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The ReCover Initiative · 1 day ago

Lead Data Architect (ML+Cloud) - Independent Contractor

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Contract

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

7+ years exp

The ReCover Initiative is focused on developing deep retrofit solutions to address the climate crisis. They are seeking a Lead Data Architect to design a comprehensive data architecture and ML data pipelines for their public-facing solution, ensuring scalability, security, and maintainability.

Construction

Responsibilities

Design the end-to-end evergreen SQL data model, including schema, relationships, indexing, and storage strategy, and update logic

Architect ingestion, transformation patterns, data validation, and update pipelines for research and external industry datasets

Create data governance rules and a lightweight MDM structure (taxonomy, data lineage, naming conventions, data quality rules, Canadian AI IP)

Design ML-ready data structures, including feature stores and training datasets

Define algorithm selection considerations for the three ML-based tools

Architect the ML lifecycle: ingestion → prep → training → deployment → monitoring

Design the high-level cloud architecture for ReCover's public-facing web application

Recommend Azure services (SQL DB, Blob Storage, Data Factory, App Services, Functions, Key Vault, etc.)

Define API and integration patterns across tools and databases

Design APIs or microservices for the 3 ML tools

Establish Git-based workflow for ML pipelines, data engineering, and cloud infrastructure code

Ensure seamless integration with internal systems and third-party data sources

Design authentication, authorization, and role-based access control

Establish data privacy standards and secure storage patterns

Develop a secure access model, authentication strategy, and best practices for privacy and compliance

Produce comprehensive architecture documentation, diagrams, and developer-ready design specifications

Create a long-term maintenance and support plan for internal adoption

Lead knowledge transfer with the internal DBA and development team

Qualification

Data architectureMachine learning architectureCloud architecture (Azure)SQL/relational data modellingETL/ELT pipeline designAPI designGit/GitHub version controlDocumentation skillsSoft skills

Required

7+ years in data engineering, data architecture, and/or ML architecture

Strong SQL/relational data modelling

Strong documentation / diagramming capabilities

API design fundamentals

Experience designing ETL/ELT pipelines (feature engineering, model lifecycle)

Experience in architecting public-facing cloud applications

Proven ability to lead or support requirements discovery with non-technical users, translating business and user needs into clear architectural patterns, data structures, and technical constraints

Strong Git/GitHub version control skills, including branching strategies, code reviews, and collaborative repo management