Snowflake Data Architect

Snowflake Data Architect
Remote

Long Term Contract

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Snowflake Data Architect to support Ciscos enterprise data modernization and cloud analytics initiatives. The ideal candidate will be responsible for designing scalable Snowflake data platforms defining data ingestion frameworks optimizing cloud data pipelines and establishing strong data governance and security best practices. This role requires deep hands-on experience with Snowflake cloud platforms data architecture best practices and end-to-end data engineering across large-scale distributed environments.

Key Responsibilities

1. Snowflake Platform Architecture

• Design architect and implement large-scale Snowflake environments for enterprise analytics.
• Develop scalable data models warehouse schemas (Star/Snowflake) and data vault structures.
• Implement Snowflake features including Virtual Warehouses Cloning Zero-Copy Data Sharing Streams and Tasks.
• Optimize Storage Compute Clusters Micro-Partitions and Query Performance.

2. Data Pipeline & Integration

• Architect and implement end-to-end cloud data pipelines using:
  • Snowflake Snowpipe
  • Kafka / Event Streaming
  • Python Spark DBT or Informatica / Matillion
• Design ELT/ETL workflows for structured semi-structured and streaming data sources.
• Ensure robust ingestion of data from multiple Cisco internal systems (ERP CRM Network Logs IoT datasets etc.).

3. Cloud Architecture & Security

• Work with AWS/GCP/Azure (Cisco environment may vary by BU) to configure:
  • IAM integrations
  • Networking and connectivity
  • Role-based access and security models
  • Data masking encryption and governance
• Implement Snowflake RBAC OAuth SSO SAML and auditing mechanisms.

4. Data Governance & Quality

• Implement metadata management lineage cataloging and governance processes.
• Define standards for data quality validation and monitoring.
• Collaborate with Ciscos data governance teams to enforce compliance and best practices.

5. Stakeholder Interaction

• Work closely with Cisco business analytics security and engineering teams.
• Translate business requirements into scalable data architecture solutions.
• Participate in architecture reviews roadmap creation and cross-team collaboration.

Required Skills and Experience

• 10 years of experience in Data Engineering / Data Architecture.
• 4 6 years of strong hands-on experience with Snowflake.
• Expertise in SQL (advanced) performance tuning and optimization.
• Experience with ETL/ELT tools (DBT Informatica Matillion Airflow PySpark).
• Strong Python skills for pipeline development and automation.
• Experience designing large-scale cloud architectures (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Strong understanding of MPP systems micro-partitioning caching compute scaling.
• Experience with CI/CD for data pipelines (Git Terraform Jenkins Azure DevOps).
• Hands-on experience with semi-structured data: JSON Parquet Avro ORC.
• Understanding of data modeling techniques: OLTP OLAP Kimball Data Vault.
• Experience integrating with APIs REST and real-time streaming systems.

Preferred Skills

• Snowflake SnowPro Architect / SnowPro Core Certification.
• Experience with Cisco environments or large network/IoT data pipelines.
• Familiarity with AI/ML workflows and feature store architecture.
• Experience with Looker/Tableau/Power BI for consumption layer support.