for: 

• Designing and evolving our enterprise data architecture, with a strong focus on enabling AI/ML, analytics, and operational reporting 
• Creating canonical data models that harmonize domains across acquired and organically grown products 
• Driving technical decisions around data platforms and leading proof-of-concepts 
• Developing foundational data models, schemas, and integration patterns using SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and other modern data tools 
• Enabling efficient and secure data sharing across teams, products, and environments 
• Defining architectural standards, patterns, and best practices for how we model and move data 
• Collaborating closely with engineering, product, and analytics teams to understand data needs and ensure solutions are pragmatic and future-minded 
• Supporting our transition to a modern, scalable data platform architecture that can serve both internal and customer-facing needs 

A successful Data Architect at Ncontracts will: 

• Lead architectural planning for our future-state data platforms, enabling both batch and real-time pipelines 
• Deliver working, high-quality artifacts - schemas, pipelines, metadata, documentation, not just PowerPoint decks 
• Help us normalize and unify data definitions across business units, products, and functions 
• Serve as a thought partner to engineering leads and data engineers as we scale up our AI and analytics capabilities 
• Create clarity and structure where ambiguity exists, especially across acquired systems 
• Balance speed with long-term value - know when to build and when to buy 
• Successfully establish our data lake in production by year-end, creating the foundation for our AI initiatives 

A Data Architect at Ncontracts is Expected to Exhibit the Following Behaviors: 

• Architect & Builder - You can design complex systems, but also know how to scaffold them into existence 
• Cross-Product Thinking - You see patterns across systems and know how to create leverage 
• Humble Expertise - You teach as you go, and you're open to being challenged 
• Bias for Clarity - You reduce complexity through models, diagrams, and conversations 
• Hands-On Ownership - You don't wait for someone else to make the first commit 
• Collaboration & Influence - You work effectively with your peers to ensure alignment and execution 

You should have most of these skills: 

• Deep experience in designing enterprise data models and modern data architectures 
• Strong skills in SQL and modeling for both transactional and analytical workloads 
• Experience with ETL/ELT tools 
• Expertise with at least several of the following: Python, dbt, Spark, Kafka, Azure Fabric, Databricks, Snowflake, Delta Lake, and Iceberg 
• Experience supporting or enabling AI/ML teams with clean, well-modeled data 
• Understanding of data governance, data contracts, lineage, and observability best practices 

It's helpful if you've also had some of these experiences: 

• Worked in a multi-product, multi-team environment, especially one that has grown through acquisition 
• Built or were a senior contributor to a central data platform or data mesh initiative 
• Been the first or second data architect in a growing organization 
• Supported real-time data needs (event-driven systems, Kafka, streaming pipelines) 
• Helped define cross-team standards and led data modeling workshops with stakeholders 
• Experience transforming siloed data into unified canonical models 

WE OFFER

• A fun, fast-paced work environment
• Responsible PTO Plan that meets or exceeds state and local medical and family leave laws
• 11 paid holidays
• Community and social events to keep you connected and engaged
• Mental Health Benefits
• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance
• Company-paid Group Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account
• Aflac Benefits – Critical Illness, Cancer Protection, & Hospital Choice
• Pet Insurance
• 401 (k) with company match with eligibility on Day 1 of employment
• 2 Paid Volunteer Time Off Days
• And much more!
   

Compensation Information

Pursuant to state and local law disclosure requirements, the pay range for this role, with final offer amount dependent on education, skills, experience and location is $180,000 to $200,000 per year. This position may be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. The incentive award amount is dependent upon company performance and your personal performance and is not guaranteed.

AAP/EEO Statement

Ncontracts provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.