Senior Data Architect I

You Lead the Way. We’ve Got Your Back.

With the right backing, people and businesses have the power to progress in incredible ways. When you join Team Amex, you become part of a global and diverse community of colleagues with an unwavering commitment to back our customers, communities and each other. Here, you’ll learn and grow as we help you create a career journey that’s unique and meaningful to you with benefits, programs, and flexibility that support you personally and professionally.

At American Express, you’ll be recognized for your contributions, leadership, and impact—every colleague has the opportunity to share in the company’s success. Together, we’ll win as a team, striving to uphold our company values and powerful backing promise to provide the world’s best customer experience every day. And we’ll do it with the utmost integrity, and in an environment where everyone is seen, heard and feels like they belong.

Join Team Amex and let's lead the way together.

About Enterprise Architecture:

Enterprise Architecture is an organization within the Chief Technology Office at American Express and it is a key enabler of the company’s technology strategy. The four pillars of Enterprise Architecture include:

• Architecture as Code: this pillar owns and operates foundational technologies that are leveraged by engineering teams across the enterprise.

• Architecture as Design: this pillar includes the solution and technical design for transformation programs and business critical projects which need architectural guidance and support.

• Governance: this pillar is responsible for defining technical standards, and developing innovative tools that automate controls to ensure compliance.

• Colleague Enablement: this pillar is focused on colleague development, recognition, training, and enterprise outreach.

Key Responsibilities:

• Performs enterprise and platform-specific aspects of data strategy and data architecture in alignment with platform blueprints for assigned applications, including leading data governance initiatives, developing prototypes, promoting adoption of new database management systems, DBMS functionality and related tools as applicable

• Owns metadata management and creation of logical data architecture for technology platforms that meets enterprise data governance and standards

• Provides data architecture services to projects crafting, extending or maintaining databases, data warehouses and data marts

• Performs transformation of logical data architectures into physical data designs on large or complex systems, according to database design best practices and standards

• Participates in development of plans and strategies, best practices, and standards related to data management processes, data products, data security and programs

• Functions as leading member of an agile team and helps drive consistent data strategy and data architecture practices related to platform

• Publish data models for developer consumption in an easy to use format for technology platforms

• Publish data standards and ensure alignment to standard in project delivery for technology platforms

• Typically spends 60% of time in data strategy and data architecture development and remainder of time collaborating with partners through ongoing product/platform releases

• Communicates and works collaboratively with business and product teams to support changes and implementation

• Works with product team to prioritize features for ongoing sprints and leading a list of data requirements based on industry trends, new technologies, known defects, and issues

• Crafts and/or uses System-of-Records (SORs) and identify data reuse

• Contributes to decisions about tools, methods and approaches

• Finds opportunities to embrace innovative technologies. Stays current with the evolving database landscape across the Industry.

• Works closely with product owners on blueprints and annual planning of feature sets that impact multiple platforms and product

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

8+ years of data architecture and database development experience in a professional environment and/or comparable experience such as:

• Demonstrated experience leading teams of Data Engineers and Data Architects

• Hands on expertise in developing data architecture for applications utilizing one or more database management systems (e.g. DB2 zOS, Cassandra, Couch, Oracle, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Netezza, Hadoop, MapR) as appropriate

• Experience with distributed (multi-tiered) systems, algorithms, and application development

• Experience with database development and support of OLTP and/or OLAP systems

• Experience with NOSQL design and flexible schema definitions with variety of products (MongoDB, Cassandra, HBase etc)

• Experience with Cloud Native database design and implementation (BigQuery etc.)

• Leads development of data strategy and data architecture for database solution of large systems

• Proven expertise in data governance practices to promote a consistent and robust enterprise data architecture utilizing tools such as Collibra

• Strong analytical skills with a demonstrable ability to understand and document business data requirements in complete, accurate, extensible and flexible logical data models using data modeling tools – ErStudio, ErWin for large technology platforms

• Able to come up with Conceptual and Logical Data Models at Enterprise, Business Unit/Domain Levels

• Able to facilitate discussions between Technology and business people, recognize issues of conflict and inconsistency between data requirements and pursue a resolution of these issues

• Evaluates and undertakes impact analysis on major design options for databases and assesses and leads associated risks

• Participates in modification and maintenance of data structures and associated components according to logical and physical design structures across company platforms

• Expertise in Metadata Management and Database Management concepts

• Partners with Sr. Engineers, Sr. Data Engineers and Sr. Data Architects to craft platform level data strategy, data architecture, data models and database designs

• Takes technical responsibility for all stages in the data architecture development process of the large system

• Takes part in reviews of own work and leads reviews of colleagues' work

• Has working knowledge of the range of tools used in the planning, analyzing, crafting, building, testing, configuring and maintaining of assigned application(s)

• Able to participate in assigned team’s software delivery methodology (Agile, Scrum, Agile XP, Test-Driven Development, etc.)

• Understands and has practical experience with infrastructure technologies and components like servers, jvms and networking concepts

• Application of industry best practices, processes and standards

• Identifies a number of ways to do things differently that will continuously improve the product

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer science engineering, or related field required; advanced degree preferred

We back our colleagues and their loved ones with benefits and programs that support their holistic well-being. That means we prioritize their physical, financial, and mental health through each stage of life. Benefits include:

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities

American Express is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other status protected by law.

Offer of employment with American Express is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background verification check, subject to applicable laws and regulations.