Data Management Lead - Search Services : Job Details

Position Summary:

A leading private equity firm is seeking an experienced and strategic Data Management Leader to drive data architecture, governance, and management across its portfolio companies. This role is designed for a dynamic professional with a doer mentality who can blend strategic leadership with hands-on execution to deliver high-value, scalable data solutions. Reporting to senior leadership, this individual will implement robust data governance frameworks, advance data architecture initiatives, and champion the practical use of data to enable data-driven decisions across the firm's diverse portfolio of companies.

This is a high-impact role requiring a combination of technical expertise, leadership ability, and a strong business acumen to create measurable value through data.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Define and execute a comprehensive data management strategy aligned with the private equity firm's goals and its portfolio companies' growth trajectories.
• Lead cross-functional data initiatives, ensuring collaboration between data engineers, analysts, IT stakeholders, and business leaders.
• Act as a key advisor to portfolio companies, guiding their adoption of modern data practices.

Data Architecture:

• Define and implement the target state of data platforms, ensuring they are scalable, secure, and aligned with industry best practices.
• Oversee the development and optimization of modern big data solutions, such as Azure Synapse or Azure Databricks.
• Manage structured and semi-structured datasets, leveraging technologies such as Azure Data Lake, Avro, Parquet, and Delta tables.
• Ensure data ingestion, curation, and integration processes are seamless, efficient, and reliable.

Data Governance:

• Establish and enforce data governance frameworks, incorporating tools like Microsoft Purview or Unity Catalog.
• Develop and monitor KPIs related to data quality, ingestion, and consumption to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Implement robust self-service data access models that balance security with usability.

Operational Execution:

• Lead the development and maintenance of ELT/ETL pipelines using Azure Data Factory, Databricks, or similar tools.
• Manage an onshore/offshore team of data engineers, conducting regular code reviews and mentoring team members.
• Oversee the ingestion and integration of external datasets, including public data sources (e.g., Enverus, IHS, TGS).
• Support integration of data with visualization tools like Power BI, Spotfire, and Plotly for actionable insights.

Qualifications:

Experience & Expertise:

• 10+ years of experience in data management, architecture, or engineering for leadership roles; 5+ years for senior-level roles.
• Proven track record in implementing scalable big data platforms using Azure Synapse, Databricks, or similar technologies.
• Expertise in data modeling, governance, and tools like Microsoft Purview or Unity Catalog.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, SQL and in leveraging REST APIs for secure data integration.
• Experience managing structured and semi-structured datasets using modern file formats (e.g., Avro, Parquet).
• Hands-on experience with Azure Data Lake, Azure DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines.

Leadership & Communication:

• Strong team leadership capabilities with experience managing distributed teams.
• Exceptional communication skills, able to translate technical solutions into business value for non-technical stakeholders.
• Proactive and results-driven, with a doer mentality to deliver tangible business outcomes.

Preferred Experience:

• Industry expertise in energy, particularly exploration & production or energy transition and decarbonization.
• Familiarity with MDM practices and external data sources relevant to specific industries.

Education:

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related fields.