Data engineering · Data architects
Hire Data Architects from Canada, Latin America, and the US
Hire a data architect who defines how your company's data is structured, secured, and governed before the next platform decision locks it in. We find the right person, or build your entire data team, in Canada, Latin America, or the US, on a contract, permanent, or fractional basis.
Data architects, screened by data architects
DevEngine is a Vancouver-based IT recruitment and staffing firm. We recruit data architects from Canada, Latin America, and the US for contract, permanent, or fractional roles. Most of these searches are for a data platform decision or migration, data that grew without a plan, or new governance, privacy, or AI requirements the current design can't meet. A senior data architect screens every candidate before you see one. You manage the day-to-day work. We handle contracts, HR, and admin.
The role
A data architect designs how the company's data fits together
A data architect decides how data is modeled, stored, integrated, and governed across the company. They choose the platform patterns, define the standards every team follows, and make sure the design meets requirements for security, privacy, cost, and the analytics and AI work the business has planned.
Typical outputs include conceptual and logical data models, a target data architecture and migration roadmap, data governance and access standards, platform evaluations, and design reviews for new pipelines and systems.
The role is often confused with two others, and organizations define all three differently. In general:
Data architect
- What they work on
- The blueprint for how the company's data is structured, stored, secured, and governed
- Core question
- How should our data be structured and governed so analytics and AI can rely on it?
- Typical outputs
- Data models and schemas, reference architectures, governance and security standards
- Works most with
- Leadership, security and compliance, data engineers, and analytics and AI teams
- Often brought in when
- A platform decision is coming, AI or analytics plans need a data foundation, or data has grown without a plan
Data engineer
- What they work on
- Building and running the pipelines and platforms
- Core question
- Is the right data arriving, clean and on time, where people need it?
- Typical outputs
- Pipelines, warehouse models, monitoring
- Works most with
- Analysts, data scientists, and platform teams
- Often brought in when
- A data platform needs to be built, migrated, or stabilized
Solution architect
- What they work on
- The end-to-end design of a business solution, across applications, integrations, and infrastructure
- Core question
- How should this system work and fit with everything else?
- Typical outputs
- Solution blueprints, integration designs, proofs of concept
- Works most with
- Business stakeholders, engineering, and operations
- Often brought in when
- A new business initiative, digital transformation, or modernization spans several systems and teams
If the need is building and running the pipelines, see Hire Data Engineers. If the design covers a whole system beyond its data, see Hire Solution Architects.
When to hire
When you need a data architect
The need usually shows up as one of these situations:
A platform decision will lock in costs for years.
Choosing or replacing a warehouse, lake, or cloud platform shapes spending, vendor dependence, and what the business can build next, long after the project team moves on.
No one can say which customer record is right.
Each team built its own sources and copies, so finance, sales, and operations report different numbers, and every integration or acquisition makes the problem harder to fix.
Compliance risk is growing with the data.
Audits, privacy laws, and customer contracts require knowing where sensitive data lives and who can access it, and every gap now carries financial and reputational exposure.
AI plans need a data foundation.
Leadership has committed to AI and advanced analytics, but the current data isn't structured, governed, or trusted enough to support them, so every initiative starts with rework.
Need a different role?
If you need someone to build and run your data pipelines, hire a data engineer. If you need someone to design a complete business solution, including its applications and integrations, hire a solution architect. We recruit for both roles.
Our screen
What our senior data architects look for
Most candidates can draw a data model. Fewer can point to the business results of their architecture: lower platform and cloud costs, faster reporting and decisions, clean audits, smoother acquisitions, and data that leadership trusts enough to act on. A senior data architect screens every candidate on those outcomes: what their decisions saved, which risks they removed, and what the business could do because of them.
Architecture aligned with strategy
We ask how they translated executive priorities into a data platform roadmap, which options they rejected, and how the choice affected total cost of ownership and vendor dependence.
Governance that reduces risk
We ask how they put access controls, data ownership, and privacy policies in place across business units, and how the organization performed in its next audit or security review.
Architecture that scaled with the business
We ask for a design that supported growth, an acquisition, or a platform migration, what it cost to maintain, and what they would change at the next stage of growth.
Fluency with your constraints
Experience with your industry's regulators, cloud commitments, and data volumes changes how a data architect designs. We weight that context as heavily as certifications or vendor credentials.
Candidates who can't show that their designs ran efficiently and reliably in production, treat governance as paperwork, or recommend one platform for every problem are screened out. Your interviews focus on fit, not filtering.
Where we source
Hire from Canada, Latin America, or the US
One search can cover all three talent pools. Brief the role once, and compare candidates from each market side by side before you decide.
