Associate Director - Data & AI

Smart Analytica; Mumbai; On-site; INR 7,000,000 - 11,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Smart Analytica Private Limited is a niche Data and AI company based in Pune. We seek an Associate Director — Data & AI (Technical) to own end-to-end delivery of large, multi-stream Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics programs.

You will blend client engagement, technical delivery leadership, and data management expertise to meet scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives, while mentoring project leads and delivering tangible business value across industries.

Qualifications

• 18+ years in IT services with 10+ years focused on Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics.
• Proven track record leading large, multi-stakeholder programs to delivery.
• Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of large multi-stream Big Data, Cloud, Analytics programs.
• Translate business goals into delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Lead and mentor project leads, managers, data engineers, and analysts.
• Institutionalize Agile delivery, QA, and engineering hygiene.

Skills

Leadership

Client engagement

Stakeholder management

Communication

Delivery management

Delivery leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science / IT / related field

Certifications in Big Data / Cloud / Analytics

Tools

Agile/Scrum

PMP

Snowflake

Databricks

GCP

Azure

AWS

Job description

Associate Director — Data & AI (Technical)

Experience: 18+ years in IT Services, including 10+ years across Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics

About us:

Smart Analytica Private Limited is a niche Data and AI company. Based in Pune, we are pioneers in data-driven innovation, transforming enterprise data into strategic insights. Established in 2017, our team has experience in handling large datasets up to 20 PB’s in a single implementation, delivering many successful data and AI projects across major industries, including retail, finance, telecom, manufacturing, insurance, and capital markets. We are leaders in Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics projects with a super specialization in very large data platforms.

Role summary:

Own end to end delivery of large, multi-stream Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics programs. Blend client engagement, technical delivery leadership, and data management expertise to meet scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives.

What you’ll do:

Client Engagement & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as primary delivery contact for large clients; translate business goals into delivery plans and measurable outcomes.
• Anticipate challenges, propose options, and align decisions with client expectations.
• Provide crisp, timely status, risk, and variance reporting to client and internal leadership.
• Manage revenue assurance and participate in account mining and growth.

Delivery Leadership

• Lead end to end technical delivery across multiple concurrent data and analytics initiatives (solutioning, design, development, and release).
• Build executable plans (scope, milestones, budgets), track progress, manage dependencies, and drive on time, on budget outcomes.
• Proactively identify risks/issues and implement corrective actions to protect timelines and quality.

People leadership

• Lead and mentor project leads, managers, data engineers, and analysts; ensure effective staffing and utilization across programs.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.

Technical & Delivery Excellence

• Leverage strong data management experience to guide technical choices; remove blockers via hands on expertise or by orchestrating internal/external SMEs.
• Institutionalize best practices for Agile delivery, quality assurance, and engineering hygiene.
• Stay current with Big Data, Cloud, Analytics, and AI advancements; champion improvements that lift delivery efficiency and client satisfaction.

What you’ll bring:

Core experience

• 18+ years in IT services with 10+ years focused on Big Data, Cloud, and Analytics across client servicing, data management, analytics, and AI.
• Proven track record running large, complex, multistakeholder programs to completion.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills; strong critical thinking and decision making under pressure.

Methods & tools

• Working mastery of delivery frameworks and tooling (e.g., Agile/Scrum; PMP or equivalent).
• Practical knowledge of one or more major clouds (GCP/Azure/AWS) and modern data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks) is highly advantageous.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical roadmaps and measurable KPIs.

Education & certifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, IT, or related field.
• Relevant certifications in Big Data, Cloud (GCP/Azure/AWS), Snowflake, Databricks, and/or Project Management preferred.