Tidal Wave Auto Spa is one of the fastest growing car wash chains in the country and is a recognized leader in the industry with locations nationwide. Our wave of success began in 2004 in the small town of Thomaston, GA, which is where Tidal Wave Headquarters calls home. Tidal Wave Auto Spa is a national brand that is forecasted to grow at a rapid rate for years to come, so we are aggressively pursuing individuals with exceptional talent and leadership qualities. Our goal is to redefine the car wash industry with the latest technology, top-notch friendly service, and unwavering dedication to its employees!

POSITION SUMMARY

Tidal Wave Auto Spa is seeking a Principal Data Architect who will design, own, and evolve the centralized data architecture that powers the entire company’s intelligence, reporting, operational visibility, and future technology capabilities.

This role is the keystone technical position within the data organization.

You will architect and build an enterprise-grade, centralized data ecosystem used by Operations, Marketing, Finance, Executive Leadership, and our Data Partner team. Your work will enable scalable growth, data accuracy, real-time visibility, multi-entity modeling, and high-performance analytics across thousands of employees and millions of transactions.

This position blends:

• Data Architecture
• Software Engineering
• Data Warehousing
• Backend Engineering
• Systems Integration
• Performance Optimization
• Data Governance

You must be able to build end-to-end systems — from raw ingestion to dimensional modeling, from centralized data architecture to real-time analytics, from schema design to repeatable validation frameworks.

This role sits at the foundation of data reliability, speed, and trust across the enterprise.
Every insight and every operational decision relies on the systems you build.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

1. Centralized Enterprise Data Architecture (End-to-End Ownership)

• Architect, build, and maintain the company’s centralized data warehouse used for all analytics.
• Implement dimensional and semantic models based on established architectural and modeling frameworks.
• Build secure, multi-entity data structures to support segmentation and controlled access
• Own schema design, data lineage, metadata strategy, and governance standards
• Establish modeling, naming, and data quality practices for the entire organization

2. Collaboration With Data Partners (KPI Logic & Requirements)

• Partner with Data Partners to define KPI logic, business rules, and metric consistency
• Translate business requirements into scalable technical architecture
• Validate that models support analytical needs across Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Executive leadership
• Ensure the architecture anticipates and supports future reporting, analytics needs, and software solutions

Your work enables the Data Partners to transform data into insights with speed, accuracy, and confidence.

3. Data Engineering Leadership

• Lead the Data Engineer(s), providing technical direction, standards, and mentorship
• Own ETL/ELT workflows, orchestration patterns, error-handling, and monitoring
• Build scalable ingestion frameworks for high-volume, high-frequency data
• Develop high-performance transformation logic optimized for speed and reliability

4. Integration & Source System Engineering

• Integrate systems via APIs, webhooks, streaming events, and secure batch processes
• Create resilient, auditable ingestion frameworks with fault tolerance
• Reconcile and validate data across all systems with automated checks
• Handle structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data with ease

5. Software & Engineering Craftsmanship

You must be fluent and deeply experienced in:

• C#/.NET, Python, and similar languages
• Expert SQL (tuning, indexing, partitioning, caching, compression)
• API design and consumption
• Cloud data warehousing (Snowflake strongly preferred)
• DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, Git, and deployment automation
• Real-time and near-real-time data delivery patterns

Your code must be optimized, elegant, maintainable, and fast — capable of handling complex queries in under a second.

