Technical Program Director - Data Platforms
About the Role
We are seeking a Technical Program Director - Data Platforms to lead the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of critical data platform and architecture initiatives. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for driving business outcomes through scalable, reliable, and modern data platforms.
The ideal candidate will serve as a strategic partner across engineering, analytics, product, and business teams, ensuring data platform investments align with organizational priorities and deliver measurable value. You will be accountable for defining priorities, translating business needs into technical solutions, and driving successful execution across complex cross-functional initiatives.
This role requires a unique combination of technical expertise, program leadership, stakeholder management, and product thinking.
Responsibilities
- Own the data platform roadmap and drive business outcomes by gathering requirements from cross-functional stakeholders and establishing priorities and sequencing
- Translate business needs into technical requirements and partner with engineering teams to shape architecture and platform direction
- Partner with engineering leadership to make informed tradeoff decisions around scope, timelines, and technical approach
- Define, track, and report on key success metrics, including data quality, platform reliability, and stakeholder satisfaction
- Drive delivery accountability through milestone planning, progress tracking, risk management, and issue escalation
- Lead steering committee meetings and provide regular updates to executive and cross-functional leadership teams
- Coordinate across business and technology functions to ensure alignment, manage dependencies, and remove delivery blockers
- Establish and maintain governance practices for data and platform initiatives
- Champion a product-oriented approach to internal data platforms and enable long-term scalability and adoption
Qualifications
- 8+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, with significant experience leading data-focused initiatives
- Strong technical understanding of data architecture, ETL/ELT pipelines, data warehousing, and modern data platforms
- Proven ability to influence stakeholders and drive outcomes without direct authority
- Experience operating within PMO, EPMO, or similar governance frameworks
- Demonstrated success delivering complex, cross-functional technical programs
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to bridge technical and business audiences
- Strong organizational, planning, and problem-solving capabilities
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with modern data platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, dbt, Airflow, or similar technologies
- Knowledge of data governance, data quality frameworks, metadata management, or master data management
- Experience managing internal platforms using product management principles
- Familiarity with Agile, SAFe, or other enterprise delivery methodologies
- Experience in highly regulated or data-intensive industries