Data Architect

Job Description

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us.  Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

As a member of K&L Gates' IT Department, the Data System Architect designs data structures and data infrastructure for authorized data extraction and organization. This role involves identifying internal and external data sources, collaborating with departments to determine data usage needs, and creating infrastructure, pipelines, and transformations that supports business objectives.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The Data System Architect will report to the Data Scientist and work closely with the Global Information Technology Teams. Establishing relationships with other departments, IT peers, IT architects, directors, executives, and external vendors is necessary. Additionally, the Data System Architect will work with cross-functional teams from Business Development, Finance, HR, Reporting, and Records to ensure alignment and integration of data initiatives.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES
• Facilitates collaboration with data stakeholders to understand the Firm’s data sources and uses this information to enhance the firm’s data strategy as specified in the firm's roadmap for data initiatives.
• Serves as a member of a high-performing data team to support and enhance business decision capabilities.
• Develops, implements and maintains data architectures, standards, and data-driven strategies that enables the Firm to enhance business operations by leveraging data to improve decision making, to enrich AI solutions, and enhance reporting capabilities.
• Lead the architectural design, development, prototyping, and implementation of scalable, reliable, robust, and secure data pipelines.
• Participate and manage requirements gathering process – collect, review, analyze, evaluate, estimate, prioritize and document business requirements and needs for data in supported initiatives.
• Innovation involves integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning into the development process while considering potential future applications of AI in product design.
• Collaborate with other architects and data teams to ensure consistency and interoperability across the entire technology landscape.
• Conduct regular performance assessments to identify performance and process bottlenecks in data applications/code/SaaS/workflow solutions and implement optimizations to enhance system efficiency.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation of architectural and data designs, decisions, and guidelines.
• Ensure data science outputs and solutions are best of breed and effective for the day-to-day business operations.
• Design and implement data insight products and services that can be operationalized at scale, enabling other teams and departments to leverage them effectively.
• Collaborate with the other elements of the firm’s data function, including data discovery, knowledge, and data services to drive the firm’s data initiatives.
• Serves as a solutions expert by developing, implementing, supporting, troubleshooting, and updating/modifying applications, software, code, workflow, and pipelines.
• Confirms and implements solutions that prioritize system stability, reliability, and scalability, aligned with the firm's goals over individual client or user preferences.
• Stays informed about industry trends and emerging technologies, incorporating them into the architectural vision of applications/SaaS/code/workflow solutions.
• Designs the data platform with the goal of creating a unified data ecosystem by including the pertinent data patterns and points from firm systems.
• Facilitates the enforcement of the firm’s data governance and security policies by designing systems and procedures to ensure enterprise-level compliance with data strategy.
• Works with the quality assurance team to assist and define testing efforts, including creating test plans/scripts and conducting functional testing. Also, help coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT), basic Quality Assurance (QA) testing, and end-user testing of business functions and applications.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES
• Act as an exemplary Enterprise Applications Team member by fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, compliance with enterprise processes, and a commitment to achieving results.
• Enhance your career by engaging in self-training, attending professional development sessions, and participating in industry seminars to keep abreast of technology and industry trends.
• Participates as an influential member of the cross-departmental Data Control Board.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development and engineering teams, ensuring adherence to architectural best practices.
• Proactively meet with vendors to identify opportunities for training and development, as well as to maintain communication on future versions and strategic direction related to our environment. Make recommendations to IT Leadership to inform future IT strategic planning.

EXPERIENCE SKILLS REQUIRED
• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, or a related field
• Ability to multi-task, work under pressure, and handle interruptions while maintaining flexibility in work assignments.
• Aptitude to effectively communicate verbally, in writing, and interact with diverse personalities while maintaining a professional attitude.
• A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in data engineering and/or related roles working in professional service organization, handling structured, unstructured, and semi-structured data to create business solutions.
• Proven expertise in managing large-scale Azure big data solutions and systems, ideally within the technology sector or highly regulated industries such as finance or healthcare.
• Proficiency in two or more coding or scripting languages such as Python, PowerShell, Scala, R:, SQL or other relevant languages.
• Aptitude to acquire and assess data from a variety of sources to make informed data-driven recommendations and/or decisions.
• Experienced working in systems and solutions that must comply with global data handling and regulatory standards, including legal-specific standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, E-Discovery, and other regional privacy standards.
• Possess a level of excellence and familiarity with data modeling tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, or other industry leaders.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite and other tools to create reports, diagrams, and to complete data analysis tasks.
• Extensive understanding of the legal industry, including areas such as legal financial systems, document management systems, time capture systems, conflict and ethical screen systems, legal analytics, and legal operations.
• Experience in delivering cross-functional projects as a team member providing system/pipeline engineering, data engineering, data modeling, and business operations.
• Advanced knowledge of KCS (Knowledge Center Support) methodology
• Possesses applicable industry certifications in Data Science/Engineering, such as the DP-203 (Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Associate)
• Experience in influencing and collaborating with multiple departments/business units to drive successful outcomes
• Familiarity with distributed systems and organizational structures.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES REQUIRED
• Flexibility to work scheduled nights and weekends, as needed.
• Effectively present ideas, projects, problems, or solutions verbally and in writing to medium-sized groups, and lead meetings when needed.
• Ability to work on/with a team where other members can be in different offices and/or time zones.
• Ability to travel, as required
• After orientation, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• This job operates in an office setting and is largely sedentary, requiring the routine use of a computer and other standard office equipment, in addition to having mobility within the office including movement from floor to floor.
• Manual dexterity required for typing, reaching and lifting of small objects, and operating office equipment.
• Frequent computer, video conferencing, and telephone use at workstation up to eight hours at a time.
• Capability to work at fast pace with unscheduled interruptions.
• Stay updated on technologies to improve configurations, troubleshoot issues, find root causes, and resolve them independently.
• Ability to perform job functions in an office setting or suitable remote working location.

Compensation Salary $124,000 - $240,000

The compensation salary for this position will be determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limited to prior experience, relevant expertise, current business needs, and market factors.

In accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered.

ABOUT THE FIRM

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located across five continents in more than 40 offices. We have experienced dramatic growth in the past decade and now rank among the largest U.S. based law firms in the world.  We take pride in constantly striving for innovation, imagination and an entrepreneurial spirit. We come up with big ideas and then roll up our sleeves to get the job done, guiding our clients through their most complex issues in a variety of industry sectors and across multiple regions of the world. 

The industry recognition the firm has garnered emanates from the foundation of a global community aligned on behalf of our clients. The people at K&L Gates are committed to working together to create a legacy for each other, the firm, our clients, and the communities in which we serve. We thrive in an inclusive and socially conscious environment that embraces diversity and takes a holistic approach to the career evolution of all our professionals.

For more information or to view other job opportunities, please click here to go back to our careers page.

Notice: We participate in E-Verify in certain Firm locations for purposes of verifying employment eligibility.

BENEFITS

K&L Gates offers our personnel a comprehensive suite of benefits to help meet your needs now and in the future. Depending on your eligibility, options for full-time personnel include:

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Firm is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Firm that employment decisions shall be based on merit, qualifications and competence. Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by virtue of a person’s race (including traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as afros, braids, locks, and twists), religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, gender, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, familial status, domestic violence victim status, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy governs all aspects of employment including, without limitation, recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotion, assignment, and dismissal. In addition, it is the Firm’s policy to provide an environment that is free of prohibited harassment of any kind including, without limitation, that which is based on sex, race, age, disability, ethnic background, or any other category protected by law (including the categories listed above). The Firm complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact askHR@klgates.com.