Technical Lead – Data Platforms & Analytics

Galent; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Galent is seeking a Technical Lead for Data Platforms & Analytics in Houston to drive design, implementation, and governance of the enterprise data platform. You will mentor teams and lead solutions across Fabric, OneLake, Databricks, Unity Catalog, and SQL databases.

The role combines architecture, engineering, platform operations, and data governance, with heavy collaboration across oil & gas and corporate functions. Ensure secure, scalable, and cost‑effective data products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, data science, or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years in data engineering, analytics platforms, or cloud data solutions; 3+ years in lead/architect role.
• Production experience with Microsoft Fabric and OneLake (Lakehouse, Warehouse, Data Factory).
• Strong Azure Databricks experience with Delta Lake, Spark, SQL, Python/PySpark.
• Hands-on Unity Catalog governance, access controls, lineage, and external locations.
• Advanced SQL Server and Azure SQL administration, HA/DR, security, performance tuning.
• Knowledge of data modeling, data lakehouse, metadata, data quality, lifecycle.
• Experience with Azure identity, networking, Key Vault, private endpoints, security controls.
• Git-based development, CI/CD, IaC, and automation.
• Proven ability to translate business needs into scalable data solutions; communicate to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on technical leadership for data platforms and analytics.
• Design, implement, and secure Fabric, OneLake, and Databricks solutions.
• Architect and optimize Databricks workspaces, pipelines, and governance models.
• Manage Unity Catalog governance, external locations, and access controls.
• Administer SQL Server and Azure SQL environments; ensure security and recovery.
• Build resilient data ingestion and transformation patterns from diverse sources.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity and risk teams on data protection.
• Lead DevOps practices: CI/CD, IaC, monitoring, and release management.
• Define SLAs, observability, incident response, and cost optimization.
• Partner with stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable architecture.

Skills

Data Engineering

Cloud Data Solutions

Solution Architecture

Azure Fabric

Azure Databricks

Unity Catalog

SQL Server / Azure SQL

Data Modeling

Security & Governance

Git & CI/CD

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Fabric

OneLake

Azure Databricks

Unity Catalog

SQL Server / Azure SQL

Job description

Role: Technical Lead – Data Platforms & Analytics with Microsoft Fabric

Location: Houston, TX

Position Summary

The Technical Lead – Data Platforms & Analytics will provide hands‑on technical leadership for the design, implementation, administration, security, and continuous improvement of the enterprise data platform. The role will lead solutions across Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Azure Databricks, Unity Catalog, and Microsoft SQL database technologies, enabling reliable and governed data products for oil and gas operations, finance, asset management, supply chain, and corporate functions. This position combines architecture, engineering, platform operations, database administration, data governance, and technical team leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical leadership: Lead solution design, engineering standards, code and architecture reviews, delivery planning, troubleshooting, and technical mentoring for data engineering and platform teams.
• Microsoft Fabric and OneLake: Design and operate Fabric workspaces, Warehouses, pipelines, notebooks, semantic models, and data products; establish OneLake organization, naming, security, lifecycle, and performance standards.
• Azure Databricks: Architect and optimize Databricks workspaces, clusters, jobs, notebooks, Delta Lake solutions, medallion architectures, and batch or streaming pipelines using SQL, Python, PySpark, and Spark.
• Unity Catalog: Implement centralized governance for catalogs, schemas, tables, views, volumes, models, and lineage; administer permissions, service principals, managed identities, external locations, and least‑privilege access.
• SQL database administration: Administer SQL Server and Azure SQL environments, including installation and configuration, upgrades, patching, backup and recovery, high availability, disaster recovery, security, capacity planning, performance tuning, indexing, and query optimization.
• Data integration: Build resilient ingestion and transformation patterns for operational applications, historians, ERP, field systems, APIs, files, and third‑party data sources.
• Security and compliance: Apply identity, encryption, network isolation, secrets management, data classification, retention, auditing, and segregation‑of‑duties controls in partnership with cybersecurity and risk teams.
• DevOps and automation: Establish source control, branching, testing, CI/CD, infrastructure‑as‑code, release management, monitoring, alerting, and automated environment promotion.
• Reliability and support: Define service levels, observability, incident response, problem management, runbooks, capacity thresholds, and platform cost optimization practices.
• Stakeholder partnership: Translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions and communicate architecture decisions, risks, dependencies, and trade‑offs to technical and executive stakeholders.

