SME Data Architect - USASOC CDAO

As an SME Data Architect at Kentro, you will provide senior-level technical leadership in the design, development, integration, and governance of enterprise data architectures for the Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) data and analytics initiative. You will work onsite in Fayetteville, NC, leveraging the Palantir Foundry platform to enable advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and operational decision-making. You will partner with government stakeholders, data engineers, software engineers, data scientists, and mission partners to translate complex operational requirements into scalable and secure data solutions.

What you'll do

• Serve as a senior technical authority and Subject Matter Expert for enterprise data architecture supporting CDAO mission objectives.
• Design and implement scalable, secure, and interoperable data architectures supporting analytics, AI/ML, and operational use cases.
• Develop and maintain enterprise data models, data flows, schemas, data products, and architectural standards.
• Design and implement data solutions within Palantir Foundry, including data pipelines, datasets, transformations, and ontology-based data models.
• Develop and maintain Palantir Ontology structures that accurately represent mission-relevant entities, relationships, actions, and business processes.
• Integrate data from diverse structured and unstructured sources across enterprise, cloud, and operational environments.
• Define data ingestion, transformation, integration, storage, and distribution patterns.
• Evaluate existing data architectures and identify opportunities to improve scalability, performance, interoperability, data quality, and accessibility.
• Establish and enforce data architecture principles, standards, patterns, and best practices.
• Collaborate with data engineers and software developers to ensure architecture is translated effectively into production solutions.
• Partner with data scientists and AI/ML teams to ensure data architectures support model development, experimentation, deployment, and operationalization.
• Support development of data products that provide trusted, reusable, and discoverable data to mission users and applications.
• Develop strategies for data governance, lineage, metadata management, quality, security, and access control.
• Ensure data solutions align with DoD cybersecurity, security classification, data governance, and enterprise architecture requirements.
• Support integration of data across multiple organizations, mission systems, and security domains.
• Translate complex technical and mission requirements into practical architectural solutions and implementation plans.
• Produce architecture diagrams, technical documentation, interface specifications, data models, and other engineering artifacts.
• Identify technical risks, dependencies, and integration challenges and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to data engineers, developers, and other technical personnel.
• Brief technical solutions and recommendations to senior government and contractor leadership.

What you bring

• A Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience in data architecture, enterprise architecture, data engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale data architectures.
• Strong hands-on experience with Palantir Foundry and its data architecture capabilities.
• Experience developing or implementing Palantir Ontology and ontology-driven data solutions.
• Strong understanding of data modeling, including conceptual, logical, and physical data models.
• Experience designing data pipelines and integrating data from multiple heterogeneous sources.
• Strong knowledge of modern data architecture patterns, including data lakes, data warehouses, data lakehouses, APIs, event-driven architectures, and distributed data systems.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms and architectures, preferably AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience with SQL and one or more programming languages commonly used in data engineering, such as Python, Java, or Scala.
• Experience with data governance, metadata, data lineage, data quality, and data security.
• Demonstrated ability to translate mission and business requirements into technical architecture.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to brief technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in Department of Defense, Federal Government, or other highly regulated environments.
• Active TS clearance.
• US citizenship.

Nice to have

• Experience supporting DoD CDAO programs or other DoD data/AI initiatives.
• Experience supporting Palantir Foundry deployments within DoD environments.
• Experience with Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) data architectures.
• Experience developing data products and reusable data services.
• Experience with Palantir AIP (Artificial Intelligence Platform) and/or AI-enabled workflows.
• Experience with Kubernetes, containers, APIs, microservices, or distributed systems.
• Familiarity with DoD data standards, enterprise architecture frameworks, and interoperability requirements.
• Experience with classified or controlled-access environments.
• Experience working with data across multiple security classifications or enclaves.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust architecture and data security principles.
• Experience with DevSecOps and CI/CD practices.
• Experience with data cataloging, metadata management, and enterprise data governance platforms.
• Palantir certifications or demonstrated advanced Palantir platform expertise.

What we offer

• Competitive benefits package including paid time off and healthcare benefits.
• Supplemental benefits and 401k with employer match.
• Education reimbursement for certifications, degrees, or professional development.
• Discount perks and rewards.
• Support for continuous professional development and networking.

About Kentro

Kentro (IT Concepts dba Kentro) is a trusted technology solutions provider serving the Department of Defense and Federal Government. The company holds three ISO certifications (27001:2013, 20000-1:2011, 9001:2015), two CMMI ML 3 ratings (DEV and SVC), and CMMC Level 2 Certification. Kentro has been recognized as one of Inc 5000's Fastest Growing Private Companies and a Virginia Best Place to Work.