Do you love data? Are you naturally curious and passionate?  Are you driven by enabling mission-critical business processes and data-driven decisions?   Are you pragmatic and inspired by meeting people where they are in their data journey? Want to contribute to a growing financial services company that values IT as a partner to the business? Keep reading...

As we continue to grow and add top talent to the Baird family of technical associates, we are looking for a Data Architect for our downtown Milwaukee headquarters. This is a key role on our IT Data and Analytics Team requiring a broad range of skills and the ability to step into different roles depending on the size and scope of the business need. 

The self-motivated candidate will have proven experience implementing successful data solutions on key projects in a collaborative environment.  Success will come from being able to prioritize, deliver value incrementally, problem-solve, and manage changing priorities. You will work closely with our business partners and interface with both technical and non-technical colleagues.

This is a hybrid opportunity in the Milwaukee area with 2 – 3 days onsite per week at our Headquarters.
 

As a Data Architect, you will:

General Data Management

Develop strategies and architectures to support the mission and growth of the Data and Analytics organization.Lead architectural design and strategy discussions.Learn, research, and POC new technologies.  Understand when/where various technologies would best apply to our business use cases.Where appropriate, introduce and drive new and emerging technologies to support business outcomes (e.g. Snowflake analytics environment to support various business use-cases).Articulate pros/cons of architectural design options and provide clear recommendations on preferred path/solution (e.g. cloud v. on-prem, buy v. build, relational v. dimensional, etc).Demonstrate competence, experience, knowledge, understanding, and advocacy of data management concepts, data warehousing, data integration, BI, and analytics.Demonstrate ability to perform strategic thinking by viewing initiatives both within the immediate project context as well as the overall vision.

Lead, Coach, Collaborate

Help Data and Analytics teams develop solutions that enable businesses to capitalize on business insights and drive toward gaining a competitive advantage.Mentor Data and Analytics team members while helping them to create solid data solutions.Create high-level architectures of new data environments (e.g. architecture diagrams, city maps, conceptual data models, warehouse architectures and designs, business engagement models, ELT and consumption strategies and patterns, etc.).Provide technical leadership, mentoring and awareness to IT and business team members.Recognize when Solution Architects need to be consulted, informed, or engaged.Develop best practices and communicate to teams with a focus on empowering others to implement quality value-add solutions.Proactively work with other members of the Data and Analytics team to complete high-value deliverables as identified by business partners and team leadership.Strive to understand the data integration needs of the business community, as well as the problems faced by business users involving the access and use of data.Know when to give and take for diplomatic solutions, and clearly communicate the “why” of a specific decision or approach.Seek out and apply new technologies and skills in daily work through conferences, online training, reading, participation in organizations and user groups, etc.

Data and Analytics Delivery

Specialize in data modeling, both 3NF and dimensional, with experience in conceptual, logical, physical, and industry data modeling. Strong knowledge and experience with data architecture methodologies.Apply the appropriate level of modeling theory, pattern recognition, and abstractions to design a pragmatic solution that functionally meets the business and technical requirements.Collaborate with Business Unit Data SMEs to understand current and future data and analytics goals and outcomes.Review and support the development of source-to-target mappings and transformation logic required to satisfy the business need. When needed, help the team to implement and verify end-to-end data solutions. When needed, develop test plans to ensure a quality deliverable. Participate in validation testing, and coordinate user acceptance testing and training to ensure the final implementation enables the user to solve their business problem.Continuously Improve, enhance, and support Data and Analytics standards, delivery processes, and methodologies.

What makes this opportunity great:

Information technology is a core part of Baird’s business strategy and plays a critical role in the growth and transformation of the firm.Exposure to many different technologies in both physical and cloud environments.Collaborative culture that values diverse backgrounds and perspectives while emphasizing teamwork and a strong sense of partnership.Leadership focused on the safety and engagement of the Baird IT team, staying connected through a monthly podcast with the CIO and other leaders

What we look for:

Minimum of 10 - 15 years of experience in Data and Analytics Solution delivery in a complex environment working collaboratively in a team setting.Proficient in Data Solution tools and concepts such as:Business Intelligence/Analytics tools: Alteryx, Python Microsoft tools (SQL Server Management Studio, SSRS, SSAS, SSIS, Power Pivot, Power Query, Power BI)Database: SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, ADLS, SnowflakeData Query tools: SQL, T-SQL, Azure Data StudioDiagramming tools: ER/Studio Data Architect, Miro, Visio, PowerPointData Integration tools: SSIS, Azure Data Factory, DBT, FiveTranData Warehousing concepts: Inmon, Kimball, Data Lake, Data Lakehouse, Modern Data ArchitectureData Integration concepts and strategies: EII, ETL, ELT, SOA, and EAIData Management and Quality: data mapping, data profiling, data catalog, relational data modeling, master data management, data governance, metadata management (ex. Data.World)Data Formats: csv, pipe-delimited, JSON, XML, ParquetData Latency: nightly batch, intra-day batch, API calls, near real-time, messaging, streamingApplicable CertificationsCertified Data Management Professionals (CDMP)Azure Fundamentals CertificationSnowPro Core Certification

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Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

Baird is committed to inclusion & diversity for our clients, our associates and the communities where we live and work. This commitment stems from our culture of integrity, genuine concern for others and respect for the individual. We view inclusion & diversity as an ongoing journey – one of shared responsibility, continuous improvement and a focus on progress. We invite you to join us as we work together to foster an environment where diversity unites rather than divides us. .