Oil & Gas Domain Responsibilities

• Develop governed data solutions supporting upstream, midstream, or oilfield services use cases such as drilling, production, well performance, equipment reliability, maintenance, HSE, logistics, and cost management.
• Integrate and contextualize time‑series, telemetry, sensor, and transactional data while maintaining assets, well, field, basin, customer, and equipment hierarchies.
• Partner with operations and engineering teams to improve data quality, timeliness, traceability, and availability for field and corporate decision‑making.
• Design for remote‑site connectivity constraints, intermittent data transmission, high‑volume telemetry, operational continuity, and recovery requirements.
• Apply awareness of relevant industry data standards and regulatory, records‑management, cybersecurity, and audit obligations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, engineering, data science, or related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Eight or more years of progressive experience in data engineering, analytics platforms, database administration, or cloud data solutions, including at least three years in a technical lead or solution architecture capacity.
• Production experience with Microsoft Fabric and OneLake, including Lakehouse, Warehouse, Data Factory capabilities, notebooks, security, monitoring, and workload administration.
• Strong Azure Databricks experience with Delta Lake, Spark, SQL, Python or PySpark, job orchestration, performance tuning, and workspace administration.
• Hands‑on experience implementing and administering Unity Catalog, including access controls, lineage, external locations, credential patterns, and governance operating models.
• Advanced SQL Server and Azure SQL database administration experience, including high availability, disaster recovery, backup and restore, security, patching, performance diagnostics, and query tuning.
• Strong knowledge of dimensional modeling, data lakehouse patterns, metadata management, master and reference data, data quality, and data lifecycle management.
• Experience with Azure identity, networking, Key Vault, private endpoints, monitoring, and cloud security controls.
• Experience with Git‑based development, automated testing, CI/CD, and infrastructure‑as‑code tools.
• Demonstrated experience delivering data solutions in the oil and gas industry and working with operational and engineering stakeholders.
• Strong written, verbal, facilitation, and technical documentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Microsoft certifications related to Fabric, Azure Data Engineering, Azure Database Administration, or Azure Solutions Architecture.
• Databricks Data Engineer, Data Analyst, or platform administration certification.
• Experience with Power BI semantic models, Direct Lake, data gateways, row‑level security, and enterprise reporting governance.
• Experience with Purview, data cataloging, lineage, classification, and data loss prevention capabilities.
• Familiarity with operational technology data, SCADA, historians, IoT platforms, and common oil and gas applications or data exchange standards.
• Experience leading platform migrations, legacy modernization, cloud cost management, vendor engagement, and managed service delivery.
• Leads through technical credibility, sound judgment, accountability, and a strong service mindset.
• Balances strategic architecture with pragmatic, hands‑on delivery.
• Creates clear standards while enabling teams to deliver with appropriate autonomy.
• Explains complex technical concepts, risks, and trade‑offs in business terms.
• Builds productive partnerships across data, applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, operations, engineering, and business teams.
• Coaches team members, develops reusable practices, and promotes continuous learning.

Measures of Success

• Reliable, secure, scalable, and cost‑effective operation of Fabric, OneLake, Databricks, Unity Catalog, and SQL platforms.
• Improved platform availability, pipeline success rates, recovery readiness, query performance, and incident resolution times.
• Consistent adoption of architecture, engineering, security, governance, and DevOps standards.
• Faster delivery of trusted data products with measurable improvements in data quality, lineage, and user adoption.
• Effective knowledge transfer, team capability growth, and reduced dependency on individual subject‑matter experts.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RighttoWorkPoster.pdf