Data Architect

Location: New York, NY

Department: Technology

ABOUT VAYNERX

VaynerX (https://vaynerx.com) is the most contemporary family of companies, working together to build and grow brands. Subsidiaries include VaynerMedia, Eva Nosidam Productions, The Sasha Group, Gallery Media Group, Tingley Lane Trading, VaynerSpeakers, and VaynerCommerce.

ABOUT VAYNERMEDIA 

VaynerMedia is a contemporary global creative and media agency with an expertise in driving relevance for clients and delivering impactful business results. The independently-owned company was founded in 2009 by Gary Vaynerchuk, and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Mexico City, London, Amsterdam, Singapore, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Tokyo, and Sydney. VaynerMedia has been recognized for its work at Cannes Lions, the Clio Awards and The Webby Awards. It is part of the VaynerX family of companies.

In a Nutshell

We're looking for a Data Architect who thrives on building something from the ground up. Not maintaining what already works—but creating the foundation that transforms how an organization uses data.

Our data infrastructure is at an exciting inflection point. We're evolving from fragmented data systems to a unified, trusted platform that empowers decision-making across the organization. This is your opportunity to design the target-state architecture, establish governance frameworks, implement best practices, and build the systems that enable true self-service analytics.

You'll be joining a lean, high-performing team and working closely with stakeholders across Finance, Work Management, and Reporting functions. This role combines strategic architecture design with hands-on implementation—you'll define the vision and build it.

This isn't a role where you'll be handed a roadmap and told to execute. You'll create the roadmap. You'll make consequential decisions. You'll establish credibility through delivered results. And you'll get your hands dirty implementing what you design—because in a growing team, architects who only strategize don't create impact.

If you've successfully built data architecture from scratch or led transformation initiatives, if you can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, and if you'd rather build something new than maintain something established—this is your role.

What You'd Do

Design & Build

• Design target-state architecture for our Snowflake data warehouse, defining schema structures, data layers, naming conventions, and quality standards
• Implement data models that balance performance, scalability, and business needs
• Build reusable frameworks, pipeline templates, and quality checks that accelerate development
• Create comprehensive documentation—architecture diagrams, data flows, standards guides, and data dictionaries

Establish Governance

• Define data governance framework including ownership models, policies, and processes
• Establish architecture review process ensuring new data products meet standards and align with overall strategy
• Create and maintain business glossary with standardized definitions for key metrics and terms
• Partner with application administrators (NetSuite, Salesforce, HiBob, etc.) to optimize data quality at source systems

Enable & Scale

• Build searchable data catalog enabling self-service data discovery
• Implement semantic layer defining business metrics consistently across all tools
• Create data products (Customer 360, Financial Performance, Campaign Analytics) serving specific business needs
• Train stakeholders on self-service capabilities and best practices
• Define and monitor SLAs for critical data pipelines

Collaborate & Lead

• Work hands-on with SQL, Python, and Snowflake—implementing the architecture you design
• Partner with Finance, Work Management, and Reporting teams to understand requirements and deliver solutions
• Review and approve architecture decisions for new data products
• Mentor team members on architectural patterns and best practices
• Build trust through clear communication, delivered commitments, and measurable improvements

What You've Got

The Non-Negotiables

• You've built data architecture from scratch or led transformation initiatives. You've been the person who established standards, created governance, and designed scalable systems. You can point to specific examples where you did this.
• You're hands-on. You write SQL and Python. You build pipelines. You don't just design—you implement. You're comfortable in Snowflake (or similar cloud data warehouses) and can architect and execute.
• You build trust with stakeholders. You've worked with business users and earned their confidence through communication, delivery, and visible improvements. You explain technical concepts without the jargon.
• You thrive in growing teams. You're self-directed, wear multiple hats, and create structure where it doesn't exist. Ambiguity energizes you rather than paralyzes you.
• You're pragmatic. You balance ideal architecture with business realities. You prioritize ruthlessly and deliver iteratively. You know when good enough is good enough.

Technical Expertise

• Snowflake mastery (or equivalent cloud data warehouse like BigQuery, Redshift). You understand warehouses, compute, storage optimization, and how to design for scale.
• Data modeling expertise. You know dimensional modeling, normalization, slowly changing dimensions, and when to use which approach. You design clean, performant schemas.
• Modern data stack experience. You've worked with ETL/ELT tools like Matillion, Fivetran, Airbyte, Alteryx, or dbt. You understand orchestration (Airflow or similar). You know how the pieces fit together.
• Strong SQL and Python. You write complex queries, create efficient transformations, and script automation. You can code your way through challenges.
• AWS knowledge (strongly preferred). Our infrastructure lives in AWS and understanding cloud services is valuable.

Who You Are

• Exceptional communicator. You translate complex technical concepts into language stakeholders understand. You write clear documentation. You build consensus.
• Systems thinker. You see how everything connects. You understand downstream impacts. You design for the whole, not just the parts.
• Change agent. You drive adoption of new standards and processes. You influence effectively. You make things happen.
• Builder mentality. You get energy from creating new systems and solving complex problems. Greenfield opportunities excite you.
• Quality-focused but practical. You care about doing things right, but you also ship. You deliver value iteratively.

Bonus Points

• Experience with enterprise systems like NetSuite (Finance/Accounting), HiBob (HR), Salesforce (CRM), or similar platforms
• You've implemented data catalogs, semantic layers, or data mesh concepts
• You've led data governance initiatives from inception
• Experience with BI tools (we use Tableau)