Director, Data Management

Burtch Works; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Burtch Works in Des Moines, IA, seeks a Director of Data Management to lead the design, delivery, and modernization of the enterprise data platform. This role will migrate from legacy Azure SQL Server to an Azure Databricks Lakehouse, creating a scalable single source of truth for analytics, reporting, and AI/ML across the insurance value chain.

As a senior leader, you will guide onsite and remote data engineering teams, set platform strategy, and ensure cloud-native, reliable data assets while

Qualifications

• 10+ years in data engineering, architecture, or platform leadership.
• At least 5 years in team management.
• Insurance or financial services experience required.
• Expertise with Azure Data Services and modern cloud analytics platforms.
• Experience migrating to Databricks Lakehouse and PySpark.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the enterprise data platform strategy for scalability and cloud optimization.
• Oversee data modernization, including migration to Azure Databricks Lakehouse.
• Lead and mentor data engineers, ensuring technical excellence and delivery accountability.
• Partner with architects to ensure models, pipelines, and designs meet business needs.
• Transform fragmented data ecosystems into a single source of truth for insurance domains.
• Drive CI/CD, DevOps, cost efficiency, and observability in cloud-native data engineering.
• Ensure data availability, scalability, and reliability for analytics and AI/ML.
• Collaborate with analytics and data science teams to enable advanced analytics.
• Manage enterprise data portfolio, investments, and operational outcomes.
• Oversee budget, resourcing, and vendor relationships to scale capabilities.

Skills

Data platform leadership

Team management

Data modeling

ETL/ELT

CI/CD

DevOps

Communication

Stakeholder influence

PHI/PII handling

AI/ML enablement

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS / Analytics / MIS / IT

Tools

Azure Data Services

Azure Databricks Lakehouse

PySpark

Delta Lake

Unity Catalog

Kafka

Event Hub

Azure DevOps

Terraform

GitHub Actions

Job description

Job Title: Director of Data Management

Work Arrangement: Des Moines, IA (Hybrid)

Job Summary

We are seeking a Director of Data Management to lead the design, delivery, and modernization of our enterprise data platform. Reporting to the Chief Data & Analytics Officer, this role will oversee the migration from legacy Azure SQL Server systems to an Azure Databricks Lakehouse using the medallion architecture, establishing a scalable, high-performance single source of truth that powers analytics, reporting, and AI/ML across the insurance value chain. As a senior leader, you will guide onsite and remote data engineering teams, set data platform strategy, and ensure delivery of cloud-native, reliable, and business-ready data assets. You will partner with architecture, analytics, governance, and business leaders to align the enterprise data platform with business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and own the enterprise data platform strategy, ensuring scalability, performance, and cloud optimization.
• Oversee data modernization efforts, including migration from legacy Azure SQL Server to Azure Databricks Lakehouse.
• Lead and mentor data engineers, fostering technical excellence and delivery accountability.
• Partner with enterprise data and solution architects to ensure data models, pipelines, and platform design meet business needs.
• Transform a fragmented data ecosystem to deliver a single source of truth for insurance domains.
• Drive cloud-native engineering best practices including ETL/ELT optimization, CI/CD, DevOps, cost efficiency, and observability.
• Ensure data availability, scalability, and reliability for analytics, reporting, and digital initiatives.
• Collaborate with analytics and data science teams to enable advanced analytics, AI/ML, and self-service data access.
• Prioritize and manage the enterprise data portfolio, aligning data investments with business value, strategic initiatives, and operational outcomes.
• Manage budget, resourcing, and vendor relationships to scale platform capabilities.
• Stay current on emerging technologies including Databricks, streaming, and AI/ML enablement to evolve the platform roadmap.
• Own the Databricks platform and guide business users on adoption of the Lakehouse architecture.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Business/Data Analytics, Management Information Systems, Information Technology, or a related field. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, architecture, or platform leadership, with at least 5 years in team management.
• Insurance or financial services experience required.
• Expertise with Azure Data Services including Data Lake, Data Factory, Synapse, Event Hub, and Key Vault.
• Proven success leading large-scale data modernization programs in Azure, Databricks, or Snowflake.
• Hands-on experience with Databricks Lakehouse including PySpark, Delta Lake, and Unity Catalog.
• Strong background in data modeling, ETL/ELT frameworks, and data warehousing.
• Familiarity with streaming and real-time ingestion technologies such as Kafka and Event Hub (required).
• Experience with compliance regulations and handling of PHI/PII data.
• Exposure to AI/ML and data science workloads in Databricks or Snowflake.
• Experience with DevOps and automation frameworks including Azure DevOps, Terraform, and GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with DAMA/DMBOK practices and standards.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills with the ability to influence both technical and business stakeholders.