Principal Solutions Architect - Data

Company

Alaska Airlines

The Team

Guided by our purpose, core values, and leadership principles, we are creating an airline people love. Our corporate teams set the strategies and operational plans to ensure the success of our company. Whether we use our expertise in accounting, human resources, finance, planning, legal, marketing, or any of our operational divisions, our shared passion for travel and our guests is what motivates us to achieve excellence each day. If you share our passion for creating an airline people love, we want to hear from you.

Role Summary

The Principal Solutions Architect is a sole subject matter expert in data architecture, engineering best practices, and the Data Services technology stack. As an individual contributor, this role defines long-term strategy for the ITS Data Services Team to develop and maintain the Enterprise Data Platform. This highly autonomous, strategic role will exercise considerable latitude and initiative to shape data solution strategies, resolve technical and governance challenges, and drive innovation across the data ecosystem.

Key Duties

• Act as lead subject matter expert on data architecture, tool stack, best practices, and engineering offerings of the Data Services Team.
• Act as liaison to both internal IT teams and external Business teams on the best data architecture and solutions for ingestion patterns, consumption optimization, data security, access framework, governance, modernization, and innovation.
• Define the long-term strategy, facilitate implementation, and document technologies, products, and/or systems involved in data solutions; sometimes while negotiating short-term solutions to remove blockers.
• Collaborate closely with business and technical stakeholders to design scalable, secure, and maintainable data solutions that align with enterprise standards and strategic objectives.
• Communicate and reinforce technical guidance, in partnership with Principal/Senior engineers, to maintain current technology standards and guidelines; prescribe modifications where needed; and ensure new efforts fit within the overall strategies.
• Explore, evaluate, recommend, and act as the lead subject matter in emerging technology trends and proof-of-concept efforts.
• Steers technical architecture assessments of potential technologies.
• Develop and influence decisions across the company and several levels up for improvements to technology architectures, including cost analyses.
• Participate in Analytics stakeholder workshops to help build Data products per IT SDLC standards.
• Manage solution designs, technical specifications, methodologies, processes, and IT technical guidelines.
• Drive resolution and coordination with internal Data Services team on complex projects across all domains.

Job-Specific Experience, Education & Skills

Required

• 7 years of experience in data engineering, big data platforms, and analytics, including independent work on large-scale data architectures or related area.
• Bachelor’s degree, or an additional two years of relevant training/experience in lieu of this degree.
• Demonstrated experience architecting, implementing, and creating complex technology solutions.
• Proven experience in quickly learning new technologies and methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability in effectively communicating technical concepts to a wide variety of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and solve complex business and technical challenges.
• Strong background in Data Warehousing, relational databases, noSQL databases, the nuances of batch vs real-time data, Databricks, Apache Spark and distributed computing, Oracle, SQL Server, understand the fundamentals of Inmon vs Kimball methodology, ODS, analytics vs transactional data systems, data security, and data access frameworks.
• Demonstrated understanding of standard data ingestion, consumption patterns, and all that Productionization of a data product entail.
• Experience with business requirements gathering/analysis techniques.
• Highly organized with a demonstrated systematic approach to carrying out assignments.
• Experience producing proofs of concept with different technologies to accurately arrive at working solution to a defined opportunity.
• Needs to be able to work with Business and engineers alike.
• Strong strategic thinking skills.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• High levels of curiosity, initiative, integrity, and flexibility.
• Minimum age of 18.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Preferred

• Strong background in technologies such as Apache Spark, data lakes, and distributed computing.
• Demonstrated experience with technical project delivery, including managing project scope and timelines.
• TOGAF.
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert.
• Databricks Certifications: Generative AI, Engineering Fundamentals, Azure Platform Architect.
• A broad set of experiences with different technical/software architectures.
• Experience working using Agile methodology.
• Deep technical expertise with strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Adept at understanding complex business domains and translating them into robust data architectures that meet requirements for quality, performance, and security.

Job-Specific Leadership Expectations

Embody our values to own safety, do the right thing, be caring and kind, and deliver performance.

Starting Rate

Salary Range

$138,500 - $207,750 / year

Bonus

Salary Details

Pay will be based on multiple factors, including and not limited to location, relevant experience/level and skillset while balancing internal equity relative to other Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon employees. Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon is committed to fair, unbiased compensation along with competitive benefits in all locations in which we operate.

 

Note: We don’t typically hire at the top of the range.

Total Rewards

Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air pay and benefits can vary by company, location, number of regularly scheduled hours worked, length of employment, and employment status.

 

• Free stand-by travel privileges on Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air
• Comprehensive well-being programs including medical, dental and vision benefits
• Generous 401k match program
• Quarterly and annual bonus plans
• Generous holiday and paid time off 

For more information about Alaska/Hawaiian/Horizon Total Rewards please visit our career site and view benefits.

Regulatory Information

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement  

It is the policy of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment and to ensure equal opportunity in all terms, conditions, and benefits of employment or potential employment.   

 

We also prohibit discrimination and harassment against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories.  

 

We have established an EEO Compliance Program under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Section 503”) and the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (“VEVRAA”).  All applicants and employees are treated without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. In addition, we have established an audit and reporting system to allow for effective measurement of its equal employment opportunity activities.   

 

To implement this policy, we will: 

 

(1) Recruit, hire, train and promote qualified persons in all job titles, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and any other legally protected categories; (2) Ensure that employment decisions are based only on valid job requirements; and (3) Ensure that all personnel actions and employment activities such as compensation, benefits, promotions, layoffs, return from layoff, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air sponsored programs, and tuition assistance will be administered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information and other legally protected categories. 

 

Employees and applicants for employment will not be subjected to harassment, intimidation, threats, coercion or discrimination because they have engaged or may engage in (1) filing a complaint, (2) opposing any act or practice made unlawful by, or exercising any other right protected by, any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity, including Section 503 and the equal opportunity provisions of VEVRAA, or (3) assisting or participating in any investigation, compliance evaluation, hearing, or any other activity related to the administration of any Federal, State or local law requiring equal opportunity, including Section 503 and the equal opportunity provisions  of VEVRAA. 

 

Government Contractor & Department of Transportation (DOT) Regulations Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines & Horizon Air are regulated by the Department of Transportation (DOT – regulations, 49 CFR part 40) and all applicants are advised that post-offer and/or pre-employment drug testing will be conducted to determine the presence of marijuana, cocaine, opioids, phencyclidine (PCP) and amphetamines or a metabolite of these drugs prior to any offer or employment or transfer into a safety-sensitive position. Failure to submit to testing or positive indications of drug use will render the applicant ineligible for employment with Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines/Horizon Air and any employment offer will be withdrawn. 

FLSA Status

Exempt

Employment Type

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

Requisition Type

Management

Location

Seattle - Hub

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