Director, Data and Analytics

Vaco by Highspring; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring seeks a Director of Data & Analytics to lead the enterprise data platform from design through production, ensuring reliability, data quality, governance, performance, and cost efficiency. You will lead a small technical team and partner with offshore engineers and implementation partners.

The role requires strong data engineering and cloud platform expertise and the ability to communicate with executive stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, data platforms, or analytics engineering, including 4+ years leading technical teams.
• Experience building and operating enterprise data platforms in production.
• Strong experience with Databricks, Snowflake, Azure data services, or comparable modern cloud data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of dimensional modeling, Data Vault concepts, SQL, and Python.
• Experience designing and supporting data pipelines and integrations across APIs, SaaS applications, files, and other enterprise sources.
• Experience with release management, production support, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.
• Experience leading distributed/offshore engineering teams and managing implementation partners or vendors.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise data platform from roadmap and architecture through production operations.
• Lead data platform releases, including design reviews, testing, production readiness, cutover, and stabilization.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership across data models, pipelines, integrations, orchestration, and platform architecture.
• Establish engineering standards for testing, source control, deployment, documentation, and reliable data processing.
• Own platform reliability, data freshness, incident response, performance optimization, and technical debt.
• Establish and maintain data quality, governance, lineage, access controls, and certified datasets.
• Lead and develop internal engineers while managing offshore teams, implementation partners, and vendors.
• Manage sprint execution, resource planning, vendor deliverables, and overall platform delivery.
• Partner with business and executive stakeholders to translate business needs into scalable data solutions.
• Help identify and implement practical uses of AI within data engineering and analytics, including AI‑assisted development, automated data quality, and natural‑language access to governed data.

Skills

Data engineering

Cloud platform

Databricks

Medallion architecture

Unity Catalog

Data Vault modeling

SQL

Python

BI tools

AI in data engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Azure data services

Tableau

Job description

We are seeking a Director of Data & Analytics to lead the delivery, operation, and continued evolution of an enterprise data platform. This is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for taking data initiatives from design through production while ensuring platform reliability, data quality, governance, performance, and cost efficiency.

The Director will lead a small technical team and work closely with offshore engineers and implementation partners. The ideal candidate combines strong data engineering and cloud platform expertise with the ability to lead teams, manage delivery, and communicate effectively with executive stakeholders.

The environment includes Databricks on AWS, medallion architecture, Unity Catalog, dimensional and Data Vault modeling, SQL, Python, and modern BI tools. Experience with comparable platforms such as Snowflake, Azure data services, or seasoned SQL Server environments is also relevant.

Key Responsibilities

Director, Data & Analytics

Position Overview

We are seeking a Director of Data & Analytics to lead the delivery, operation, and continued evolution of an enterprise data platform. This is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for taking data initiatives from design through production while ensuring platform reliability, data quality, governance, performance, and cost efficiency.

The Director will lead a small technical team and work closely with offshore engineers and implementation partners. The ideal candidate combines strong data engineering and cloud platform expertise with the ability to lead teams, manage delivery, and communicate effectively with executive stakeholders.

The environment includes Databricks on AWS, medallion architecture, Unity Catalog, dimensional and Data Vault modeling, SQL, Python, and modern BI tools. Experience with comparable platforms such as Snowflake, Azure data services, or seasoned SQL Server environments is also relevant.

• Own the enterprise data platform from roadmap and architecture through production operations.
• Lead data platform releases, including design reviews, testing, production readiness, cutover, and stabilization.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership across data models, pipelines, integrations, orchestration, and platform architecture.
• Establish engineering standards for testing, source control, deployment, documentation, and reliable data processing.
• Own platform reliability, data freshness, incident response, performance optimization, and technical debt.
• Establish and maintain data quality, governance, lineage, access controls, and certified datasets.
• Lead and develop internal engineers while managing offshore teams, implementation partners, and vendors.
• Manage sprint execution, resource planning, vendor deliverables, and overall platform delivery.
• Partner with business and executive stakeholders to translate business needs into scalable data solutions.
• Help identify and implement practical uses of AI within data engineering and analytics, including AI‑assisted development, automated data quality, and natural‑language access to governed data.

Preferred

Experience with Databricks lakehouse architecture, medallion patterns, Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, Tableau, master data management, platform consolidation, and AI-enabled data engineering is highly desirable.

By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.

Desired Skills and Experience

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, data platforms, or analytics engineering, including 4+ years leading technical teams.
• Experience building and operating enterprise data platforms in production.
• Strong experience with Databricks, Snowflake, Azure data services, or comparable modern cloud data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of dimensional modeling, Data Vault concepts, SQL, and Python.
• Experience designing and supporting data pipelines and integrations across APIs, SaaS applications, files, and other enterprise sources.
• Experience with release management, production support, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.
• Experience leading distributed/offshore engineering teams and managing implementation partners or vendors.
• Ability to remain technically hands‑on while providing strategic and executive‑level leadership.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail] .

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

For residents of Ontario, Canada only: to the extent the position for employment is not with Highspring or not otherwise noted as vacant above, candidate should be informed that this role is to replace a presently employed person at Vaco by Highspring's client.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

the individual's skill sets, experience and training;

licensure and certification requirements;

office location and other geographic considerations; and

other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).