Practice Lead - AI

Impower.ai; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Impower.ai is seeking a Practice Lead for Data & AI, responsible for leading technical solutions and architectural strategies. The role involves managing teams and ensuring high-quality delivery for scalable data platforms and AI solutions.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in data and AI engineering, a proven track record in designing enterprise-scale solutions, and the ability to lead high-performing teams while maintaining strong client relationships.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Data, Analytics, or AI engineering.
• Proven experience designing enterprise-scale data and AI solutions.
• Strong architectural mindset with hands-on technical depth.
• Experience leading high-performing technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to Senior Technology and Data leaders.
• Lead development of data pipelines (Python, Spark).
• Architect and deliver AI solutions (Azure OpenAI).
• Establish best practices for performance and scalability.

Skills

Technical leadership

Data architecture

AI solutions delivery

Team management

Data governance

Python and Spark

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Power BI

Airflow

Job description

Role Summary

The Practice Lead – Data & AI is a technical and architectural leader of the practice, responsible for shaping solution strategy, managing delivery, and advising senior client stakeholders.

This role owns the design and execution of modern data platforms and AI solutions, while managing teams and ensuring delivery is scalable, high-quality, and strategically aligned to business outcomes.

What You’ll Do

Lead Client Solutions

• Act as a trusted advisor to Senior Technology and Data leaders
• Lead architecture and solution design for data platforms and AI initiatives
• Translate business needs into scalable, production-ready solutions

Drive Technical Architecture

• Lead development of data pipelines (Python, Spark, orchestration tools)
• Implement data modeling and transformation (dbt, data products)

Advance AI Capabilities

• Architect and deliver AI/LLM solutions (Azure OpenAI, RAG)
• Help clients move AI from experimentation to production

Own Delivery Quality

• Establish best practices for performance, scalability, and cost
• Implement data governance and quality frameworks
• Ensure consistent, high-quality delivery across engagements

Lead & Grow the Team

• Lead, Manage and Develop engineers
• Build a culture of technical excellence and accountability
• Contribute to practice growth, assets, and go-to-market strategy

Core Technical Expertise

• Databricks and/or Snowflake
• Python, Spark (PySpark), orchestration (Airflow or similar)
• dbt and modern data modeling
• Data governance tools (Purview, Collibra)
• Power BI or similar analytics platforms

Qualifications

• 10+ years in Data, Analytics, or AI engineering
• Proven experience designing enterprise-scale data and AI solutions
• Strong architectural mindset with hands-on technical depth
• Experience leading high-performing technical teams

What Success Looks Like

• Scalable data and AI platforms delivering measurable business value
• High-performing teams operating with consistency and quality
• Trusted advisor relationships with senior client stakeholders