Principal Observability Architect (Splunk & Databricks)

Position Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Observability Architect to lead the design, implementation, modernization, and optimization of enterprise-scale observability and analytics platforms. This role will serve as the technical authority for log management, observability engineering, telemetry pipelines, AIOps, security analytics, and data lakehouse architectures leveraging Splunk, Databricks, Cribl, OpenTelemetry, and cloud-native technologies. The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in traditional observability platforms (Splunk, Dynatrace, AppDynamics, ServiceNow ITOM) and modern data lakehouse architectures utilizing Databricks, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, and AI/ML-driven analytics. This individual will drive the strategic transformation from legacy SIEM and observability platforms toward scalable, cloud-native observability data lakes.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Architecture & Strategy

Define enterprise observability architecture standards, patterns, and roadmaps. Lead observability transformation initiatives involving Splunk modernization and Databricks adoption. Develop reference architectures for telemetry ingestion, storage, analytics, security, and AI-driven operations. Align observability strategies with business, security, compliance, and operational objectives. Create executive-level architecture presentations, business cases, and technology roadmaps.

Splunk Platform Leadership

Architect large-scale Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud environments. Design and optimize:

Indexer clusters Search head clusters Forwarder architectures Deployment servers Data models ITSI implementations

Define ingestion, retention, indexing, and data lifecycle strategies. Lead migration initiatives involving:

Splunk to Databricks Heavy Forwarders to Cribl SIEM modernization programs

Optimize SPL searches, data models, summary indexing, and dashboard performance.

Databricks & Lakehouse Architecture

Architect enterprise observability data lake solutions using:

Databricks Lakehouse Delta Lake Unity Catalog Delta Live Tables Structured Streaming Mosaic AI Genie

Design Medallion Architectures:

Bronze Silver Gold

Develop governance strategies including:

RBAC Data masking Data lineage Audit controls

Create high-performance log analytics solutions capable of supporting petabyte-scale telemetry environments. Enable self-service analytics and AI-powered observability use cases.

Telemetry & Data Engineering

Design ingestion architectures supporting:

OpenTelemetry OCSF Syslog Kafka Azure Event Hubs AWS Kinesis GCP Pub/Sub Cribl

Define normalization and enrichment frameworks. Establish data quality and schema management processes. Design real-time and batch processing pipelines.

AIOps & Advanced Analytics

Lead implementation of:

AIOps Predictive analytics Root cause analysis Anomaly detection Event correlation

Integrate observability datasets with AI/ML platforms. Develop observability use cases leveraging:

Mosaic AI Agentic AI LLMs Generative AI

Build operational intelligence and executive KPI dashboards.

Security & Compliance

Architect observability solutions supporting:

SOC operations Threat hunting Security analytics Compliance reporting

Design frameworks aligned with:

HIPAA PCI-DSS SOX NIST ISO 27001

Implement data governance and security controls across observability platforms.

Leadership & Governance

Provide technical leadership to engineering teams. Mentor architects, engineers, and developers. Conduct architecture reviews and design governance. Define platform standards, best practices, and operational procedures. Engage directly with executive stakeholders and business leaders.

Required Qualifications

Experience

10+ years of experience in Enterprise Observability, Monitoring, or Security Analytics. 5+ years architecting large-scale Splunk environments. 3+ years designing Databricks Lakehouse architectures. Experience managing environments exceeding:

50 TB/day preferred 100+ TB/day strongly preferred

Experience leading enterprise transformation programs.

Splunk Expertise Deep expertise in:

Splunk Enterprise Splunk Cloud Splunk ITSI Enterprise Security SPL Development Data Models Indexer Clustering Search Head Clustering SmartStore Heavy Forwarders Universal Forwarders

Databricks Expertise Strong experience with:

Databricks Lakehouse Delta Lake Unity Catalog Delta Live Tables Structured Streaming Databricks SQL Genie Mosaic AI Lakehouse Federation

Cloud Platforms Experience with one or more:

Microsoft Azure Amazon Web Services Google Cloud

Data Technologies Strong knowledge of:

Kafka OpenTelemetry OCSF Iceberg Spark SQL Python REST APIs Event Streaming Architectures

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with Cribl Stream and Cribl Edge Experience with Dynatrace, AppDynamics, Datadog, or New Relic Experience with ServiceNow ITOM/Event Management Experience designing AI/ML operational analytics solutions Experience with Security Data Lakes and SIEM modernization initiatives Experience with FinOps and cloud cost optimization Experience building observability platforms for healthcare, financial services, retail, or large enterprise organizations

Certifications (Preferred) Splunk

Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect Splunk Core Certified Consultant

Databricks

Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional Databricks Certified Solutions Architect

Cloud

Azure Solutions Architect Expert AWS Solutions Architect Professional Google Professional Cloud Architect

Success Metrics Within the first 12 months, the architect will:

Deliver enterprise observability architecture roadmap. Reduce observability platform costs through modernization initiatives. Design and implement a scalable observability data lake architecture. Improve telemetry ingestion performance and reliability. Enable AI-powered analytics and operational intelligence capabilities. Establish enterprise governance standards for observability and security telemetry. Support petabyte-scale observability and security analytics workloads.

Ideal Background Candidates from organizations utilizing large-scale observability environments such as healthcare, banking, retail, telecommunications, logistics, cloud providers, or managed services organizations are highly desirable. Experience supporting environments generating 100TB+ of telemetry per day and integrating Splunk, Databricks, Cribl, OpenTelemetry, and cloud-native data platforms is strongly preferred.