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Senior Data Architect Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Senior Data Architect

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$65.25 - $87.50/hr

Overview The Senior Data Architect is a senior technical leader within Enterprise Data & Analytics (ED&A) responsible for defining, designing, and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures ...

Senior Data Architect

Raleigh, NC

$65.25 - $87.50/hr

Overview The Senior Data Architect is a senior technical leader within Enterprise Data & Analytics (ED&A) responsible for defining, designing, and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures ...

New

Senior Data Architect

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$65.25 - $87.50/hr

Overview The Senior Data Architect is a senior technical leader within Enterprise Data & Analytics (ED&A) responsible for defining, designing, and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures ...

New

Senior Architect, Data Center Modeling

Durham, NC · On-site

$65 - $87/hr

Background in parallel computing, server architecture, or datacenter design. * An excitement and curiosity about the future of accelerated computing and AI * Expertise in data analysis and ...

Sr. Data Analyst

Cary, NC · On-site

$81K - $103K/yr

End to End Solution Architect with experience in data and report requirement analysis/understanding ... Senior BSA with over 10+ years' work experience as an analyst is preferred. Muralikrishna Sarian ...

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Senior Data Architect information

See Raleigh, NC salary details

$38

$73

$100

How much do senior data architect jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 10, 2026, the average hourly pay for senior data architect in Raleigh, NC is $73.28, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $62.84 and $84.13 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a senior data architect do?

A Senior Data Architect is responsible for designing, creating, and managing an organization's data infrastructure and strategy. They ensure that data is stored, organized, and accessed efficiently, supporting business goals and analytics needs. Their role often includes selecting appropriate database technologies, defining data models, setting data governance policies, and ensuring security and compliance. Senior Data Architects also collaborate with IT teams, data scientists, and business stakeholders to align data solutions with company objectives.

How does a senior data architect typically collaborate with other teams within an organization?

A Senior Data Architect regularly works with cross-functional teams, including data engineers, business analysts, software developers, and IT leadership. They serve as the bridge between business requirements and technical implementation, ensuring data models and architecture align with organizational goals. Effective collaboration is key, as they often lead design sessions, review data standards, and provide guidance on best practices. This role requires strong communication skills to translate complex technical concepts into actionable plans for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior data architect?

To thrive as a Senior Data Architect, you need deep expertise in data modeling, database design, and data integration, typically supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Mastery of modern database platforms (e.g., SQL, NoSQL), cloud data services (like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud), and relevant certifications such as CDMP or AWS Certified Data Analytics are commonly required. Exceptional problem-solving, stakeholder communication, and leadership skills set top performers apart in this role. These skills ensure robust, scalable data architectures that align with business goals and enable effective decision-making.

What is the difference between Senior Data Architect vs Data Engineer?

AspectSenior Data ArchitectData Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS, Data Science, or related; certifications like AWS, Azure, or GCPBachelor's in CS, Software Engineering, or related; certifications in cloud platforms or data tools
Work EnvironmentDesigning data systems, creating architecture frameworks, collaborating with stakeholdersBuilding, maintaining, and optimizing data pipelines and infrastructure
Industry UsageUsed across industries for data strategy and architecture planningCommonly employed in data pipeline development and data management tasks

The Senior Data Architect focuses on designing and overseeing data systems and architecture, ensuring data solutions align with business needs. In contrast, Data Engineers primarily build and maintain the data pipelines and infrastructure necessary for data processing. Both roles require similar technical credentials and often work closely, but their core responsibilities differ in scope and focus.

Are data architects in high demand?

Data architects are in high demand due to the increasing importance of data management and analytics across industries. Organizations seek professionals skilled in data modeling, database design, and tools like cloud platforms and SQL to support their data strategies.

How much does a senior data architect make in the US?

A senior data architect in the US typically earns between $110,000 and $160,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. They often require expertise in data modeling, database design, and tools like SQL and cloud platforms.

How much does a senior data architect get paid?

