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Information Architect

Northern Trust · Chicago, IL · $137,400–$240,400 a year · Full time

Posted Jul 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time a data model you designed had to change significantly after go-live.

What they are checking: Learning from design mistakes and managing changes that affect downstream consumers.

Tell me about a time you persuaded a team to adopt a modeling standard they resisted.

What they are checking: Influence without authority, which architects rely on daily.

What would you do

You'd govern the enterprise model library in SqlDBM. How do you enforce naming conventions without slowing teams down?

What they are checking: Balancing standards with delivery speed through templates, reviews and automation.

A domain team builds a model that duplicates an existing enterprise entity under a different name. What do you do?

What they are checking: Steering teams toward shared definitions while respecting domain ownership.

About the work

Walk me through how you move from a conceptual to a logical to a physical data model for a new domain.

What they are checking: Fluency in modeling layers and what decisions belong at each one.

How do data mesh and medallion architecture fit together in your view?

What they are checking: Understanding domain ownership alongside bronze, silver and gold layers, and where tension appears.

How do you model slowly changing data, like a client's address or account status over time?

What they are checking: Knowledge of history tracking patterns and their trade-offs for reporting and storage.

How do you document a model so business users and engineers both understand it?

What they are checking: Producing definitions, diagrams and lineage that serve different audiences.

How do you decide what belongs in the gold layer versus what stays in silver?

What they are checking: Judgment about curated, business-ready data versus cleaned but general data.

How would you handle sensitive client data elements in the enterprise model?

What they are checking: Classifying and tagging sensitive attributes so access controls and privacy rules can follow them.

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The full job description

As published by Northern Trust.

About Northern Trust As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions. Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide. With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa) Data Modelling & Architecture • Lead and contribute with conceptual, logical, and physical data model design aligned to the firm's data mesh and medallion architectures • Govern and maintain the enterprise data model library in SqlDBM, enforcing naming conventions, domain standards, and versioning • Define and steward canonical data entities and lineage across source, integration, and consumption layers • Help with the translation of business requirements into rigorous data structures in collaboration with engineering and domain teams • Guide teams on the design and effective use of semantic data models, including their application to agentic AI solutions Semantic & Knowledge Modelling • Integrate semantic layers with business glossaries, data catalogues, and lineage tooling • Design and maintain semantic models to support agentic-AI capabilities • Help develop ontologies, taxonomies, and controlled vocabularies underpinning enterprise metadata and search • Define semantic modelling standards and patterns to ensure consistent meaning, interoperability, and AI readiness across data products • Guide and control the creation of data domains that align with the banks underlying capabilities Data Engineering & Platforms • Design data product schemas across Snowflake and Databricks, including Delta Lake structures and access patterns • Define and enforce architectural guardrails for data product design, including performance, scalability, security, and cost efficiency • Set design standards and review transformation/pipelines for compliance • Embed data contract standards and data quality frameworks across pipeline outputs Agentic AI & AI-Assisted Development • Leverage Snowflake Cortex / Databricks Genie (or similar) to help engineering teams deliver natural language query and LLM-augmented data products • Utilize GitHub Copilot (or similar) to accelerate modelling, documentation, and pipeline development • Design and define a set of agentic skills that can be provided to implementation teams • Contribute to the firm's AI Champion network, evaluating emerging capabilities and advising on adoption Enterprise Architecture & Design Assurance • Act as a design authority for data architecture across teams and data domains • Partner with enterprise, security, and risk architecture to ensure data solutions align with broader technology and regulatory standards • Provide early-stage architectural input to initiative discovery and solution design to reduce delivery risk Governance & Stakeholder Engagement • Present architecture decisions to senior stakeholders, architecture review boards, and regulatory audiences • Support regulatory compliance through robust lineage, metadata management, and data quality evidence • Mentor junior architects and engineers within the Information Architecture community of practice Essential Requirements • Proven experience in data architecture, data engineering, or information management • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Engineering, or a related discipline • Proven enterprise data modelling experience at conceptual, logical, and physical levels • Hands-on SqlDBM experience (or equivalent modern toolset) • Proven experience with dbt Labs • Good Python skills, API integration, automation • Practical Snowflake and Databricks experience including Cortex AI and Genie • Working knowledge of OWL, RDF, SPARQL and enterprise ontology design • Experience with at least one agentic AI framework • GitHub Copilot or equivalent AI coding assistant experience in a professional setting • Financial services background preferred; BCBS 239 awareness advantageous Desirable • Data Vault 2.1 alongside Kimball/Star-schema modelling • Data mesh, data product ownership and federated governance • Knowledge graph platforms (Neo4j, Neptune) or knowledge of OWL, RDF and exposure to and build of ontologies • Published thought leadership or community contributions in data or AI Salary Range: $137,400 - 240,400 USD Salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Northern Trust provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits (401k and pension), health and welfare benefits (medical, dental, vision, spending accounts and disability), paid time off, parental and caregiver leave, life & accident insurance, and other voluntary and well-being benefits. Northern Trust also provides a discretionary bonus program that may include an equity component. Work Authorization Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. Northern Trust will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work visa status for this opportunity (no sponsorship is available for H-1B, L-1, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, F-1, J-1, OPT, CPT or any other employment-based visa). Working with Us As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve. Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities. Reasonable Accommodation Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com , or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.

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