Director, Analytics, Data Engineering

Sotalent; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 122,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) retirement savings

Paid time off & holidays

Job summary

Sotalent is seeking a Director of Data Engineering to lead the enterprise data architecture strategy and design scalable, secure data platforms. The role reports to executive leadership and collaborates with Analytics, Data Science, Software Engineering, Product and Information Security.

You will establish standards across ingestion, transformation, storage, governance and integration to enable advanced analytics, BI and data-driven solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems or related field; master's preferred.
• 10+ years in data engineering, distributed systems or enterprise data architecture.
• 5+ years designing large-scale, cloud-based data platforms.
• Proven experience leading architectural strategy across multiple teams.
• Strong knowledge of cloud-native data architectures, data warehouses, lakehouse, distributed computing and data orchestration.
• Experience with T-SQL, PySpark, Snowflake, AWS, Azure or GCP, CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise data architecture strategy, including cloud platforms, data pipelines, governance and integration frameworks.
• Design and oversee data warehouses, distributed processing systems, batch and real-time ingestion pipelines, APIs and metadata management solutions.
• Establish standards for data modelling, schema design, orchestration, version control, documentation, lineage and monitoring.
• Drive scalability, system reliability, performance optimisation, capacity planning and cloud cost management.
• Embed data governance, security controls, encryption and compliance requirements into architectural designs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support advanced analytics, data science, product development and client-facing solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, lead proof-of-concept initiatives and guide build-versus-buy decisions.
• Mentor senior engineers and managers while influencing technical direction across multiple teams.
• Present architectural roadmaps, risk assessments and investment recommendations to executive leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Data strategy

Architecture governance

Stakeholder management

Data security

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering/IS

Master's degree preferred

Tools

T-SQL

PySpark

Snowflake

AWS

Azure

GCP

CI/CD

IaC

Job description

Director of Data Engineering – Enterprise Data Architecture & Cloud Platforms

Location: Chicago, Illinois or Sussex, Wisconsin, USA

Work Model: Hybrid – 4 days in the office

Salary: $122,040–$170,000 per year + bonus

Role Overview

An opportunity is available for a Director of Data Engineering to lead enterprise data architecture strategy and guide the design of scalable, secure and high-performance data platforms. This role will establish architectural standards across data ingestion, transformation, storage, governance and integration, enabling advanced analytics, business intelligence and data-driven solutions.

Working closely with Analytics, Data Science, Software Engineering, Product, Information Security and executive leadership, the Director will shape long-term technical strategy, drive platform modernisation and mentor senior technical talent.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise data architecture strategy, including cloud platforms, data pipelines, governance and integration frameworks.
• Design and oversee data warehouses, distributed processing systems, batch and real-time ingestion pipelines, APIs and metadata management solutions.
• Establish standards for data modelling, schema design, orchestration, version control, documentation, lineage and monitoring.
• Drive scalability, system reliability, performance optimisation, capacity planning and cloud cost management.
• Embed data governance, security controls, encryption and compliance requirements into architectural designs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support advanced analytics, data science, product development and client-facing solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, lead proof-of-concept initiatives and guide build-versus-buy decisions.
• Mentor senior engineers and managers while influencing technical direction across multiple teams.
• Present architectural roadmaps, risk assessments and investment recommendations to executive leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems or a related field; a master’s degree is preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, distributed systems or enterprise data architecture.
• 5+ years designing large-scale, cloud-based data platforms.
• Proven experience leading architectural strategy across multiple teams or business units.
• Strong knowledge of cloud-native data architectures, data warehouses, lakehouse platforms, distributed computing and data orchestration.
• Experience with T‑SQL, PySpark, Snowflake, AWS, Azure or GCP, CI/CD and infrastructure‑as‑code frameworks.
• Understanding of data lifecycle management, system interoperability, security and governance.
• Strong strategic thinking, technical leadership, stakeholder management and executive communication skills.

Experience in media, marketing analytics or high-volume consumer data environments is advantageous.

Preferred Certifications

• AWS, Azure or GCP Cloud Architecture
• Snowflake Architect
• Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP)

Eligible employees receive medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance, 401(k) retirement savings, paid time off, holidays and additional benefits.

Work Authorisation: Candidates must be authorised to work in the United States without current or future immigration sponsorship. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Equal Opportunity: The organisation is committed to providing an inclusive workplace and equal employment opportunities.