SAP Architect
First seen by Alion on Aug 31, 2026.
Job Description :
About the Role :
We are looking for a hands-on Databricks - Tableau - SAP Architect who can single-handedly design, build, and scale our analytics and BI capability from the ground up.
This is not a purely strategic or advisory position; you will be writing pipelines, building dashboards, and solving integration problems yourself in the early stages, while simultaneously identifying, hiring, and mentoring a high-performing team as the function matures.
The ideal candidate is a rare combination of a data engineering architect (Databricks), a visualization expert (Tableau), and someone who deeply understands SAP systems and data structures, and can bridge all three into a cohesive, enterprise-grade analytics platform.
Key Responsibilities :
Architecture & Hands-On Delivery :
- Design and build end-to-end data pipelines on Databricks (Lakehouse architecture, Delta Lake, PySpark/SQL) to ingest, transform, and model data from SAP and other enterprise sources.
- Architect scalable, secure, and cost-optimized data platforms (batch and streaming) covering ingestion, transformation, governance, and consumption layers.
- Personally build, optimize, and maintain complex Tableau dashboards and data visualizations for business stakeholders not just review others' work.
- Define and enforce data modeling standards (star/snowflake schemas, semantic layers) to ensure dashboards are fast, accurate, and reusable.
- Own performance tuning across Databricks jobs, SQL warehouses, and Tableau extracts/live connections.
SAP Expertise :
- Understand SAP data structures (SAP ECC modules such as FI/CO, MM, SD, etc.) and extract/transform SAP data (via SLT, CDC, BW, OData, or direct extractors) into Databricks.
- Partner with SAP functional/technical teams to define extraction logic, resolve data discrepancies, and ensure data integrity from source to dashboard.
- Advise on integration patterns between SAP and the Databricks/Tableau ecosystem (real-time vs. batch, replication tools, etc.).
Team Building & Leadership :
- Build the analytics engineering/BI team from scratch; define role requirements, interview, hire, and onboard talent.
- Set up team structure, ways of working, coding/design standards, and review processes.
- Manage performance actively; set clear KPIs, provide regular feedback, and make retention/promotion/exit decisions based on demonstrated performance rather than tenure.
- Mentor junior/mid-level engineers and analysts on Databricks and Tableau best practices.
- Act as the technical escalation point until the team is mature enough to self-manage.
Stakeholder & Governance :
- Work directly with business stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into technical designs and dashboards.
- Establish data governance, access control, and documentation practices across the platform.
- Present architecture decisions and roadmap to leadership.
Required Skills & Experience :
- 10+ years in data engineering/BI, with at least 3 - 5 years in an architect-level, hands-on role.
- Strong expertise in Databricks : Delta Lake, Spark (PySpark/Scala/SQL), Unity Catalog, workflows/jobs, cluster/cost optimization.
- Strong expertise in Tableau : dashboard design, calculated fields/LOD expressions, performance optimization, Tableau Server/Cloud administration.
- Solid working knowledge of SAP systems - data structures, key modules (FI/CO, MM, SD or relevant to business), and extraction methods (SLT, BW, CDS views, OData, third-party CDC tools like Qlik Replicate/Fivetran/SAP Datasphere).
- Proficiency in SQL and at least one scripting language (Python preferred).
- Experience designing data models (dimensional modeling, semantic layers) for BI consumption.
- Prior experience building a team from the ground up, including hiring and performance management.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills - able to work with both technical and business teams.
Preferred / Good to Have :
- Experience with cloud platforms (Azure/AWS/GCP) hosting Databricks.
- Familiarity with SAP BW/4HANA or SAP Datasphere/Analytics Cloud.
- Exposure to CI/CD for data pipelines (DevOps for data/DataOps practices).
- Certifications : Databricks Certified Data Engineer/Architect, Tableau Desktop Specialist/Certified Professional, SAP certifications (any module).
- Experience in relevant industry (e.g., manufacturing, retail, BFSI) domain.
Skills
SAP Architect, SAP Data Services, Data Pipeline, Data Analytics, SAP Analytics, Databricks, Visualization, Tableau, SQL, SAP ECC, SAP BI