Short Term Consulting Engagement: Microsoft Fabric Architect for Second Opinion

We are seeking a seasoned architect with extensive, hands-on experience in Microsoft Fabric — from its preview stages to current enterprise implementations — to perform an independent second‐opinion assessment of our client’s Fabric environment.  

The engagement won’t be a long one, we need somebody that we can parachute in for a few days to do the assessment and prepare the report. There is a realistic chance of additional engagements in the future, especially for refactoring and optimizations as outcome of the assessment. 

The ideal candidate will possess deep technical knowledge of Fabric’s data integration, analytics, and CI/CD capabilities, while also demonstrating strong skills in business analysis, stakeholder management, and strategic planning. This role is critical for evaluating current architecture, identifying gaps relative to best practices (including Infrastructure as Code and continuous integration/continuous delivery), and recommending actionable improvements aligned with the client’s business objectives and data strategy. 

Responsibilities 

Conceptual and Strategic Analysis 

• Identify the problem statement that led to the current architectural landscape. 

• Analyze the client’s overall data strategy, including data quality, data governance, and the alignment between business objectives and technical implementations. 

• Understand and document use cases that the client is aiming to support with the chosen architecture. 

• Identify and document the most important stakeholders that are using the Microsoft Fabric platform.  

• Review user integration and adoption strategies. 

Technical Evaluation 

• Assess the overall Microsoft Fabric architecture, including data pipelines, Lakehouse design, ETL/ELT processes, and reporting/analytics integrations. 

• Review deployment methodologies, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) implementations to ensure adherence to industry best practices. 

• Analyze integration points with legacy systems and prior solutions used by the client. 

• Evaluate security, performance, scalability, and governance models within the Fabric environment. 

Recommendations and Reporting 

• Provide comprehensive, actionable recommendations that cover technical improvements, process optimizations, and strategic enhancements. 

• Deliver a detailed report that integrates technical findings with broader conceptual insights, including lessons learned from previous deployments and future-proofing recommendations. 

• Present findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clarity and actionable insights. 

Collaboration and Best Practices 

• Work closely with the client’s internal teams to understand current workflows and constraints. 

• Recommend adoption of modern development best practices, including continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) or IaC. 

• Advise on aligning Microsoft Fabric implementations with evolving industry standards and the client’s long-term digital transformation strategy. 

Data Engineering & Architecture 

• Extensive background in designing and optimizing data pipelines, ETL/ELT processes, and scalable data architectures. 

• Familiarity with previous solutions that were used before Fabric was launched.  

• Understanding of the Lakehouse architecture incl. differences of Microsoft Fabric to other players in the market such as Databricks or Snowflake 

Microsoft Fabric Expertise 

• Demonstrated expertise in using Microsoft Fabric since its preview phase, with hands-on experience in managing production environments. This includes best practices for workspace design, naming conventions, Role-Based Access Control, Tenant Settings, separations of concerns, Spark compute and libraries setup, parametrization, monitoring and logging as well as cost optimizations.  

• Deep understanding of Fabric components (e.g., OneLake, Data Factory, Lakehouse, Data Engineering Pipelines, Notebooks, Realtime Analytics, Power BI integration). 

• Proven track record in conducting performance tuning and optimization of data queries, pipeline execution, and resource utilization on the Microsoft Fabric platform.  

• Proven track record in implementing robust security practices by managing workspace, permissions, setting up secure data connections, and ensuring that data governance policies are enforced across the Fabric environment. 

CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) 

• Proven experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines and IaC practices to ensure robust, automated deployments. 

• Ability to assess and recommend improvements in branching model, deployment automation, and environment management. 

Strategic & Analytical Skills 

• Strong ability to translate technical findings into strategic recommendations. 

• Experience in conducting independent environment assessments and delivering detailed, stakeholder-friendly reports. 

Project Management & Communication 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical teams and executive stakeholders. 

• Proven track record in managing or advising on complex, enterprise-level projects within the manufacturing industry. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Advanced certifications in Microsoft data and cloud technologies. 

• Experience working with manufacturing clients. 

• Experience with integrating D365 including BYOD.  

Fluency in English 

This role is designed for a proactive expert who can bridge the gap between technical intricacies and strategic business outcomes. The architect will help ensure that the client’s Microsoft Fabric environment is not only technically sound but also aligned with broader business goals and operational best practices. 

If you believe you have the expertise and vision to drive that assessment, please submit your application along with a detailed resume and examples of relevant projects.