6. Reporting Foundation & Semantic Modeling

• Build and maintain the enterprise semantic layer used by BI developers and Data Partners.
• Build models that balance performance, clarity, and business usability
• Support both on-demand and real-time reporting scenarios
• Ensure data structures scale as the business grows

7. Data Governance & Validation Engineering

• Build and enforce enterprise data standards and documentation
• Define rules, logic, and source-of-truth structures for all major KPIs
• Implement automated data validation and reconciliation tools
• Establish continuous monitoring and anomaly detection systems

8. High-Performance System Optimization

• Deliver sub-second query performance on highly complex datasets
• Select optimal storage strategies, compute sizing, and cost-efficient warehouse design
• Continuously refine models, transforms, and query patterns

9. Strategic System Architecture for Future Growth

• Design architectures that scale with rapid expansion
• Build advanced frameworks such as householding/entity resolution
• Support fraud detection, customer segmentation, and operational optimization logic
• Enable write-back frameworks where curated data feeds operational systems
• Develop systems capable of powering advanced analytics and machine learning

WHAT GREAT LOOKS LIKE

You are someone who:

• Has built centralized data architectures for high-growth companies
• Knows data theory deeply, but prioritizes real-world performance
• Writes code and SQL that is fast, clean, and optimized to near perfection
• Can architect large-scale systems with clarity and elegance
• Has an entrepreneurial mindset and treats architecture like a product
• Thrives in extreme ownership — everything that touches data quality, performance, or design is your responsibility
• Operates with precision, discipline, and craftsmanship
• Is energized by complexity and can see the entire data ecosystem end-to-end
• Enjoys collaborating with cross-functional teams and elevating analysts
• Is rigid in holding the organization accountable to our data governance standards

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Architecture & Engineering

• Architect centralized, scalable data systems
• Build high-performance dimensional models
• Create secure, multi-entity data frameworks

Collaboration

• Partner with Data Partners on KPI definitions, business rules, and modeling needs
• Work with engineering teams for integrations and ingestion patterns
• Ensure analysts and downstream systems receive fast, accurate, consistent data

Leadership

• Mentor and lead the Data Engineer(s)
• Influence BI, analytics, and business leaders
• Serve as the ultimate authority on data quality and architecture

Governance

• Define and enforce data standards
• Build automation that ensures accuracy, validity, and consistency
• Own documentation, lineage, and architectural direction

Innovation

• Architect systems for real-time analytics and operational intelligence
• Enable high-value analytics use cases (fraud detection, segmentation, forecasting)
• Create reusable frameworks that accelerate analytics company-wide

IDEAL EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

Technical Mastery

• 10+ years in enterprise data architecture, engineering, or full-stack software development
• Deep expertise in C#/.NET, Python, SQL, APIs, and cloud data warehousing
• Proven success architecting centralized data systems
• Experience designing multi-entity or multi-tenant architecture
• Strong background in modeling, ingestion, orchestration, and optimization

Architectural Depth

• Understanding of distributed systems and scalable warehousing
• Experience selecting storage strategies, compute sizing, and indexing techniques
• Ability to evaluate and improve performance at every layer of the stack

Personal Attributes

• Extreme ownership — you hold yourself accountable for the entire data ecosystem
• Extremely confident in your work and an excellent team member
• Competitive nature that drives you to create “the best” engineering solutions
• High standards of accuracy and engineering craftsmanship
• Curious, innovative, and excited to build from scratch
• Thrives in fast-paced environments with complex challenges

REQUIREMENTS

• Can pass a drug test and criminal background check.
• Are legally eligible to work in the United States.

As a Tidal Wave Auto Spa Team Member, you will enjoy our Benefits Program to help secure your financial future and preserve your health and well-being, including:

• PTO is based on the company’s PTO policy.
• Eligibility for health, dental, and vision coverage subject to 30 day waiting period.
• Eligibility for 401(K), subject to plan terms.
• Eligibility for benefits such as life insurance, short- and long-term disability, hospital indemnity, critical illness, and accidental, subject to 30 day waiting period.
• Company-paid holidays.

**Must enroll in New Hire Benefits within 30 days of the date of hire for coverage to take effect.

The equal employment opportunity policy of Tidal Wave Auto Spa provides for a fair and equal employment opportunity for all associates and job applicants regardless of race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability or genetic information, in compliance with applicable federal, state and local law. Tidal Wave Auto Spa hires and promotes individuals solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job to be filled.