The Senior Information Architect will be responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, efficient, and well-documented data models that support analytical, operational, and reporting needs across CIM's $35B+ portfolio spanning real estate equity, infrastructure, and private credit investments.
This role will establish data modeling standards and techniques from the ground up, developing and managing detailed data models deployed across Databricks Lakehouse as the primary platform, with integration to Snowflake and MongoDB for specific use cases. The Senior Information Architect will play a foundational role in building enterprise data architecture capabilities where mature standards do not yet exist.
This highly collaborative role requires extensive partnership with business stakeholders across Fund Accounting, FP&A, Investor Relations, Sales, and Investments teams to understand data requirements and translate them into robust, high-performing data models. The Senior Information Architect will shape the enterprise data landscape, supporting analytics, governance, and operational data needs across Azure and modern data ecosystems.
Design and develop conceptual, logical, and physical data models for various data initiatives, including data warehouses, data lakes, operational data stores, and transactional systems.
Specialize in designing highly optimized dimensional models (star schemas, snowflake schemas) for analytical reporting and business intelligence applications.
Apply various data modeling techniques as appropriate: Dimensional Modeling (Kimball), 3NF (Inmon), Data Vault, and NoSQL modeling patterns.
Design and implement medallion architecture (bronze/silver/gold) patterns within the Databricks Lakehouse, establishing standards where none currently exist.
Optimize data models leveraging Delta Lake features including ACID transactions, time travel, schema evolution, Z-ordering, and liquid clustering.
Design partitioning strategies that balance query performance with file management, avoiding over-partitioning while enabling partition pruning.
Implement Unity Catalog namespace hierarchy (catalog, schema, table) for multi-domain, multi-environment data organization and governance.
Collaborate with MLOps engineers on data models that support ML feature stores and GenAI/RAG applications.
Design and maintain relational database schemas for both operational and analytical workloads within Snowflake and other RDBMS, ensuring integration with Databricks Lakehouse.
Design and optimize data structures for NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB), considering document structures, indexing, and query patterns for specific application needs.
Develop frameworks for deciding when data belongs in Databricks Lakehouse vs. Snowflake vs. MongoDB based on workload characteristics and use cases.
Provide input and recommendations on query optimization, indexing strategies, and data partitioning based on data model design.
Diagnose and resolve performance issues including data skew, small files problems, and inefficient join strategies in Spark/Databricks environments.
Collaborate with database administrators and data engineers on OPTIMIZE, VACUUM, and ANALYZE strategies for Delta tables.
Work closely with Data Engineers to ensure data models are efficiently implemented and align with ETL/ELT processes using Auto Loader, Delta Live Tables, or traditional Spark jobs.
Provide guidance on data mapping, transformation rules, schema evolution handling, and data loading strategies.
Design slowly changing dimension (SCD) patterns using Delta Lake MERGE operations and Change Data Feed for downstream propagation.
Establish and enforce data modeling standards, naming conventions, metadata management, and data governance policies—building these foundations where they do not currently exist.
Implement row-level and column-level security patterns using Unity Catalog for sensitive fund and investor data.
Design and maintain data lineage tracking from source systems through bronze/silver/gold layers to final reports.
Contribute to the development and maintenance of a comprehensive data dictionary and metadata repository.
Operate within compliance framework to ensure ethical data handling, regulatory compliance, and consistency across the enterprise.
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
10+ years of dedicated experience as a Data Modeler or Data Architect.
Extensive experience with various data modeling techniques: Dimensional Modeling (Kimball), 3NF (Inmon), Data Vault, and NoSQL modeling.
Strong expertise in SQL and experience with advanced SQL concepts for data analysis and modeling validation.
Proficiency with data modeling tools (e.g., ER/Studio, Erwin, DataGrip, SQL Developer, or similar).
Prior experience within financial services, private equity, or alternative investments sectors.
Experience building data architecture standards and practices from scratch in entrepreneurial environments.
Understanding investment data structures: fund hierarchies, investor allocations, NAV calculations, capital calls/distributions.
Experience supporting ML/AI use cases including feature engineering and data models for GenAI/RAG applications.
Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate or Professional.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate.
TOGAF Certification (for enterprise architecture alignment).
The ideal candidate thrives in an entrepreneurial environment where mature processes and standards do not yet exist. You are energized by the opportunity to build data architecture foundations from scratch rather than inheriting established frameworks.
Business teams across Fund Accounting, IR, and Investments view you as a trusted partner who understands their needs.
Data models you design are adopted, performing well, and enabling business value—not just technically elegant.
Standards and governance frameworks you establish become the foundation for CIM's data architecture practice.
You effectively navigate ambiguity, making progress without needing complete requirements upfront.
A variety of Medical, dental, and vision benefit plans
Health Savings Account with a generous employer contribution
Company paid life and disability insurance
401(k) savings plan, with company match
Comprehensive paid time off, including: vacation days, 10 designated holidays, sick time, and bereavement leave
Up to 16 hours of volunteer time off
Up to 16 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
Ongoing professional development programs
Wellness program, including monthly and quarterly prizes
And more!
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Partners extensively with business stakeholders across Fund Accounting, FP&A, Global Client Group, and Investments teams to understand data requirements, pain points, and use cases.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Comfortable building standards, processes, and architecture where none currently exist; thrives with ambiguity and takes initiative without detailed specifications.
Business Partnership Excellence: Exceptional ability to collaborate with non-technical business stakeholders in Fund Accounting, FP&A, Investor Relations, Sales, and Investments teams—listening to understand problems before proposing solutions.
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CIM is a community-focused real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender, and developer. Our team of experts works together to identify and create value in real assets, benefiting the communities in which we invest. Back in 1994, our three founders focused on projects in Southern California neighborhoods. Today, we are a diverse team of 900+ employees with projects across the Americas. Our projects have delivered jobs; created comfortable places to live, work, and relax; and provided necessary and sustainable infrastructure. Our focus on enhancing communities is unwavering, and we strive to make an even greater impact in the years to come. Join us and make an impact today!