Data Architect

• Design end‑to‑end data architectures on Azure, covering ingestion, storage, processing, serving and governance.

• Shape Lakehouse / data platform blueprints using technologies such as Azure Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Lake, Azure Synapse, Azure Data Factory.

• Translate business objectives and requirements into architectural roadmaps, target architectures and transition steps.

• Evaluate and position Databricks vs Microsoft Fabric vs other Azure components depending on the client context and use cases.

• Define reference patterns (e.g. medallion architecture, CDC patterns, data sharing, semantic layers) and promote them across projects.

• Collaborate with cloud architects, security, and domain experts to ensure solutions are aligned with enterprise standards and constraints.

• Work closely with data engineers, analytics engineers, BI developers and data scientists to make architecture real.

• Provide guidance on data modeling (dimensional modeling / star schema, data vault, operational models) and data product design.

• Review solution designs, pipelines and models, and help troubleshoot complex issues when needed.

• Define and promote data governance principles (ownership, cataloguing, lineage, metadata, classification).

• Work with security teams to implement secure-by-design architectures (RBAC, least privilege, PII/PHI handling, encryption).

• Advocate and help implement data quality and observability practices (DQ checks, monitoring, alerting).

• Stay close to the technology by building proofs of concept, reference implementations and accelerators.

• Use tools like Databricks (PySpark, SQL), Fabric Lakehouses, Notebooks, Data Pipelines, Power BI to validate patterns and decisions.

• Contribute to internal frameworks and reusable components that speed up delivery and increase quality.

• Actively contribute to the Data & AI community within adesso (Belgium and Netherlands): knowledge sharing, talks, brown bags, internal documentation.

• Support pre-sales activities: contribute to proposals, estimates and solution designs; join client workshops and architecture discussions.

• Mentor data engineers and other team members who want to grow towards architecture roles.

Azure databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Apache Spark, Azure Synapse, Azure Data Lake, Azure Data Factory, Python, PySpark, SQL

You don’t need to tick every box, but you recognize yourself in most of the following:

• Solid experience designing and implementing data solutions on Azure, with exposure to Databricks and/or Microsoft Fabric.

• Strong understanding of modern data platform and Lakehouse concepts (medallion architecture, Delta/Parquet, OneLake, Lakehouses, semantic models).

• Strong data modeling skills for analytics: dimensional modeling / star schema is a must; data vault or 3NF is a plus.

• Hands‑on background in data engineering (SQL, Python/PySpark, ETL/ELT, orchestration) and comfort diving into technical details when needed.

• Familiarity with Power BI or similar analytics tools, and how architecture impacts reporting, self‑service BI and semantic models.

• Understanding of CI/CD, DevOps and infrastructure‑as‑code practices (Azure DevOps, GitHub, Terraform/Bicep) in the context of data platforms.

• Knowledge of data governance, security and compliance in the cloud (RBAC, DLP, lineage, catalog, audit) and how to embed them into architecture.

• You enjoy working with stakeholders from both business and IT, and you can challenge and clarify requirements.

• You can explain architectural options, trade‑offs and decisions in a clear and structured way, adapted to your audience.

• You are comfortable facilitating workshops and guiding teams through architectural choices.

• You are proactive, pragmatic and solution‑oriented: you balance “good architecture” with delivery constraints.

• You communicate fluently in French and/or Dutch and are fluent in English. (both written & spoken)

• This position requires current residency and work authorization in Belgium; relocation from other continents cannot be accommodated.

• A key role in shaping the Data & AI practice in Belgium, with direct impact on our reference architectures, methods and technology choices.

• Close collaboration with our Dutch Data & AI team and the wider adesso group, giving you access to a broad community of experts and proven accelerators.

• A personal development plan, training budget and support for Azure, Databricks and Microsoft certifications.

• Opportunities to grow towards Lead Data Architect, Practice Lead, or specialized roles (e.g. platform architecture, governance, MLOps) depending on your ambitions.

• A people‑oriented culture focused on collaboration, trust and entrepreneurship.

• Short decision lines and the possibility to influence the technologies, standards and methods we adopt.

• A hybrid way of working with a healthy balance between client‑site, office and home.