Principal Solution Architect – Managed Services

Role Overview

We are looking for a Principal Solutions Architect – Managed Services to join our Managed Services team. In this role, you will lead the architecture, operation, and continuous improvement of modern cloud-native data platforms for multiple customers, ensuring they are secure, scalable, and high-performing. You will collaborate closely with clients, engineers, and practice leadership to translate evolving requirements into actionable roadmaps and high-quality outcomes across streaming, data lakes, and analytics workloads.

Key Responsibilities

Client Delivery

• Own and drive the design, provisioning, and enhancement of cloud-native data solutions on AWS and/or Azure, leveraging deep expertise in Snowflake and related data services for enterprise-scale platforms.
• Lead the operation and management of modern data platforms—from streaming and data lakes to analytics—across a progressively evolving technical stack for multiple concurrent customer accounts.
• Translate business and technical requirements into Epics, Stories, and Tasks that mature and improve customers’ data platforms, ensuring timely and successful delivery of these initiatives.
• Provide architectural and operational guidance for cloud-native data warehouses (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift) and distributed storage technologies (e.g., S3, ADLS, NoSQL) to support large user bases.
• Recommend appropriate technologies and approaches to ensure performance, security, scalability, and user satisfaction, including data model design for data warehouses and data lakes.
• Continually identify and deliver automation and optimization opportunities that expand and harden customers’ data platforms and phData’s managed services offerings.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Serve as the technical leader across multiple accounts, providing clear ownership, direction, and decision-making while navigating complex customer environments.
• Delegate work effectively, coach engineers, and mentor team members, fostering upskilling and continuous learning across evolving technology stacks.
• Collaborate across technology stacks and organizational silos to integrate disparate functions and technologies into cohesive solutions.
• Create and deliver detailed technical presentations and recommendations for executive and senior stakeholders, articulating complex concepts clearly and confidently.
• Demonstrate calm, structured thinking under pressure—quickly assessing situations, formulating plans of action, and following through to successful outcomes.
• Manage the human side of delivery, engaging respectfully and confidently with teammates and customers, including during challenging conversations.

Practice & Firm Contribution

• Create, challenge, and improve processes and procedures to enhance the quality, consistency, and scalability of managed services delivery.
• Build automated solutions for repetitive administrative and operational tasks using Python or similar tooling to increase efficiency and reliability.
• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing, training, and upskilling initiatives that raise the technical bar across the team.
• Help refine and standardize patterns, runbooks, and best practices for modern data platforms, workflows, and CI/CD across the practice.

Additional Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders, shaping roadmaps, influencing strategic decisions, and guiding long-term initiatives.
• Mentor and coach team members, fostering a culture of learning, feedback, and continuous improvement.
• Help define and refine practice standards, reusable assets, and delivery frameworks.

About You

You are a client-focused technical leader and problem solver who thrives in fast-paced, operations-heavy environments with multiple concurrent customers and evolving requirements. You enjoy tackling complex data challenges, working across technology stacks and organizational boundaries, and turning ambiguity into structured plans and real outcomes. You bring strong presence, clear communication, and a collaborative mindset, valuing authenticity, psychological safety, and follow-through with teammates and clients alike.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 15+ years of experience architecting, operating, and optimizing modern cloud-based data platforms and data warehouses in enterprise environments.

Technical / Functional Skills

• Advanced data platform expertise in Snowflake and at least one major cloud platform (AWS and/or Azure), with experience in Databricks or similar technologies.
• Hands-on experience with cloud and distributed data storage technologies such as S3, ADLS, Cassandra, or other NoSQL systems.
• Strong background in data integration technologies, including Spark, Kafka, event/streaming platforms, and tools such as Matillion, Fivetran, HVR, AWS Data Migration Services, and Azure Data Factory.
• Production experience with workflow management and orchestration tools such as Airflow, AWS Managed Airflow, and Luigi.
• Strong SQL skills, including the ability to write, debug, and optimize complex queries for performance and reliability.
• Extensive experience with Infrastructure as Code using Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Experience building automated solutions for repetitive administrative or operational tasks using Python or a similar language.
• Familiarity with CI/CD and deployment frameworks, including tools like Bitbucket, GitHub, Flyway, and Liquibase.
• Active daily use of AI coding tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, or equivalent) with demonstrated judgment about when to trust, verify, and correct AI-generated output. 
• Ability to describe specific engineering tasks completed with AI assistance.

Consulting / Delivery Skills

• Experience delivering projects and managed services for external or internal clients in a professional services, consulting, or complex enterprise environment.
• Ability to break down complex, multifaceted data challenges into structured, actionable steps and drive them through to completion.
• Proven experience as a technical team lead and mentor, providing direction, coaching, and quality oversight for engineers.
• Strong client-facing written and verbal communication skills, including comfort presenting detailed technical content to executive audiences.

Collaboration & Ownership

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with distributed, cross-functional teams across platforms, applications, and organizational boundaries.
• Professional track record of creating, challenging, and improving processes and procedures to enhance delivery quality and efficiency.
• Unmatched troubleshooting and performance tuning skills, with a strong sense of ownership and follow-through.
• Presence and poise to manage the human side of delivery, including difficult conversations, while upholding a respectful and collaborative culture.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred qualifications help candidates stand out but are not required for success in this role.

• Snowflake SnowPro Core certification.
• One or more Snowflake advanced certifications.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• Experience in managed services, operations-focused roles, or similar environments supporting multiple customers simultaneously.
• Prior experience working in global or remote teams and partnering across US, LATAM, and/or India.
• Contributions to open source, technical communities, speaking, writing, or internal accelerators are a plus.

Location & Time Zone Expectations

This role is based in US and operates primarily in Central and/or Eastern time zones with significant overlap to US Central Time.

• We are a remote-first company, and you should be comfortable working with a distributed global team.
• Some flexibility may be required to collaborate across time zones with colleagues and clients.
• Client needs may occasionally require flexibility in working hours to support key milestones or workshops.

Why phData?

• Impactful Work: Partner with leading organizations on meaningful data & AI initiatives.
• Collaborative Culture: Work with a supportive, high-performing global team that values transparency, autonomy, and continuous improvement.
• Growth Opportunities: Access to challenging projects, mentorship, and structured development pathways.
• Values-Driven: We prioritize doing the right thing for our clients, our teams, and our community.

Benefits at phData

US:

• Remote-First Work Environment
• 401k plan with company match
• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance
• Home Office Equipment Stipend
• Annual stipend for Learning and Development
• Competitive comp, excellent benefits, 4 weeks PTO plan plus 10 Holidays (and other cool perks)