Senior Manager - Data & AI

Rocketdyne; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocketdyne seeks a Senior Manager, Data & AI to own data platforms and AI/ML capabilities, directing outsourced delivery partners and setting technical standards across the data and analytics footprint.

This hands-on architecture and strategy role partners with the Enterprise Architect to govern master data management, consolidate legacy platforms, and define data-architecture standards and governance for AI tooling and security.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data architecture, data platform engineering, or AI/ML strategy roles.
• Deep hands-on expertise with Snowflake and/or Databricks.
• Experience with Palantir or comparable data integration/analytics platforms.
• Experience owning or co-owning MDM strategy and analytics platform architecture.
• Knowledge of enterprise AI tooling governance and acceptable-use considerations.
• Working knowledge of CMMC, ITAR, and/or DFARS requirements related to data platforms.
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR data access).
• Experience directing outsourced/AMS delivery partners without formal supervisory authority.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture and strategy for Rocketdyne's data platforms including environment design, workload placement, performance, and cost governance.
• Direct outsourced delivery partners on data platform administration, pipeline development, and operations as defined by the architecture.
• Own AI/ML capability strategy and roadmap across the enterprise, including current platforms and future tooling.
• Define governance and acceptable-use standards for AI tooling, especially for regulated data.
• Identify, prioritize, and business-case AI/ML use cases with engineering, manufacturing, and business stakeholders.
• Direct outsourced delivery partners on AI platform administration, model governance, and rollout support.
• Partner on golden-source data domain definitions across ERP, PLM, and MES for MDM alignment.
• Lead consolidation of duplicative data and analytics platforms into a single, right-sized stack post-TSA exit.

Skills

Data architecture

Data platform engineering

AI/ML strategy

Tools

Snowflake

Databricks

Palantir

Microsoft Copilot

GitHub Copilot/Codex

Job description

The Senior Manager, Data & AI is Rocketdyne’s subject matter expert and owner for data platforms and AI/ML capabilities and directs the outsourced delivery partners who administer and operate them day to day. This role sets data platform architecture and AI capability strategy, and partners closely with the Enterprise Architect to own master data management (MDM) and the analytics platform landscape, including consolidating the duplicative or inherited platforms Rocketdyne carries from the L3Harris TSA relationship into a single, right-sized data and analytics stack. This is a hands-‑on architecture and strategy role, not a people-‑management role, but it carries real authority to direct outsourced delivery partners and set technical standards enforced across the data and AI platform footprint.

Key Responsibilities

Data Platform Ownership

• Own architecture and strategy for Rocketdyne's data platforms including environment design, workload placement, performance, and cost governance
• Own the vendor relationships from a data/technical standpoint — architecture, integration with source systems, and alignment to Rocketdyne's broader data strategy
• Define data platform governance standards: data quality, access control, environment segmentation, and lifecycle management
• Direct outsourced delivery partners on data platform administration, pipeline development, and operations against the architecture this role sets

AI/ML Capability Ownership

• Own AI/ML capability strategy and roadmap across the enterprise, including current platforms in use — Microsoft Copilot, Codex, and Palantir and evaluation of future AI tooling and use cases
• Define governance and acceptable-use standards for AI tooling, particularly where AI capabilities touch CUI, ITAR-controlled data, or source code, in partnership with cyber architecture/compliance
• Identify, prioritize, and business-case AI/ML use cases in partnership with engineering, manufacturing, and business stakeholders
• Direct outsourced delivery partners on AI platform administration, model/prompt governance, and rollout support

Master Data & Analytics Platform Consolidation

• Partner with the Director of Applications as the application-‑side technical counterpart on golden-‑source data domain definitions across ERP, PLM, and MES — ensuring MDM designations reflect how each system actually enforces data integrity, not just the ideal data model
• Own the analytics platform landscape (BI/reporting tools) jointly with the Enterprise Architect, identifying overlap and redundancy inherited from the L3Harris environment
• Lead consolidation of duplicative data and analytics platforms into a single, right-‑sized stack as part of the TSA exit, including migration planning and decommissioning of redundant tools
• Define enterprise data architecture standards (data domains, integration patterns, data flow) jointly with the Enterprise Architect, ensuring data platform decisions align to the broader enterprise architecture

Outsource Partner Management

• Direct and manage outsourced data/AI delivery partners performing day-‑to-‑day platform administration, pipeline development, and operations
• Own technical acceptance of outsourced partner deliverables — review, test, and approve data models, pipelines, and AI tooling configuration before production use
• Escalate and manage partner performance issues (quality, schedule, cost) in partnership with vendor management/procurement
• Evaluate outsourced partner statements of work and architecture proposals for technical soundness before commitment

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years in data architecture, data platform engineering, or AI/ML strategy roles, with demonstrated ownership of platform strategy (not just administration)
• Deep hands-‑on expertise with Snowflake and/or Databricks
• Direct experience with Palantir or comparable data integration/analytics platforms in a complex enterprise
• Experience with enterprise AI tooling (Microsoft Copilot, GitHub Copilot/Codex, or comparable) including governance and acceptable-‑use considerations
• Experience owning or co-‑owning master data management (MDM) strategy and analytics platform architecture
• Working knowledge of CMMC, ITAR, and/or DFARS requirements as they apply to data platforms and AI tooling, and demonstrated ability to partner effectively with cyber/compliance teams
• U.S. Person status required (ITAR data access)
• Demonstrated experience directing and managing outsourced/AMS delivery partners — assigning work, reviewing deliverables, and holding partners accountable for quality and schedule without formal supervisory authority over them

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in aerospace, defense, or another export-‑controlled manufacturing environment
• Experience consolidating redundant data/analytics platforms in a carve-‑out, M&A, or divestiture context
• Experience defining AI governance frameworks for regulated or export-‑controlled environments
• Relevant certifications (Snowflake SnowPro, Databricks Certified Data Engineer, or equivalent)