Canada
- Where candidates are based
- Across Canada
- Working hours
- Canadian time zones, Pacific to Atlantic
- Cost
- Canadian market rates. See the Canada salary guide below.
- Fits when
- The role needs knowledge of the North American market, regular in-person time in Canada, or a Canadian base
Latin America
- Where candidates are based
- Across Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica
- Working hours
- Within 2 hours of US Eastern time, year-round. Up to 4 hours ahead of Pacific time.
- Cost
- Typically 35–40% below comparable North American cost. See the Latin America salary guide below.
- Fits when
- You want a wider candidate pool or more seniority for the budget, or the data architect will guide a nearshore team
United States
- Where candidates are based
- Across the United States
- Working hours
- US time zones, Pacific to Eastern
- Cost
- US market rates.
- Fits when
- The role needs knowledge of the US market, regular in-person time at a US site, or a US base
Not sure which market fits? Tell us about the role, and we'll scope it in each market and show you candidates and cost side by side.
Technology salaries in Canada and Latin America
Benchmark salaries by role and seniority before you set a budget.
Engagement models
Contract, permanent, or fractional
Contract
- Who employs the data architect
- DevEngine
- Time commitment
- Full-time, for a defined period
- Fits when
- A platform selection, a migration design, or a governance program with a defined end
- Placement protection
- Two-week guarantee
Permanent
- Who employs the data architect
- You
- Time commitment
- Full-time, ongoing
- Fits when
- Data architecture is a standing need across teams
- Placement protection
- 180-day prorated guarantee from the start date: full refund in the first 30 days, then partial refunds on a sliding scale
Fractional
- Who employs the data architect
- DevEngine
- Time commitment
- Part-time, hourly or monthly
- Fits when
- A design review, a platform evaluation, or ongoing governance oversight, without a full-time seat
- Placement protection
- Tailored to the scope of work
Each model works a little differently depending on whether you hire in Canada, Latin America, or the US. Compare the options by market to find the engagement that fits your team.
Explore services by marketHow it works
How a data architect search runs
You brief us on the scope and goals of the project, your current data landscape and platforms, and the decisions the design has to support.
We source for your role in Canada, Latin America, or the US, not from a bench.
A senior data architect screens each candidate. Someone who does the same work, not a recruiter matching keywords.
You choose who to interview and who to hire.
You direct the work. On contract and fractional engagements, DevEngine holds the contract and handles payroll and compliance. On a permanent hire, the data architect joins your payroll.
If the placement isn't working, we replace the candidate: within two weeks on contract, or under the 180-day prorated guarantee on a permanent hire.
Case studies
How this works in practice
All case studiesFAQ
Data architect hiring questions
How much does it cost to hire a data architect?
Cost depends on four things: seniority, platform and industry specialization, the market you hire from, and the engagement model. Hiring in Latin America typically costs 35–40% less than comparable North American hires. For salary benchmarks across technology roles, download the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide. DevEngine quotes against your actual brief on the first call.
Which certifications and skills do data architects bring?
Common certifications include cloud architecture credentials such as the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, and Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect, along with data platform certifications such as Snowflake SnowPro Advanced: Architect and Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional. Most have deep SQL and data modeling experience and work with both relational and non-relational databases. Certifications show framework and platform knowledge, but not design judgment. That's what the senior data architect screen tests.
Do we need a data architect if we already have data engineers?
Often, when the questions are about design rather than delivery. Data engineers build and run the pipelines. A data architect sets the models, standards, and governance they build against. Smaller teams sometimes have a senior data engineer cover both, and a fractional data architect can fill the gap.
Can I hire a fractional data architect?
Yes. A fractional data architect works part-time, on an hourly or monthly cadence, inside your team and tools. Companies often use one for a design review, a platform evaluation, or ongoing governance oversight. DevEngine places fractional data architects from Canada, Latin America, and the US.
Should I hire a data architect from Canada, Latin America, or the US?
Companies often choose Canada or the US when the role needs local market knowledge, regular in-person time, or a base in that country. Latin America offers a wider pool and more seniority for the budget, with working hours within 2 hours of US Eastern. DevEngine can run the search across all three markets so you can compare candidates.
Can a data architect work with a DevEngine Engineering POD?
Yes. A data architect can sit inside an Engineering POD or guide one. You choose the POD's composition and direct the work. The data architect sets the design and standards, and the engineers build against them on your sprint cadence, in your tools.
What's your interest?
Choose the path that aligns with how you want to build and scale your team.
Tell us what your data has to support.
We'll tell you which market and model fit, and how long the search should take.
Not ready to talk yet? Compare technology salaries in the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide.
