Data Platform Lead

McGuireWoods LLP; California; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

McGuireWoods LLP is seeking a Database Platform Lead to own and operate the Firm’s enterprise Data Lakehouse. You will provide technical and functional leadership, coordinating with business stakeholders, technology teams, vendors, and other resources to translate data needs into platform solutions.

You will work with the Data Architect to ensure secure, compliant data pipelines, monitor operations, manage upgrades, and support BI, analytics, and AI use cases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience with enterprise data platforms and BI environments.
• Experience with Azure, Databricks, SQL, and data integration concepts.
• Vendor management and cross-functional leadership without direct reports.
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical and functional leadership for the Firm’s Data Lakehouse platform, establishing priorities and ensuring alignment with business objectives and standards.
• Owns the ongoing operation, configuration, enhancement, and lifecycle of the Data Lakehouse platform; coordinates platform-related requests.
• Translates business processes and data requirements into actionable platform solutions.
• Ensures architecture, security, and technology standards are followed by data integrations and platform implementations.
• Monitors data loads, resolves data quality issues, and coordinates with source system owners and vendors.
• Manages vendor relationships, escalation, and roadmap contributions for the Data Lakehouse.
• Coordinates platform upgrades, releases, and changes with testing and validation.
• Maintains platform documentation and transitions capabilities to appropriate teams.

Skills

Data Lakehouse

Azure Databricks

SQL

Vendor management

Cross-functional leadership

Platform operations

Security & governance

Communication

Cloud architectures

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Azure

Databricks

Power BI

Azure DevOps

Job description

Overview

The Database Platform Lead is responsible for the overall ownership, direction, and operation of the Firm’s enterprise Data Lakehouse platform. The position provides technical and functional leadership for the platform and serves as a primary point of coordination among business stakeholders, technology teams, vendors, and other resources supporting the Firm’s data strategy. The Database Platform Lead works closely with business stakeholders to understand business processes, data requirements, reporting needs, and integration requirements and translates those needs into actionable platform and data solutions. The position works closely with the Data Architect to ensure that data integrations and platform implementations follow approved architecture, technology standards, and established requirements, and works with downstream technology teams to ensure that data supports business intelligence, reporting, analytics, and AI use cases. The position is accountable for the operational health and lifecycle of the Data Lakehouse platform, including monitoring, data and reporting validation, issue resolution, vendor management, release coordination, documentation, and transition of supported capabilities to appropriate technology teams. The Database Platform Lead provides leadership and direction to resources supporting Data Lakehouse initiatives and helps establish priorities, standards, and best practices, while remaining an individual contributor without direct personnel-management responsibility. McGuireWoods, one of the world’s leading law firms, has provided legal solutions to corporate, individual and nonprofit clients since 1834. Diversity and inclusion are essential to how we do business, informing how we recruit, retain and promote lawyers and staff to serve clients. Along with excellent benefits, McGuireWoods offers most employees a hybrid remote option allowing flexibility and work-life balance.

Responsibilities

• Provides technical and functional leadership for the Firm’s Data Lakehouse platform, establishing priorities and ensuring the platform aligns with Firm business objectives, technology strategies, and established standards.
• Owns the ongoing operation, configuration, enhancement, and lifecycle of the Data Lakehouse platform and serves as the primary point of coordination for platform-related requests and initiatives.
• Works with business stakeholders to understand business processes, data requirements, reporting needs, and integration requirements and translates those needs into actionable platform and data requirements.
• Works closely with the Data Architect to ensure data structures, integrations, and platform implementations follow approved architecture, security requirements, technology standards, and established requirements.
• Oversees the integration of data from Firm applications and other approved sources, ensuring data is appropriately identified, integrated, validated, and available to support business intelligence, reporting, analytics, and AI use cases.
• Monitors platform operations and data integration processes; investigates failed or incomplete loads, data discrepancies, connectivity issues, and other conditions affecting data availability or quality, coordinating resolution with appropriate internal teams, source system owners, and vendors.
• Establishes and maintains processes for validating data and reporting results, including reconciliation of source and target data and investigation and resolution of discrepancies.
• Serves as the primary Firm contact for the Data Lakehouse platform vendor, managing the vendor relationship, coordinating support and implementation activities, escalating issues, evaluating capabilities, and contributing to the platform roadmap.
• Coordinates platform upgrades, releases, configuration changes, and other significant changes, including impact assessment, stakeholder coordination, testing, scheduling, implementation, and post-change validation.
• Works with Information Security, Infrastructure, and other technology teams to ensure appropriate security, access, connectivity, and operational controls are established and maintained.
• Maintains platform documentation, including system and integration diagrams, data flows, dependencies, operational procedures, support processes, and vendor escalation information, and coordinates the transition of supported capabilities to appropriate technology teams.
• Works closely with the Data Architect, Data Visualization Developer, AI Solutions Integration Engineer, Senior Software Developers, and other technology resources to ensure the platform effectively supports downstream data, reporting, analytics, and AI solutions.
• Provides technical guidance and direction to resources participating in Data Lakehouse initiatives and promotes consistent development, integration, testing, documentation, security, and operational practices without direct personnel-management responsibility.
• Keeps abreast of emerging technologies and practices related to data platforms, data integration, analytics, cloud technologies, automation, and artificial intelligence and recommends improvements to the Firm’s Data Lakehouse capabilities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum of five years of experience supporting, administering, or owning an enterprise data, analytics, application, or business-critical technology platform.
• Demonstrated experience with enterprise data platforms, data integration, data pipelines, or business intelligence environments.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure and Databricks,
• Working knowledge of SQL and the ability to query and reconcile source and target data, validate data loads, investigate discrepancies, and troubleshoot data-related issues.
• Practical understanding of data integration concepts, including data sources, incremental loading, scheduling, dependencies, error handling, and data validation.
• Experience managing technology vendors, including coordinating support, escalating issues, evaluating solutions, and managing implementation activities.
• Experience gathering and translating business requirements into technical or data-related solutions and working effectively with business stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to provide technical and functional leadership, coordinate cross-functional activities, establish priorities, and drive initiatives to completion without direct personnel-management responsibility.
• Experience with platform operations, including monitoring, incident resolution, change management, release coordination, documentation, and transition to support.
• Understanding of enterprise security, access control, and data protection principles, including least‑privilege access and appropriate handling of confidential data.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, organizational, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate technical concepts and issues effectively to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and initiatives with limited supervision while maintaining appropriate attention to operational reliability and business requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with a cloud-based data Lakehouse, data warehouse, or enterprise analytics platform.
• Hands‑on experience with Entegrata or a comparable enterprise data platform.
• Experience with Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Fabric, or related data and cloud technologies.
• Experience with Power BI, Power BI Service, or other enterprise business intelligence and reporting platforms.
• Familiarity with enterprise data architecture, dimensional modeling, data quality, data lineage, and data governance concepts.
• Experience supporting data platforms in a law firm, professional services organization, or other confidentiality‑sensitive or highly regulated environment.
• Familiarity with enterprise applications and data sources commonly used by law firms, including financial, time and billing, HR, CRM, document management, and matter management systems.
• Experience supporting security reviews, audits, client security questionnaires, or technology risk assessments.
• Experience enabling analytics, artificial intelligence, or other advanced data use cases through enterprise data platforms.
• Experience with Azure DevOps or other tools supporting change management, work tracking, documentation, or platform development.
• Relevant Microsoft Azure, data platform, analytics, or cloud certifications.