Data Architect Jobs in Maryland
Data Architect jobs in Maryland are concentrated in the Baltimore metro, the Washington D.C. suburbs of Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and the Annapolis tech corridor, where federal agencies, defense contractors, and financial institutions drive consistent demand for cloud data platform design, enterprise data modeling, and analytics engineering. Large, established employers with ongoing data architect hiring include Leidos, Northrop Grumman, and Johns Hopkins Health System. Openings run from mid-career roles requiring five or more years of hands-on experience to principal and chief data architect positions at the senior end. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
Find Data Architect JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 17+ Data Architect jobs
Do you want to help build how a research organization manages, governs, and prepares decades of scientific and engineering data for current and future use?
If so, we are seeking a Principal Data Curation Architect to develop and lead the launch and continuous improvement of data management and curation capabilities within a sophisticated research and classified IT environment at JHUAPL!
Our programs have produced decades of datasets across multiple scientific, engineering, and mission domains. Much of this information requires improved organization, documentation, governance, discovery, and lifecycle management to support researchers, mission teams, and emerging AI/ML-enabled applications. This role combines IT project management, data governance, process improvement, technology implementation, stakeholder engagement, and data-curation practices to deliver sustainable data-management capabilities.
On our team, you will work closely with a set of data owners, IT, cybersecurity, security officers, technical teams, and leadership to establish practical standards and processes that make data more discoverable, understandable, governed, and reusable.
As a Principal Data Curation Architect, You Will...
- Lead projects to establish and implement data-management and curation capabilities, including project objectives, scope, schedules, budget estimates, and measures of success.
- Develop, implement and manage end-to-end data pipelines and lifecycle workflows, including data intake, assessment, cleaning, documentation, quality review, versioning, retention, and archiving.
- Lead the inventory and assessment of legacy and active research data, working with data owners managing and enriching raw information so it stays accurate, searchable, and useful over time.
- Create and implement functional data governance processes, roles, responsibilities, standards, and operating procedures.
- Train, teach, and mentor, data owners, and consumers on how to collate, format, document, and curate data for optimal downstream usage and AI/ML readiness.
- Drive the evaluation, selection, configuration, and implementation of data catalogs, metadata-management tools, reporting automation, and new analytics solutions in collaboration with IT and cybersecurity.
- Establish lightweight metadata and documentation standards aligned with FAIR principles and applicable sponsor, security, and data-management expectations.
- Coordinate technical teams and subject-matter experts to prepare and package datasets for downstream research, analytics, and AI/ML use.
- Develop project plans, schedules, status reports, risk registers, and executive-level briefings to advise project leadership on priorities, risks, and resource requirements.
- Find opportunities to improve existing processes, systems, and tools through automation, integration, and technology modernization.
- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, templates, guidance, and training materials.
Qualifications
You will meet our minimum qualifications if you have...
- A Bachelor's degree in library/information science, data science, scientific research or a related field.
- At least 2 years of professional experience leading technology projects, application/data-management initiatives, or related technical projects
- Demonstrated proficiency in curating large, structured datasets, including data quality assessment, normalization, and traceable documentation of curation actions.
- Demonstrated experience establishing or improving technology processes, workflows, governance practices, or operational capabilities.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams involving technical experts, business/mission partners, quality assurance, security, and/or compliance teams.
- Background leading the lifecycle of technology systems, applications, or data-intensive solutions.
- Solid Understanding of FAIR data principles and research data-management practices.
- Proficiency in gathering requirements, analyzing business/mission needs, developing implementation approaches, managing risks, and delivering technology solutions.
- Experience developing standard operating procedures, governance documentation, process standards, and implementation plans.
- Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, researchers, senior leadership, security staff, and program leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a complex environment with contending priorities and ambiguous requirements.
- Are able to obtain a Secret security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.
You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
- Hold a Master, PhD, or advanced degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or information field.
