Global Head of Data, Analytics & AI Strategy

Ashurst Perkins Coie; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 201,000 - 351,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual discretionary bonus

401(k) plan

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

Parental leave

Holidays

Job summary

Ashurst Perkins Coie seeks a Senior Director of Data & Analytics to lead the firm’s enterprise data strategy, architecture, and global data organization. You will own multi-year roadmaps, governance, and data platforms to deliver trusted insights across regions.

You will drive data quality, security, and AI-enabled capabilities, overseeing Databricks/Azure lakehouse, MLOps, and data products while partnering with business and technology leaders for measurable business impact.

Qualifications

• 10-plus years of progressive experience in data engineering, analytics, data science, or related technology disciplines, including enterprise cloud and data solutions.
• 5-plus years of senior leadership experience managing multidisciplinary data, analytics, engineering, or technology teams, including people managers.
• Strong expertise in enterprise data architecture, lakehouse platforms, data integration, dimensional and semantic modeling, ETL/ELT, and data warehousing.
• Deep experience with Databricks, Microsoft Azure, SQL, Python, and PySpark.
• Working knowledge of machine learning, MLOps, generative AI, feature stores, model deployment, monitoring, and AI governance.
• Demonstrated experience taking analytics, data science, or AI initiatives from prototype through production and measurable business impact.
• Strong understanding of data quality, governance, security, metadata, lineage, compliance, and data residency requirements.
• Experience managing technology budgets, vendors, platform costs, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience leading distributed or global teams across multiple regions and time zones.
• Excellent executive communication, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, statistics, or a related quantitative discipline; equivalent experience may be considered. Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the firm’s enterprise data and analytics strategy, roadmap, operating model, and investment priorities in partnership with the Chief Digital & Data Officer and firm leadership.
• Oversee data architecture, engineering, governance, analytics, data science, machine learning engineering, and enterprise data platforms.
• Own the architecture, security, reliability, scalability, performance, and cost efficiency of the firm’s Databricks and Microsoft Azure lakehouse environment.
• Establish enterprise standards for data integration, modeling, quality, governance, metadata, lineage, access, security, and compliance.
• Direct machine learning engineering and MLOps practices, ensuring models and data products can move reliably from development to production.
• Enable analytics, AI, and self-service capabilities through trusted data products, semantic models, and governed data services.
• Lead build, buy, and partner decisions, including vendor management, technology investments, platform optimization, and technical debt reduction.
• Partner with business and technology leaders to identify opportunities for data, analytics, and AI and translate technical priorities into measurable business value.
• Manage budgets, resources, platform consumption, risks, and executive reporting across the data organization.
• Lead and develop a high-performing global organization across multiple regions and time zones, fostering technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Data engineering

Analytics

Data science

Enterprise cloud

Lakehouse

Databricks

Azure

SQL

Python

PySpark

MLOps

AI governance

Executive leadership

Budget management

Vendor management

Global leadership

Data architecture

Data governance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related quantitative discipline

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Databricks

Microsoft Azure

Power BI

Denodo

Unity Catalog

Job description

Ashurst Perkins Coie seeks a Senior Director of Data & Analytics to lead the firm’s enterprise data strategy, architecture, and global data organization. You will own multi-year roadmaps, governance, and data platforms to deliver trusted insights across regions.

You will drive data quality, security, and AI-enabled capabilities, overseeing Databricks/Azure lakehouse, MLOps, and data products while partnering with business and technology leaders for measurable business impact.