A senior data architect typically earns between $100,000 and $160,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. They often possess skills in data modeling, database design, and tools like SQL and cloud platforms, which can influence salary levels.
What are the most commonly searched types of Data Architect jobs in Raleigh, NC? The most popular types of Data Architect jobs in Raleigh, NC are:
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What job categories do people searching Senior Data Architect jobs in Raleigh, NC look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Data Architect jobs in Raleigh, NC are:
What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Senior Data Architect jobs? Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Senior Data Architect job openings:
Infographic showing various Senior Data Architect job openings in Raleigh, NC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 81% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $152,424 per year, or $73.3 per hour.

Senior Data Architect

First Citizens Bank

Raleigh, NC • On-site

$65.25 - $87.50/hr

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago


First Citizens Bank rating

7.4

Company rating: 7.4 out of 10

Based on 106 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

108th of 170 rated banks


Job description

Overview
The Senior Data Architect is a senior technical leader within Enterprise Data & Analytics (ED&A) responsible for defining, designing, and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures that enable trusted, governed, and business-ready data across the organization.
This role requires deep hands-on expertise across transactional systems (OLTP), analytical platforms (OLAP), modern cloud data platforms, data integration, and enterprise data modeling. The Senior Data Architect is expected to operate from strategy through implementation, partnering with engineering teams to design scalable solutions while actively participating in architecture reviews, complex data modeling, performance optimization, data product design, and platform modernization initiatives.
The ideal candidate brings extensive experience designing and implementing modern data ecosystems leveraging AWS, Snowflake, Data Vault 2.0, DBT, API-based integration patterns, event-driven architectures, metadata management, and AI-ready data foundations.
Responsibilities
Enterprise Data Architecture & Design
  • Define and evolve enterprise data architecture standards, patterns, and reference architectures.
  • Develop target-state architectures supporting ED&A strategic objectives and Nexus platform evolution.
  • Lead architecture design across operational, analytical, reporting, regulatory, and AI use cases.
  • Drive consistency across data acquisition, storage, transformation, governance, and consumption layers.
  • Establish architecture guardrails balancing agility, scalability, maintainability, and regulatory compliance.

Modern Data Platform Architecture
Serve as a senior technical architect responsible for end-to-end design of the Nexus ecosystem including:
Data Ingestion Layer
  • Qlik Replicate and CDC patterns
  • Event-driven ingestion architectures
  • API-driven integrations
  • Batch and near real-time ingestion frameworks
  • External and third-party data integration

Data Storage & Processing Layers
  • AWS S3 data lake architecture
  • Landing and ingestion zones
  • Snowflake data platform architecture
  • Raw Data Vault implementation
  • Business Data Vault design
  • Consumption and semantic layers
  • Data sharing and data product architectures

Transformation & Orchestration
  • DBT architecture and modeling standards
  • ELT pipeline design
  • Reusable transformation frameworks
  • Astronomer (Airflow) orchestration patterns
  • Workflow dependency management
  • Data observability and monitoring

Operational Analytics
  • API-enabled data products
  • Fargate-based services
  • Near real-time analytics solutions
  • Event streaming architectures
  • Operational reporting architectures

Enterprise Data Modeling Leadership
Provide deep expertise across multiple modeling disciplines:
OLTP Modeling
  • Third Normal Form (3NF)
  • Operational application schemas
  • Transaction processing systems
  • Customer, account, loan, and transaction data structures
  • Source system integration patterns

Analytical Modeling (OLAP)
  • Star schemas
  • Snowflake schemas
  • Fact and dimension design
  • Aggregate layer strategies
  • Semantic modeling

Data Vault 2.0
  • Hubs
  • Links
  • Satellites
  • Business Vault design
  • Point-in-time structures
  • Bridge tables
  • Auditability and lineage patterns

Information Architecture
  • Enterprise canonical models
  • Business capability mapping
  • Customer 360 architectures
  • Reference and master data design
  • Domain-driven architecture
  • Architects in this role are expected to actively review and contribute to data models rather than simply approve designs.

