Data Architect

Job description / Role

Job Description

The main purpose of the Data Architect position is to design and propose the organization's data architecture, including data models, data integration, data storage, and data management systems. Also, the Data Architect should have technical leadership of data delivery teams and be accountable for the technical acceptance of the delivered solution by the customer.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participates in vendor assessment and selection.
• Participates with the presales team in the proposed solution design in the bidding phase.
• Prepares the Scope of Work (SoW) proposal write-up for bidding in software projects.
• Prepares professional services sizing, assumptions, and pre-requisites for bidding in software projects.
• Participates in customer demonstrations and presentations to discuss and convince the customer with our software solutions.
• Attends requirement gathering workshops and prepares business requirements documents.
• Collaborates with stakeholders, including business analysts, data scientists, and IT teams, to understand data requirements and define data solutions.
• Evaluates existing data systems and infrastructure, identifies areas for improvement, and proposes and implements solutions to optimize data management processes.
• Defines data standards, guidelines, and best practices to ensure data quality, consistency, and security across the organization.
• Develops and maintains data models, data dictionaries, and metadata repositories to facilitate data governance and data lineage.
• Stays up to date with industry trends and emerging technologies in data management and makes recommendations for adopting new tools and techniques.
• Leads data integration efforts, including data ingestion, transformation, and integration processes, to support data analytics and reporting requirements.
• Provides guidance and mentorship to junior data professionals and facilitates knowledge sharing within the organization.

Personal Skills

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Adept at queries, report writing, and presenting findings.
• Domain knowledge in the financial services industry is compulsory.
• Proven experience in producing visualizations and dashboards for business stakeholders.
• Proven working experience as a Data Architect.
• Proven working experience as a Data Analyst or Business Data Analyst.
• Proven experience working closely with business stakeholders to gather data requirements and deliver outcomes.

Technical Skills

• BSc in Mathematics, Economics, Computer Science, Information Management, or Statistics.
• Over 8 years of practical experience in data design, build, and visualization.
• Strong data management knowledge: A data architect should have a solid understanding of data management principles, including data modeling, data integration, data quality, data governance, and data lifecycle management.
• Database systems: Proficiency in working with various database systems, such as relational databases (e.g., Teradata, Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra), is essential. Familiarity with data warehousing concepts and technologies (e.g., Snowflake, Amazon Redshift) is also beneficial.
• Data modeling: Data architects should be skilled in data modeling techniques and tools, such as entity-relationship diagrams (ERDs) and dimensional modeling. Knowledge of industry-standard modeling notations like UML (Unified Modeling Language) and familiarity with tools like ERwin, Power Designer, or ER Studio can be advantageous.
• ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and data integration: Understanding the principles and practices of ETL processes and data integration is crucial for a data architect. Proficiency in ETL tools like Informatica, Talend, or Microsoft SSIS is valuable.
• Data governance and compliance: Knowledge of data governance frameworks, policies, and best practices is important.
• Programming and scripting: Proficiency in programming languages like SQL, Python, or Java is valuable.

Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) by DAMA International.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate.
AWS Certified Big Data - Specialty.
IBM Certified Data Architect - Big Data.

About the Company

Giza Systems, a leading systems integrator in the MEA region, designs and deploys industry-specific technology solutions for asset-intensive industries such as the telecoms, utilities, oil and gas, hospitality and real estate among other market sectors. We help our clients streamline their operations and businesses through our portfolio of solutions, managed services, and consultancy practice. Our team of 1000 professionals are spread throughout the region with anchor offices in Cairo, Riyadh, Dubai, Doha, Nairobi, Dar-es-Salaam, Abuja, Kampala and New Jersey, allowing us to service an ever-increasing client base in over 40 countries.