Senior Data Architect – Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS)

Client: Government of Alberta (GoA) – Environment & Protected Areas
Position: Data Architect
Location: Remote – Canada
Work Location: Remote; resource must work from within Canada
Maximum Rate: $100 CAD/hour
Contract Hours: 739.5 hours
Hours: 36.25 hours/week
Work Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:15 AM–4:30 PM Alberta Time, with a 1-hour lunch
Expected Interview Dates: October 20–23, 2026
Travel: None
About the Role
The Government of Alberta is modernizing how it regulates and assures environmental outcomes across the province through the Digital Regulatory Assurance System (DRAS).
DRAS supports applications, approvals, compliance, and monitoring activities that protect Alberta’s air, land, water, and biodiversity.
The Government of Alberta is seeking an experienced Data Architect to design and lead data integration between DRAS, the Databricks-based Data Management Platform, and the Alberta Geospatial Platform.
The successful candidate will define how regulatory, environmental, and spatial data is modeled, integrated, governed, secured, and delivered across these platforms. The objective is to provide trusted, timely, high-quality, and reusable data for regulators, decision-makers, and Albertans.
The Data Architect will work within a multidisciplinary Agile team consisting of data engineers, developers, GIS specialists, business analysts, and product owners.
Key Responsibilities
Data Architecture & Design

• Define and maintain the target-state data architecture for integrating DRAS, Databricks Data Management Platform, and the Alberta Geospatial Platform.
  
• Design conceptual, logical, and physical data models for regulatory, environmental, and geospatial data.
  
• Define enterprise integration patterns including:
  
  • Batch processing, Near-real-time integration, Event-driven architecture, REST/API-based integration, Change Data Capture (CDC)
    
• Design Databricks Lakehouse architecture using:
  
  • Bronze/Silver/Gold medallion architecture, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Apache Spark, PySpark, SQL
    
• Architect spatial data flows while preserving geometry, coordinate reference systems, spatial accuracy, and data integrity.
  

Data Integration & Delivery

• Lead the architecture and design of data pipelines and interfaces between enterprise systems.
  
• Work closely with data engineers, developers, GIS specialists, and technical teams during implementation.
  
• Define data contracts, API specifications, interface agreements, and integration standards.
  
• Resolve complex integration challenges involving:
  
  • Data quality, Schema changes, Latency, Data dependencies, System interoperability
    
• Translate architecture into actionable requirements and user stories within an Agile/Scrum environment.
  
• Participate in sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and other Agile ceremonies.
  

Data Governance, Security & Quality

• Establish and apply data governance practices covering:
  
  • Metadata management, Data lineage, Data classification, Master data, Reference data, Data quality
    
• Ensure architecture aligns with Government of Alberta security, privacy, information management, and records-management standards.
  
• Apply appropriate role-based access controls (RBAC) and data-sharing policies.
  
• Define data-quality rules, validation frameworks, monitoring approaches, and controls.
  
• Perform and support threat and risk assessments and provide recommendations.
  

Leadership & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as a trusted Data Architecture advisor to program leadership, product owners, business stakeholders, and technical teams.
  
• Translate complex regulatory and business requirements into effective data architecture solutions.
  
• Collaborate with Enterprise Architecture, Cybersecurity, GIS, platform teams, and other Government of Alberta ministries.
  
• Ensure architecture aligns with Government of Alberta standards, enterprise roadmaps, and technology strategies.
  
• Produce high-quality:
  
  • Architecture documents, Data models, Architecture diagrams, Decision records, Technical recommendations
    
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, planning, estimating, and presentations.
  
• Explain complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
  

Requirements

Mandatory Qualifications
Education

• College or bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, Engineering, Geomatics, or a related field.
  

Required Experience
The candidate must demonstrate the following experience within specific jobs/projects:

• 8+ years designing, planning, implementing, and supporting enterprise solutions.
  
• 8+ years documenting enterprise solution databases within an enterprise IT environment.
  
• 6+ years performing threat and risk assessments and presenting recommendations.
  
• Demonstrated experience providing leadership, planning, estimating, and presentations.
  
• 8+ years of experience applying enterprise architecture principles and associated best practices.
  
• 8+ years working as a Data Architect in an enterprise IT environment.
  
• 7+ years progressive experience in data architecture, data engineering, or data integration, including at least 3 years in a Data Architect role.
  
• Hands-on experience designing solutions using Databricks, including:
  
  • Delta Lake, Apache Spark, PySpark, SQL, Unity Catalog
    
• Strong experience with:
  
  • Relational data modelling, Dimensional data modelling, Lakehouse architecture
    
• Enterprise integration experience with:
  
  • REST APIs, ETL/ELT, Event streaming, Change Data Capture (CDC)
    
• Experience with cloud data platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, including:
  
  • Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Data Factory, Azure Event Hubs, Azure Key Vault
    
• Experience with ServiceNow Integration.
  
• Experience working with geospatial platforms and geospatial data concepts, formats, and standards.
  
• Strong understanding of:
  
  • Data governance, Metadata management, Data lineage, Data quality, Data security
    
• Experience working in Agile delivery teams.
  
• Public-sector experience, preferably within government regulatory systems or programs.
  
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
  

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• TOGAF certification.
  
• 5+ years designing and implementing enterprise architecture database plans and models.
  
• 4+ years using architecture modelling tools such as:
  
  • Power Designer, ER Studio, Similar enterprise architecture/data modelling tools
    
• 4+ years project managing application development projects using Agile/Sprint methodologies.
  
• 5+ years working with cloud computing or big-data platforms and infrastructure.
  
• 4+ years working with enterprise Business Intelligence and performance-management products.
  
• 4+ years working as a Data Architect designing and implementing enterprise database solutions.
  
• 5+ years developing SQL databases.
  
• 5+ years implementing SQL data warehouses.
  
• 5+ years querying data using Transact-SQL (T-SQL).
  
• 5+ years of Government of Alberta experience is considered a strong asset.