Director, Data Architecture

<p><strong>Director, Data Architecture</strong></p> <p><strong>Overview</strong></p> <p>We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic<strong>&nbsp;Director of Data Architecture</strong> to lead the evolution of our enterprise data platform and analytics capabilities. This role will define and execute the vision for our data warehouse, ensuring it becomes the single source of truth across the organization.</p> <p>As a Managed Services Provider (MSP) with ~1,000 employees, we are investing in scaling our data capabilities to support Finance, Operations, Service Delivery, and Executive leadership. This leader will oversee a small but growing data team and partner closely with business stakeholders—particularly Finance—to drive adoption, data quality, and enterprise reporting.</p> <p>This role will also evaluate and recommend the future-state data platform, including potential migration from our current SQL-based environment to modern cloud platforms such as <strong>Azure or Snowflake</strong>.</p> <p><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></p> <p><strong>Data Strategy, Architecture &amp; Modernization</strong></p> <ul> <li>Define and own the enterprise data architecture roadmap aligned with business goals</li> <li>Lead the design, evolution, and scaling of our existing SQL-based data warehouse</li> <li><strong>Evaluate current architecture and recommend future-state platform strategy</strong>, including potential migration to cloud data platforms (e.g., Azure, Snowflake)</li> <li>Develop business cases and technical roadmaps for modernization initiatives</li> <li>Establish best practices for data modeling, ETL/ELT processes, governance, and data quality</li> <li>Architect integrations across key systems including <strong>Microsoft Dynamics</strong> and <strong>ServiceNow</strong></li> <li>Stay current on emerging data technologies and recommend pragmatic adoption</li> </ul> <p><strong>Business Partnership &amp; Data Adoption</strong></p> <ul> <li>Partner with Finance and other business units to centralize and standardize reporting</li> <li>Translate business requirements into scalable data models and solutions</li> <li>Drive adoption of the data warehouse as the <strong>single source of truth</strong></li> <li>Establish data definitions, KPIs, and governance frameworks across departments</li> <li>Champion data literacy and self-service analytics across the organization</li> </ul> <p><strong>Team Leadership &amp; Development</strong></p> <ul> <li>Lead, mentor, and grow a small data engineering/analytics team (currently 1 manager, 2 analysts)</li> <li>Establish operating rhythms, delivery standards, and performance expectations</li> <li>Build a hiring roadmap aligned with architectural and business needs</li> <li>Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement</li> </ul> <p><strong>Execution &amp; Delivery</strong></p> <ul> <li>Oversee end-to-end delivery of data initiatives, from ingestion to reporting</li> <li>Ensure reliability, scalability, and performance of data pipelines and warehouse systems</li> <li>Prioritize initiatives based on business impact and ROI</li> <li>Implement monitoring, documentation, and operational best practices</li> </ul> <p><strong>Qualifications</strong></p> <p><strong>Required Experience</strong></p> <ul> <li>10+ years in data engineering, data architecture, or analytics engineering roles</li> <li>Proven experience <strong>designing and scaling enterprise data warehouses</strong></li> <li>Experience evaluating and/or implementing <strong>modern data platforms (e.g., Azure, Snowflake, or similar)</strong></li> <li>Experience integrating data from <strong>ERP systems (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics)</strong> and <strong>ITSM platforms (e.g., ServiceNow)</strong></li> <li>Demonstrated success working closely with <strong>Finance teams</strong> on reporting, forecasting, and KPIs</li> <li>Strong leadership experience managing and developing technical teams</li> <li>Deep expertise in <strong>SQL-based data platforms</strong> and data modeling</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preferred Experience</strong></p> <ul> <li>Experience leading <strong>data platform modernization or cloud migration initiatives</strong></li> <li>Familiarity with BI tools (Power BI strongly preferred given Microsoft ecosystem)</li> <li>Experience in an MSP, professional services, or services-oriented business</li> <li>Knowledge of data governance, MDM, and data cataloging practices</li> </ul> <p><strong>Key Competencies</strong></p> <ul> <li>Strategic thinker with the ability to evaluate “build vs. buy vs. modernize”</li> <li>Strong business acumen—especially in Finance and operations-heavy environments</li> <li>Excellent communicator—able to influence executive stakeholders</li> <li>Hands-on architectural depth with leadership maturity</li> <li>Pragmatic and outcome-oriented (avoids over-engineering)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Success Metrics (First 12–18 Months)</strong></p> <ul> <li>Clear recommendation and roadmap for future-state data platform (including Azure/Snowflake evaluation if appropriate)</li> <li>Increased adoption of the data warehouse across Finance and core business units</li> <li>Consolidation of fragmented reporting into standardized dashboards</li> <li>Improved data quality, consistency, and trust across the organization</li> <li>Scaled team structure aligned with long-term architecture vision</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Benefits of Working for Abacus:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Exposure to diverse array of technologies</li> <li>Part of a team of experienced engineers who aim to deliver exceptional service</li> <li>Competitive compensation</li> <li>Performance bonus</li> <li>Robust benefits package: medical, dental, vision, disability, life insurance, 401k, and PTO</li> <li>Opportunities to further technical education through online courses</li> <li>Positive, friendly, supportive work environment</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>