Data Architect
Data Architect Job Family
The Data Architect job family is focused on designing and governing the enterprise-wide data analytics architecture that enables efficient data movement, storage, processing, and consumption across GitLab’s Data Platform. This role combines strategic architectural thinking with deep technical expertise to establish and maintain data architecture standards, patterns, and practices that support business objectives while ensuring data quality, security, compliance and scalability.
Data Architect
Job Grade
The Data Architect is a grade 6 and reports to the Director, Data Platform.
Responsibilities
- Design and document data architectures across enterprise systems including Snowflake, dbt, Airflow, and various data sources
- Architect data pipeline patterns for different source systems (using technology like Stitch, Fivetran, custom Python pipelines, Snowpipe)
- Create and maintain data flow architectures between source systems, the data platform and downstream systems
- Define architectural standards for data extraction patterns (full refresh, incremental loads)
- Design schema structures and warehouse organization following GitLab’s multi-layer approach
- Work with Data Engineers on implementing efficient ELT patterns
- Support the development of data quality frameworks and testing strategies
- Contribute to data warehouse compute resource optimization
- Collaborate with Business Systems Owners and various other business partners to translate requirements into data architecture solutions
- Advise on data governance implementation from an architectural perspective
- Design and document security patterns for data access and masking
- Create and maintain architecture documentation in GitLab
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or related field; or equivalent experience
- 2+ years data architecture experience
- Strong understanding of data warehouse architecture and Snowflake
- Knowledge of data modeling principles and dimensional modeling
- Experience with data pipeline architectures and ETL/ELT processes
- Understanding of data quality and testing frameworks
- Experience with cloud data platforms and services
- Knowledge of data security principles
- Experience with GitLab and open source software
- Share our values and work in accordance with those values
- Aptitude to thrive in a fully remote organization
Senior Data Architect
Job Grade
The Senior Data Architect is a grade 7 and reports to the Director, Data Platform.
Responsibilities
Extends the Data Architect responsibilities:
- Lead data initiatives from an architectural perspective
- Design scalable data pipeline architectures for high-volume data sources
- Establish architectural standards for data quality and testing within the Trusted Data Framework
- Create architectural patterns for data deduplication and data quality management
- Design role-based access control patterns for secure data access
- Architect complex data integration patterns between enterprise systems
- Define standards for warehouse configuration and resource allocation
- Create architecture recommendations and implement them
- Perform technical job interviews
- Guide implementation of data quality testing frameworks
- Ship large architectural initiatives independently
- Contribute to data platform roadmap development
Requirements
- 5+ years of data architecture experience
- Deep expertise in data modeling and warehouse architecture
- Strong knowledge of data governance frameworks
- Expertise in Snowflake architecture and best practices
- Experience designing ELT pipelines with dbt
- Knowledge of data orchestration with Airflow
- Understanding of regulatory compliance
- Experience with streaming data architectures
- Strong technical leadership and mentorship skills
Staff Data Architect
Job Grade
The Staff Data Architect is a grade 8 and reports to the Director, Data Platform.
Responsibilities
Extends the Senior Data Architect responsibilities:
- Drive strategic data architecture decisions
- Contribute to the data strategy aligned with business objectives
- Lead data initiatives
- Establish standards for data platform components including:
- Pipeline orchestration patterns
- Warehouse organization and optimization
- Data modeling approaches
- Testing frameworks
- Security controls
- Design architectural patterns for the Trusted Data Framework
- Create standards for data quality monitoring and alerting
- Mentor and develop data architecture team
- Solve complex technical problems around data scalability and performance
- Define long-range architectural goals
- Drive innovation in data architecture practices
- Guide cross-functional initiatives
- Review our the Data Platform effectiveness in meeting the business needs and suggesting on new capabilities to leverage.
- Supports in driving technology investments and decisions around it
Requirements
- 5-8 years of data architecture experience
- Deep expertise in modern data architectures
- Strong understanding of business value of data
- Experience architecting large-scale data platforms
- Proven track record of implementing architectural standards
- Strong communication and leadership skills
Principal Data Architect
Job Grade
The Principal Data Architect is a grade 9 and reports to the Director, Data Platform.
Responsibilities
Extends the Staff Data Architect responsibilities:
- Translate GitLab vision into strategic data architecture
- Lead data platform transformation initiatives
- Establish data standards framework incorporating:
- Data ingestion patterns
- Processing frameworks
- Storage optimization
- Access controls
- Quality management
- Guide cross-functional data initiatives
- Influence executive decisions on data strategy
- Keep up with next-generation data platform capabilities
- Address complex technical challenges
- Lead architecture design processes
- Blend technical and product strategy
- Work with data governance team to establish architectural guardrails
- Drive technology investments and decisions around it
Requirements
- 8-12 years of data architecture experience
- Proven leadership in data initiatives
- Track record of successful platform transformations
- Deep expertise in modern data patterns
- Strong influence and leadership skills
- Experience leading large-scale architectural transformations
Distinguished Data Architect
Job Grade
The Distinguished Data Architect is a grade 10 and reports to the Director, Data Platform.
Responsibilities
Extends the Principal Data Architect responsibilities:
- Drive organizational data strategy
- Lead data transformation initiatives
- Provide architectural guidance on technology decisions, platform investments, and infrastructure choices to leadership
- Guide long-term data architecture vision
- Establish architecture best practices
- Drive innovation in data platform capabilities
- Lead data architecture thought leadership
- Mentor and develop data profesionals
- Represent GitLab in industry forums
Requirements
- 12+ years of data architecture experience
- Recognized industry thought leader
- Track record of transformative initiatives
- Deep expertise across data domains
- Strong executive presence
- History of leading industry-defining architectural initiatives
About GitLab
GitLab Inc. is a company based on the GitLab open-source project. GitLab is a community project to which over 2,200 people worldwide have contributed. We are an active participant in this community, trying to serve its needs and lead by example. We have one vision: everyone can contribute to all digital content, and our mission is to change all creative work from read-only to read-write so that everyone can contribute.
We value results, transparency, sharing, freedom, efficiency, self-learning, frugality, collaboration, directness, kindness, diversity, inclusion and belonging, boring solutions, and quirkiness. If these values match your personality, work ethic, and personal goals, we encourage you to visit our primer to learn more. Open source is our culture, our way of life, our story, and what makes us truly unique.
Top 10 Reasons to Work for GitLab:
- Mission: Everyone can contribute
- Results: Fast growth, ambitious vision
- Flexible Work Hours: Plan your day so you are there for other people & have time for personal interests
- Transparency: Over 2,000 webpages in GitLab handbook, GitLab Unfiltered YouTube channel
- Iteration: Empower people to be effective & have an impact, Merge Request rate, We dogfood our own product, Directly responsible individuals
- Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging: A focus on gender parity, Team Member Resource Groups, other initiatives
- Collaboration: Kindness, saying thanks, intentionally organize informal communication, no ego
- Total Rewards: Competitive market rates for compensation, Equity compensation, global benefits (inclusive of office equipment)
- Work/Life Harmony: Flexible workday, Family and Friends days
- Remote Done Right: One of the world's largest all-remote companies, prolific inventor of remote best practices
See our culture page for more!
Work remotely from anywhere in the world. Curious to see what that looks like? Check out our remote manifesto and guides.
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