Director, Data Lakehouse

Director, Data Lakehouse Data StrategyThe selected candidate for this position will report on-site 2-3 days a week.The Director, Data Lakehouse is a critical leadership role responsible for shaping and driving enterprise data strategy through the design, implementation, and oversight of its data and analytics platform.This role leads the implementation and operation of the Data Lakehouse layers (i.e., Bronze, Silver, Gold) of a new Enterprise Data & Analytics Platform in Databricks. The main focus is to ensure that the organization's data assets are findable, securely accessible, interoperable, reusable, and reliable, as well as optimized for analytics & AI in support of decision-making and operational excellence. This leader will align data management best practices with business priorities, enabling the institution to leverage data as a strategic asset while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. The role will help shape the organization's data culture, and balance high-level strategic planning with hands-on involvement in projects, operations, and technical implementations. The role reports to the AVP Enterprise Data.The Director will build, lead, coach, and mentor a team of data engineers and architects while collaborating with business and technical stakeholders to ensure the platform aligns with organizational goals and supports a wide range of use cases, including ML/AI, and operational data stores.Duties and Responsibilities:Strategic Leadership and Vision:Assist with development and execute the Enterprise Data & Analytics Strategy, ensuring execution and development supports the organization's overall data and business goals.Lead the design, implementation, and operation of a scalable, secure, and high-performance enterprise data Lakehouse in Databricks that ingests and curates data from various internal and external data sources and delivers certified data in service of an evolving portfolio of data products and services.Define and enforce best practices for data Lakehouse architecture, governance, data quality, and lifecycle management.Team Leadership and Development:Build, lead, coach, and mentor a team of data engineers, architects, and analysts focused on the data Lakehouse platform.Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the team.Provide coaching, career development, and performance management to ensure the team's success.Data Architecture and Interoperability:Design and oversee ELT and ETL processes on LakeFlow for the ingestion, integration, and interoperability of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data across data Lakehouse layers, enabling easy access, real-time processing, and advanced analytics.Ensure that the Lakehouse architecture is flexible, scalable, and aligned with the organization's evolving data needs.Data Governance, Security, and Compliance:Implement and enforce data governance policies to ensure high-quality, secure, and compliant data usage across the lake house.Work with legal and compliance teams to ensure data security, privacy, and regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, FERPA, HIPAA, etc.) are met.Implement and manage data cataloging, lineage tracking, and metadata management processes.Analytics Enablement:Work closely with data scientists, business analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure the Lakehouse supports both batch and real-time analytics needs.Lead the development and implementation of MLOps enabling enterprise grade analytics, machine learning, and data science in support of data-driven decision-making.Ensure the platform supports self-service data exploration, reporting, and visualization capabilities for business users.Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:Engage with cross-functional teams (e.g., IT, operations, business intelligence, and product teams) to understand their current and emerging data needs and ensure the data Lakehouse platform capabilities are in alignment.Serve as the point of contact regarding the data Lakehouse's performance, enhancements, and strategic direction.Advocate for the data Lakehouse within the organization, educating stakeholders on the platform's benefits and capabilities.Innovation and Futureproofing:Stay informed about emerging technologies, trends, and best practices in data management, cloud computing, and big data and lead continuous improvement.Lead the evaluation and adoption of modern technologies and tools to enhance Lakehouse's capabilities, scalability, and performance.Drive continuous improvements to ensure the platform is future-ready, evolving to meet the organization's growing data needs.Budget and Resource Management:Develop and manage the approved budget for the data Lakehouse team and platform, ensuring efficient resource allocation.Monitor and control project timelines, scope, and costs to deliver data Lakehouse initiatives on time and within budget.Skills:Demonstrated integrity, energy, the ability to energize others, and to execute and deliver on goals and objectives.Must be collaborative and influential, a self-starter, results-focused, and have the ability to prioritize.Advanced communication skills for engaging technical and non-technical stakeholders.Facilitation, Negotiation, Collaboration, and Presentation skills.Dedicated to understanding and meeting the needs of customers through tailored platform solutions and data-driven insights and influence strong user adoption.Proven record of leading large-scale data and analytics platform initiatives in complex federated organizations working with cross-functional teams and consultants.Eagerness to innovate within a collaborative environment, bringing a proactive and adaptable approach to evolving business needs.Experience with building and delivering curated and governed data products and establishing data contracts between data producers and consumers.Exceptional hands-on leadership, team-building, and coaching skills, with strategic thinking and the ability to align technical solutions with current and emerging business needs.Ability to see the big picture and align platform functionalities with evolving portfolio of data products and services.Strong analytical skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making and problem-solving.Experience with building global multitenant environments and data marketplaces.Experience operating in cross-functional teams within shared governance organizations.Expertise in designing, implementing, and operating modern enterprise data platforms, including data lakes, warehouses, and cloud-based analytics tools.Deep experience in data architecture, dimensional modeling, and data engineering.Strong understanding of data governance, master data management, quality management, and compliance frameworks.Deep knowledge in data architecture, data engineering methodologies, cloud computing, and REST APIs.Solid understanding of Agile, DevOps and CI/CD, MLOps, DAMA, TOGAF.Demonstrated high level of expertise with Databricks is a top requirement.Consuming data into data lakes from PeopleSoft, Salesforce, Workday, D2L, Five9, EntraID.Experience interfacing data form data Lakes with MDM tools like Profisee, Purview, Atlan, Reltio, Alation, Attacama.Experience designing and delivering data to consuming analytical and operational systems.Experience interfacing data with NEO4JWorking knowledge of Erwin Data ModelerPL/SQL, Python, Scala, Rust, Cypher, GraphQL, GQLAzure DevOps, GitHubTravel 3+ times per year for strategy and team meetings, to Adelphi MD.Education & Experience Requirements:Education:Bachelor's Degree in Information science and technology, Library and Information Science, Computer Science or a related field.Experience:7+ years of experience implementing and operating Databricks data lakehouses.5+ years of experience leading data lakehouse teams.Knowledge of educational research and on-line higher education is preferred.Experience with modern diverse technology stacks and