Senior Data Architect, Applied Field Engineering Office/Field CTO

Snowflake2 months ago

Location

Tokyo, Japan

Type

Full Time

Level

Senior

Role

Senior Data Architect

Posted

Dec 23, 2025

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Senior Data Architect role at Snowflake's Applied Field Engineering team in Tokyo, working directly with sales to design enterprise data architectures using the Snowflake Cloud Data Platform. The position requires 10+ years of data engineering experience and 5+ years in pre-sales, focusing on multi-cloud data solutions, customer demonstrations, and technical leadership.

What you'll do

Technical Leadership and Architecture: Provide technical leadership in designing and architecting Snowflake Cloud Data Platform as a critical component of enterprise data architecture and overall ecosystem

Customer Engagement and Sales Support: Work directly with sales team to understand customer needs, strategize on winning sales cycles, and ultimately close business through technical expertise

Executive and Technical Presentations: Present Snowflake technology and vision to executives and technical contributors at strategic prospects, customers, and partners using multi-cloud data architecture expertise

Hands-on Demonstrations and Proof of Concepts: Work hands-on with prospects and customers to demonstrate and communicate Snowflake technology value throughout the sales cycle, from demo to proof of concept to design and implementation

Competitive Analysis and Market Intelligence: Maintain deep understanding of competitive and complementary technologies and vendors, positioning Snowflake effectively in relation to market alternatives

Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Product Management, Engineering, and Marketing teams to continuously improve Snowflake's products and marketing strategies

Customer Architecture Discovery and Design: Perform deep discovery of customer's architecture framework and connect those with Snowflake Data Architecture solutions

Value-based Solution Mapping: Connect customer-specific business problems with appropriate Snowflake solutions, demonstrating clear business value and ROI

What we look for

Technical

Data Architecture Experience10+ years of architecture and data engineering experience within the Enterprise Data space

Pre-sales Experience5+ years experience within a pre-sales environment (Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Solutions Architect, etc.)

Programming and DevelopmentHands-on development experience with SQL, Python, Pandas, Spark, PySpark, Hadoop, Hive and other big data technologies

Data Integration ExpertiseDeep understanding of data integration services and tools for building ETL and ELT data pipelines such as Apache NiFi, Matillion, Fivetran, Qlik, or Informatica

Streaming TechnologiesFamiliarity with streaming technologies (Kafka, Flink, Spark Streaming, Kinesis) and real-time or near real-time use cases including CDC

Data Lakehouse ArchitectureExperience designing interoperable data lakehouse architectures and working with Iceberg, Delta, and Parquet formats

Large-scale Database TechnologiesBroad range of experience within large-scale Database and/or Data Warehouse technology, ETL, analytics and cloud technologies including Data Lake, Data Mesh, Data Fabric

Education

Bachelor's DegreeBachelor's Degree required in any field

Advanced Degree (Preferred)Master's Degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics or related fields, or equivalent experience preferred

Experience

Presentation SkillsOutstanding presentation skills to both technical and executive audiences, whether impromptu on a whiteboard or using presentations and demos

Architectural ExpertiseStrong architectural expertise in data engineering to confidently present and demo to business executives and technical audiences, and effectively handle any impromptu questions

Language ProficiencyFluency in both Japanese and English is required for this Tokyo-based position

Business and Technical ContextEqually comfortable in both business and technical context, interacting with executives and engaging with technical audiences

Skills

Required skills

Enterprise Data Architecture10+ years of hands-on experience designing and implementing large-scale enterprise data solutions

Pre-sales Engineering5+ years in pre-sales roles including Sales Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or Solutions Architect positions

Technical PresentationOutstanding presentation skills for both technical and executive audiences, including impromptu whiteboarding and formal demonstrations

SQL and Python DevelopmentHands-on development experience with SQL for data querying and Python for data engineering automation

Big Data TechnologiesPractical experience with Spark, PySpark, Hadoop, Hive, and other distributed data processing frameworks

Data Integration ToolsDeep knowledge of ETL/ELT pipeline tools including Apache NiFi, Matillion, Fivetran, Qlik, or Informatica

Streaming TechnologiesExperience with real-time data processing using Kafka, Flink, Spark Streaming, or Kinesis

Data Lakehouse FormatsWorking knowledge of modern data formats including Iceberg, Delta Lake, and Parquet for analytics workloads

Japanese and English FluencyNative or near-native proficiency in both Japanese and English for customer-facing technical roles

Nice to have

Master's DegreeAdvanced degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or related technical fields

Cloud Platform ExpertiseMulti-cloud experience across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform for data solutions

Data Mesh and Data FabricExperience with modern data architecture patterns including Data Mesh and Data Fabric implementations

Change Data Capture (CDC)Hands-on experience with real-time data synchronization and CDC implementation patterns

Executive CommunicationTrack record of successfully communicating technical concepts to C-level executives and business stakeholders

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video call with HR to discuss background, language proficiency (Japanese/English), and basic qualifications
2
Technical Assessment — Technical interview focusing on data architecture concepts, SQL skills, and experience with big data technologies
3
Presentation Exercise — Live presentation or whiteboarding session demonstrating ability to explain complex data concepts to both technical and business audiences
4
Solution Design Case Study — Case study exercise involving customer scenario, requiring architecture design and Snowflake positioning against competitors
5
Team Interviews — Multiple rounds with Applied Field Engineering team members and sales leadership to assess cultural fit and collaboration skills
6
Final Executive Interview — Final interview with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision, customer engagement approach, and career motivations