Data Operations Support Lead

WPP; Chennai; On-site; INR 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global media company is seeking a Data Operations Lead for its Chennai office to drive cloud-based data strategies. Candidates should have over 7 years of experience in data operations and cloud technologies like Azure and GCP. The role involves technical ownership, team leadership, and operational governance using tools like Databricks and GitHub Actions. Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset are essential. Join us to make a transformative impact on data management and operations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data operations, platform engineering, or data engineering.
• 3+ years in leadership capacity with proven team building.
• Deep experience with Databricks, including SQL Warehouses and Unity Catalog.

Responsibilities

• Lead data integration and orchestrate operations across cloud environments.
• Build automated CI/CD pipelines for data workflows.
• Manage production deployments and job orchestration.

Skills

DataOps practices

Data integration

Cloud platforms (Azure, GCP)

GitHub Actions

Python

Tools

Databricks

dbt

Terraform

Job description

Data Operations Lead – Chennai

WPP Media is embarking on a transformative data journey through Databridge—our internal comprehensive data strategy and framework designed to unify our fragmented global data landscape. We are moving from isolated, market-specific implementations to a standardized, scalable, cloud‑agnostic, and AI‑ready data platform built on a modern tech stack: dbt, Databricks, Python (dlthub), and GitHub Actions.

What you'll be doing:

Technical Ownership & Execution

• Lead the team responsible for data integration, orchestration, and platform operations across Azure and GCP environments
• Build and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Databricks Asset Bundles for data workflows
• Design platform‑wide monitoring, logging, and alerting covering pipeline execution, data quality, SLA compliance, and cost
• Manage production deployments and own centralized job orchestration via Databricks Jobs/Workflows (scheduling, dependencies, retries, notifications)
• Implement comprehensive data quality testing and validation using dbt's testing framework and custom checks

Operational Standardization

• Create and roll out standard operating procedures, runbooks, onboarding guides, and automation patterns
• Establish reusable deployment frameworks and project templates for consistent implementation across markets
• Build and maintain the Central Data Solution Repository with reusable assets (dlthub pipelines, dbt models, tests, macros)
• Define repeatable deployment patterns ensuring standards and best practices are followed globally

Platform Support & Governance

• Set up and manage SLAs, incident workflows, and escalation models
• Proactively identify and resolve operational risks in cloud‑based data platforms
• Partner with DevOps to leverage Databricks Unity Catalog for governance, access control, and lineage
• Enforce data quality standards and governance policies embedded within pipeline code
• Lead and mentor the Data Integration & Operations team in Chennai
• Shape the team's operating model, priorities, and capabilities
• Act as subject‑matter expert and escalation point for technical operations
• Facilitate regular retrospectives to drive continuous improvement and optimize processes
• Collaborate with Data Engineering, DevOps, and Product teams globally

What you'll need:

Experience

• 7+ years in data operations, platform engineering, or data engineering with hands‑on production experience
• 3+ years in technical leadership or team lead capacity, with proven ability to build and scale teams
• Demonstrated experience establishing DataOps practices and operational frameworks from the ground up

Technical Expertise

• Deep, hands‑on experience with the Databricks platform, specifically:
  • Databricks SQL Warehouses, Unity Catalog, Jobs/Workflows
  • Databricks Asset Bundles for Infrastructure as Code
  • Delta Lake performance optimization
• Strong proficiency with dbt (Core): project structure, macros, tests, documentation, CI/CD integration, production troubleshooting
• Expert‑level cloud platform knowledge (Azure and/or GCP):
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
  • CI/CD mastery with GitHub Actions: workflow design, secrets management, automated testing and deployment
• Proficient in Python for automation and scripting (experience with dlthub is a major plus)
• Strong SQL skills for data validation, quality testing, and troubleshooting

Operational & Leadership Skills

• Proven ability to design operational frameworks: monitoring, alerting, incident management, SLA tracking
• Experience managing production data platforms with high uptime requirements
• Excellent communication skills with ability to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Strong documentation skills and commitment to knowledge sharing

Preferred Skills

• Experience working in multi‑cloud environments (Azure + GCP)
• Familiarity with Power BI or similar BI platforms
• Understanding of FinOps practices for cloud cost optimization

Who Should Apply

• Real, hands‑on project experience building and running production data platforms at scale
• Proven leadership in establishing DataOps practices and growing high‑performing teams
• Deep technical expertise in the Databricks ecosystem and modern data stack
• Entrepreneurial mindset—comfortable with ambiguity and building systems from the ground up

Who you are

• You’re open: we are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open‑minded to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.
• You’re optimistic: we believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures for our people, our clients and our communities.
• You’re extraordinary: we are stronger together. Through collaboration we achieve the amazing.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.