- Experience supporting federal research, scientific, engineering, healthcare, or military organizations (e.g., UARCs, FFRDCs, national laboratories, NIH, DoD).
- Advanced knowledge of databases, SQL, ETL pipelines, and reporting automation tools.
- Familiarity with metadata standards (Dublin Core, DataCite, DDI, schema.org/Dataset) and catalog platforms (Dataverse, CKAN, DSpace, Fedora).
- Experience preparing data and documentation for AI/ML reuse, and familiarity with AI/ML data-readiness concepts (Data Cards, Datasheets for Datasets, Croissant, or FAIR4ML).
- Active PMP, Scrum, or other recognized project-management certification, alongside experience with Agile/Scrum, SDLC, or continuous improvement.
About Us
Why Work at APL?
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.
At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accessibility@jhuapl.edu.
The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Minimum Rate
$105,000 Annually
Maximum Rate
$290,000 Annually
Do you want to help build how a research organization manages, governs, and prepares decades of scientific and engineering data for current and future use?
If so, we are seeking a Principal Data Curation Architect to develop and lead the launch and continuous improvement of data management and curation capabilities within a sophisticated research and classified IT environment at JHUAPL!
Our programs have produced decades of datasets across multiple scientific, engineering, and mission domains. Much of this information requires improved organization, documentation, governance, discovery, and lifecycle management to support researchers, mission teams, and emerging AI/ML-enabled applications. This role combines IT project management, data governance, process improvement, technology implementation, stakeholder engagement, and data-curation practices to deliver sustainable data-management capabilities.
On our team, you will work closely with a set of data owners, IT, cybersecurity, security officers, technical teams, and leadership to establish practical standards and processes that make data more discoverable, understandable, governed, and reusable.
As a Principal Data Curation Architect, You Will...
- Lead projects to establish and implement data-management and curation capabilities, including project objectives, scope, schedules, budget estimates, and measures of success.
- Develop, implement and manage end-to-end data pipelines and lifecycle workflows, including data intake, assessment, cleaning, documentation, quality review, versioning, retention, and archiving.
- Lead the inventory and assessment of legacy and active research data, working with data owners managing and enriching raw information so it stays accurate, searchable, and useful over time.
- Create and implement functional data governance processes, roles, responsibilities, standards, and operating procedures.
- Train, teach, and mentor, data owners, and consumers on how to collate, format, document, and curate data for optimal downstream usage and AI/ML readiness.
- Drive the evaluation, selection, configuration, and implementation of data catalogs, metadata-management tools, reporting automation, and new analytics solutions in collaboration with IT and cybersecurity.
- Establish lightweight metadata and documentation standards aligned with FAIR principles and applicable sponsor, security, and data-management expectations.
- Coordinate technical teams and subject-matter experts to prepare and package datasets for downstream research, analytics, and AI/ML use.
- Develop project plans, schedules, status reports, risk registers, and executive-level briefings to advise project leadership on priorities, risks, and resource requirements.
- Find opportunities to improve existing processes, systems, and tools through automation, integration, and technology modernization.
- Develop and maintain standard operating procedures, templates, guidance, and training materials.
Qualifications
You will meet our minimum qualifications if you have...
- A Bachelor's degree in library/information science, data science, scientific research or a related field.
- At least 2 years of professional experience leading technology projects, application/data-management initiatives, or related technical projects
- Demonstrated proficiency in curating large, structured datasets, including data quality assessment, normalization, and traceable documentation of curation actions.
- Demonstrated experience establishing or improving technology processes, workflows, governance practices, or operational capabilities.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams involving technical experts, business/mission partners, quality assurance, security, and/or compliance teams.
- Background leading the lifecycle of technology systems, applications, or data-intensive solutions.
- Solid Understanding of FAIR data principles and research data-management practices.
- Proficiency in gathering requirements, analyzing business/mission needs, developing implementation approaches, managing risks, and delivering technology solutions.
- Experience developing standard operating procedures, governance documentation, process standards, and implementation plans.
- Ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, researchers, senior leadership, security staff, and program leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a complex environment with contending priorities and ambiguous requirements.
- Are able to obtain a Secret security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.
You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
- Hold a Master, PhD, or advanced degree in a relevant scientific, engineering, or information field.
- Experience supporting federal research, scientific, engineering, healthcare, or military organizations (e.g., UARCs, FFRDCs, national laboratories, NIH, DoD).
- Advanced knowledge of databases, SQL, ETL pipelines, and reporting automation tools.
- Familiarity with metadata standards (Dublin Core, DataCite, DDI, schema.org/Dataset) and catalog platforms (Dataverse, CKAN, DSpace, Fedora).
- Experience preparing data and documentation for AI/ML reuse, and familiarity with AI/ML data-readiness concepts (Data Cards, Datasheets for Datasets, Croissant, or FAIR4ML).
- Active PMP, Scrum, or other recognized project-management certification, alongside experience with Agile/Scrum, SDLC, or continuous improvement.
About Us
Why Work at APL?
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.
At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accessibility@jhuapl.edu.
The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Minimum Rate
$105,000 Annually
Maximum Rate
$290,000 Annually
See All 17 Data Architect Jobs in Maryland
Find roles in Maryland that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Data Architect JobsData Architect Jobs by City in Maryland
Where Maryland roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Data Architect Job Market in Maryland
A snapshot from current Maryland openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
What Maryland Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in data architect jobs across Maryland.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, information systems, or a related field
- Hands-on experience designing enterprise data models and cloud data warehouse architectures
- Proficiency with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud and their native data services
- Experience with ETL pipeline development and tools like Informatica, dbt, or Apache Spark
- Familiarity with federal data governance standards and security frameworks such as NIST or FedRAMP
- Strong communication skills for presenting data architecture decisions to non-technical stakeholders
Data Architect Jobs in Maryland: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a data architect in Maryland?
There is no state-issued license required to work as a data architect in Maryland. The typical path is a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or engineering, followed by several years as a data engineer or database administrator before moving into architecture roles. Maryland employers, especially those supporting federal contracts, place high value on cloud certifications from AWS, Microsoft, or Google alongside demonstrated experience with enterprise data governance frameworks.
Which companies hire data architects in Maryland?
Employers hiring data architects in Maryland right now include DCCA, Analytica, and Synertex, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Maryland's concentration of federal agencies and defense contractors in the D.C. suburbs means that many of the largest and most consistent hiring organizations hold government contracts requiring data platform and analytics expertise.
Which Maryland cities have the most data architect jobs?
The cities with the most data architect openings in Maryland are Bethesda, Maryland, and Suitland. Baltimore anchors demand through its healthcare systems, financial services firms, and university research institutions, while the Montgomery and Prince George's County suburbs of Washington D.C. generate high volume from federal agencies and the defense and intelligence contractors that support them.
Are there remote data architect jobs in Maryland?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 67% of data architect openings tied to Maryland are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the fact that architecture design, data modeling, and stakeholder consultation are largely desk-based activities. The portions most likely to require on-site presence are initial data environment assessments and work on classified or FedRAMP-regulated federal systems.
How can I get hired as a data architect in Maryland with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is starting as a data engineer or business intelligence developer and building toward architecture responsibilities over two to four years. Large Maryland employers including Johns Hopkins Health System, Leidos, and state government agencies regularly hire entry-level data engineers and analyst roles that evolve into architecture tracks. Earning a cloud data certification, building a portfolio of data modeling projects, and targeting organizations with defined data engineering pipelines gives candidates without direct architect experience a concrete competitive edge.
Where can I find and apply to data architect jobs in Maryland?
You can find and apply to data architect jobs in Maryland on Migrate Mate, which lists current Maryland openings. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience level, preferred location, and industry focus, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 17 Data Architect Jobs in Maryland
Find roles in Maryland that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Data Architect Jobs