Senior Manager, Data & BI Practice

WRInc WaterRise Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development opportunities

Collaborative environment

High-impact role

Job summary

WRInc WaterRise Inc. is seeking a Senior Manager in Data & Analytics Advisory to drive value across portfolio companies in North America. This role involves partnering with leaders to define data strategies, design modern data platforms, and guide analytics solutions.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in data engineering and analytics, focusing on tools like AzureFabric and Databricks, and will mentor portfolio company teams.

Join a collaborative digital practice aiming for sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Typically 7+ years of experience in data engineering, business intelligence, or data architecture roles.
• Proven experience designing modern data platforms in cloud environments.
• Strong communication skills to explain complex data concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Partner with executives to understand business objectives and assess data maturity.
• Design modern data architectures focused on AzureFabric, Databricks, and PowerBI.
• Mentor and train data and analytics personnel, promoting best practices.

Skills

Data engineering

Business intelligence

Project management

Communication skills

AzureFabric

Databricks

PowerBI

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Cloud data platforms

ELT/ETL pipelines

Job description

Overview

The Senior Manager, Data & Analytics Advisory will play a critical role in driving cross-functional value creation across Aurelius Group’s North American portfolio companies. You will partner with business and technology leaders to assess current data maturity, define pragmatic data strategies, and guide the design and implementation of modern data platforms, analytics solutions, and AI-ready data foundations. This senior individual‑contributor role combines hands‑on solution design with advisory leadership, project and vendor oversight, and mentorship of portfolio company data teams. You will be a key catalyst in helping organizations with limited in‑house data capabilities unlock scalable, insight‑driven decision‑making through reusable architectures and flexible reporting and analytics solutions.

Company Background

Aurelius Group is a global investment firm focused on building long‑term value across a diverse portfolio of businesses. Within Aurelius Group, the WaterRise Digital Practice supports portfolio companies in accelerating their digital, data, and technology capabilities to drive sustainable growth and operational excellence. As part of the North America team, you will collaborate with leaders across industries and sectors, helping companies typically in the $200M–$2B annual revenue range modernize their data landscapes and build analytics capabilities that directly support strategic and operational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio company executives and functional leaders to understand business objectives, assess data maturity, and define clear data and analytics strategies.
• Support M&A due diligence and data integration activities through carve‑out.
• Design and advise on modern data architectures, including data warehouses, data lakes, and data integration patterns, with a primary focus on AzureFabric, Databricks, PowerBI, and related technologies.
• Lead the design of scalable, reusable data models and architectures that support reporting, self‑service analytics, and AI/ML use cases.
• Develop and oversee implementation roadmaps for data platforms, analytics solutions, and reporting dashboards, working closely with internal teams, external vendors, and system integrators.
• Advise on and support the implementation of robust data management practices, including data governance, data quality, metadata management, and security.
• Define and shape portfolio companies’ reporting and dashboard strategies, ensuring solutions are user‑centric, flexible, and aligned to key performance indicators and decision‑making needs.
• Provide expert guidance on AI data readiness, including ensuring data platforms and pipelines can support advanced analytics and AI initiatives.
• Manage projects and vendors effectively, ensuring scope, timelines, and quality expectations are met while maintaining strong stakeholder communication.
• Mentor and train portfolio company data and analytics personnel, building local capabilities and promoting best practices in data engineering, BI, and analytics.
• Contribute to the development of internal standards, frameworks, and reusable solution patterns that can be applied across the Aurelius portfolio.

Required Qualifications

• Typically 7+ years of relevant experience in data engineering, business intelligence, analytics, or data architecture roles, including experience in advisory or consulting contexts.
• Proven experience designing and implementing modern data platforms and architectures (e.g., data warehouses, data lakes, ELT/ETL pipelines) in cloud environments.
• Strong, hands‑on experience with AzureFabric or Databricks, along with PowerBI, including end‑to‑end solutions from data ingestion through to reporting and dashboards.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business objectives into data and analytics strategies, roadmaps, and solution designs.
• Solid understanding of data management practices, including data governance, data quality, and security.
• Experience leading complex data and analytics initiatives across multiple stakeholders, with strong project management and vendor management skills.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to explain complex data and technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 40%, primarily within North America.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Mathematics, or related discipline), or equivalent practical experience.

Desired Skills

• Experience working with organizations that are early in their data maturity journey or have limited in‑house data capabilities.
• Background in private equity, portfolio operations, management consulting, or a similar advisory environment.
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and ecosystems, and experience preparing data platforms to support AI and advanced analytics use cases.
• Knowledge of additional cloud data and analytics technologies (e.g., Azure Synapse, SQL‑based data warehouses, or complementary BI tools).
• Experience defining and operationalizing KPIs, metrics frameworks, and performance dashboards for executives and functional leaders.
• Strong facilitation and workshop skills for engaging cross‑functional stakeholders in data strategy and solution design.
• Ability to work autonomously in a fast‑paced, multi‑project environment while maintaining a collaborative and pragmatic approach.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to shape data and analytics capabilities across a diverse portfolio of North American companies and industries.
• High‑impact, visible role working closely with senior leaders within Aurelius Group and portfolio companies.
• Exposure to modern cloud data platforms, tools, and architectures, with the ability to drive best practices across multiple organizations.
• A collaborative environment within the WaterRise Digital Practice, with peers focused on digital, data, and technology‑driven value creation.
• Professional development opportunities through challenging projects, cross‑portfolio initiatives, and knowledge‑sharing within the broader Aurelius network.