Data Products & Domain Architecture
  • Drive adoption of data product thinking across ED&A.
  • Define standards for ownership, accountability, quality, discoverability, and reuse.
  • Partner with business domains to establish trusted and reusable analytical assets.
  • Design scalable domain-oriented architectures supporting Data Mesh principles where appropriate.
  • Enable self-service consumption through governed data products.

Data Governance by Design
Partner closely with Governance teams to embed controls directly within architectural designs.
Responsibilities include:
  • Metadata architecture
  • Business glossary alignment
  • Technical and business lineage
  • Data quality architecture
  • Data contract implementation
  • Sensitive data classification
  • Policy-based access control
  • Data retention and auditability
  • Leverage Collibra, BigID, and platform-native capabilities to improve trust and transparency across enterprise data assets.

Performance Optimization & Engineering Excellence
Actively troubleshoot and improve platform performance by:
  • Reviewing Snowflake query performance
  • Optimizing warehouse utilization and workload management
  • Designing scalable partitioning and clustering strategies
  • Improving ELT processing efficiency
  • Reducing data movement and duplication
  • Enhancing pipeline scalability and resiliency
  • Ensuring efficient storage and compute utilization
  • Expected to participate in technical deep-dives and solution reviews with engineering teams.

AI & Advanced Analytics Architecture
  • Define architectural foundations for enterprise AI initiatives.
  • Design AI-ready data products and curated consumption layers.
  • Support feature engineering and model-serving architectures.
  • Enable trusted, explainable, and governed AI data pipelines.
  • Partner with Data Science teams to ensure scalability of predictive and generative AI solutions.
  • Architect retrieval, metadata, and knowledge-layer capabilities supporting future GenAI initiatives.

Technical Leadership
  • Lead architecture reviews across strategic initiatives and programs.
  • Influence technical direction across engineering, analytics, governance, and business teams.
  • Mentor engineers, architects, and modelers on modern architecture principles.
  • Establish engineering standards, design patterns, and reusable frameworks.
  • Provide thought leadership on emerging technologies and industry best practices.
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex architecture and modeling challenges.

Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree and 6 years of experience in Enterprise data architecture, advanced data solutions, cloud platforms OR High School Diploma or GED and 10 years of experience in Enterprise data architecture, advanced data solutions, cloud platforms
Preferred Qualifications
  • Financial Services or Banking industry experience.
  • Experience modernizing legacy data warehouse environments.
  • Experience architecting large-scale Customer 360 solutions.
  • Experience supporting regulatory and risk reporting ecosystems.
  • Knowledge of Data Mesh and Data Product operating models.
  • TOGAF, CDMP, SnowPro, AWS, or equivalent certifications.

Experience
  • 12+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Architecture, Information Management, or Analytics Engineering.
  • 5+ years serving as a lead architect for enterprise-scale data platforms.
  • Proven experience designing and implementing modern cloud data platforms.
  • Demonstrated experience leading large-scale data modernization programs.
  • Experience working directly with engineering teams on implementation, optimization, and troubleshooting.

Modern Data Platforms
  • Snowflake
  • AWS Data Services
  • Amazon S3
  • Data Lake and Lakehouse architectures
  • Cloud-native data ecosystems

Data Engineering
  • ELT/ETL architectures
  • Data integration patterns
  • Change Data Capture (CDC)
  • Event-driven architectures
  • API-based integration
  • Data orchestration frameworks

Nexus Core Technologies
  • Snowflake
  • DBT
  • Qlik Replicate
  • Astronomer / Apache Airflow
  • AWS
  • Data Vault 2.0
  • Collibra
  • BigID

Data Modeling
  • Conceptual, Logical and Physical Data Modeling
  • Data Vault 2.0
  • Dimensional Modeling
  • Canonical Modeling
  • Master Data Management
  • Reference Data Management

Data Management
  • Data Governance
  • Data Quality
  • Data Lineage
  • Metadata Management
  • Data Cataloging
  • Data Contracts

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.

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