Sr. Data Architect, Large Scale Distributed Systems

About this role

About Us:   Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple: safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people.

How We Work:

At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values: 

Bold in how we dream and innovate Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities Accountable for results and best in class outcomes Visionary in future focused problem-solving Exceptional in execution and impact

Role Overview We are seeking an experienced Senior Architect to lead the design and evolution of enterprise-scale distributed systems supporting 50M+ connected sensors and high-volume event processing pipelines . This role is critical to building and operating mission-critical backend platforms that process millions of events per second across both synchronous and asynchronous architectures , with stringent requirements for scalability, reliability, security, and performance . The ideal candidate brings a proven track record of architecting and scaling production-grade systems at extreme scale , along with the ability to drive technical strategy, governance, and cross-functional alignment in a complex enterprise environment.

Key Responsibilities Architecture & System Design • Define and lead the architecture of large-scale distributed systems capable of ingesting and processing high-velocity data streams from 50M+ sensors • Design resilient systems across synchronous (API-driven) and asynchronous (event-driven, streaming) paradigms • Establish architectural standards for scalability, fault tolerance, and performance optimization

Data Platform Engineering • Architect real-time and batch data pipelines for high-throughput ingestion, transformation, and storage • Drive design decisions across streaming, processing, and storage layers to ensure optimal performance and cost efficiency • Enable support for time-series, event-driven, and analytical workloads

Technology Strategy & Governance • Define and enforce enterprise architecture principles, standards, and best practices • Evaluate and guide adoption of modern data technologies, including: • Distributed messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, Pulsar) • Scalable data stores (e.g., Cassandra, DynamoDB, Bigtable, ClickHouse, Elasticsearch) • Stream and batch processing frameworks (e.g., Flink, Spark, Beam)

• Ensure alignment with security, compliance, and data governance requirements

Scalability, Reliability & Observability • Establish and operationalize SLAs, SLOs, and error budgets • Design for high availability, multi-region resilience, and disaster recovery • Implement enterprise-grade observability frameworks (monitoring, logging, tracing)

Leadership & Collaboration • Partner with engineering, product, security, and data teams to align architecture with organizational objectives • Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and architectural oversight across multiple teams • Lead design reviews and ensure adherence to architectural standards

Required Qualifications Experience • 10+ years of experience in distributed systems and backend architecture • Demonstrated success in scaling systems to: • 50M+ connected devices/sensors , or • Comparable high-scale environments (e.g., IoT, telecom, fintech, ad-tech, infrastructure platforms)

• Proven experience with high-throughput event-driven architectures in production environments

Technical Expertise • Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts, including: • CAP theorem, consistency models, and trade-offs • Partitioning, replication, and sharding strategies • Event delivery semantics (at-least-once, exactly-once, idempotency)

• Strong experience with: • Streaming and messaging systems (Kafka, Pulsar, or equivalent) • Real-time and batch processing frameworks • Scalable NoSQL and analytical data stores

System Design & Engineering • Expertise in designing: • Low-latency, high-throughput APIs • Event-driven and asynchronous processing systems • Multi-region, highly available architectures

• Strong programming proficiency in one or more of: Go, Java, Scala, or Rust

Preferred Qualifications • Experience with large-scale IoT or telemetry platforms • Familiarity with edge-to-cloud architectures • Experience operating in multi-cloud or hybrid environments • Knowledge of enterprise security frameworks, data governance, and compliance (e.g., SOC2, ISO, GDPR) • Exposure to AI/ML data pipelines and large-scale analytics platforms

Success Metrics • Architecture supports billions of daily events with consistent performance and reliability • Systems demonstrate horizontal scalability and fault isolation • Clear separation and optimization of real-time vs batch workloads • Strong adherence to enterprise architecture and governance standards

Why Proofpoint?

At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us:

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits

• Career success on your terms

• Flexible work environment

• Annual wellness and community outreach days

• Always on recognition for your contributions

• Global collaboration and networking opportunities

  Our Culture:

Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to a

Similar jobs

• Sr. Data Architect — Warner Bros. Discovery · GA Atlanta 1050 Techwood Drive NW
• Sr. Data Architect — Sharp HealthCare · La Mesa, CA
• Senior Technical Architect, Data Engineering — Slingshotaerospace · Remote
• Senior Data Architect — Generac · Remote
• Senior Data Architect — Accenturefederalservices · Arlington, VA
• Senior Data Architect — Oura · Hybrid - San Francisco, California
• Senior Data Architect — Northeastern University · Boston, MA (Main Campus)
• Senior Architect - Data Platforms & Architecture — 3cloud · Remote