Senior Manager, Data Engineering & Operational Data Systems

Position Profile

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic Senior Manager to lead our growing Data Engineering department and oversee the operational health of our enterprise data infrastructure. Reporting to the VP of Technology, this role will play a critical part in shaping the future of our modern data stack, providing technical leadership, mentoring a team of engineers, and managing both our Snowflake-based analytics environment and our operational SQL Server hosted in Microsoft Azure.

You will partner cross-functionally with stakeholders across Analytics, Technology, and Operations to ensure scalable, secure, and high-performance data delivery. You will also be accountable for the design and operational continuity of transactional data pipelines, system integration, and data reliability.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of data engineers, fostering a high-performance culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous learning.
• Define the roadmap for data engineering initiatives, aligning with business priorities and analytics maturity goals.
• Collaborate with executive stakeholders to define enterprise data strategy, governance, and platform evolution.
  

Snowflake Platform Ownership

• Architect and oversee scalable, cost-optimized data models and ELT pipelines within Snowflake.
• Ensure best practices for schema design, workload management, security roles, and performance optimization.
• Stay abreast of new Snowflake features and evaluate applicability for production use.
  

Azure SQL Server Operations

• Manage the operational health, performance, and availability of transactional SQL Server databases hosted in Microsoft Azure.
• Oversee database maintenance, backup/restore strategies, security roles, and uptime monitoring in coordination with DevOps/Infrastructure teams.
• Establish SLAs for critical systems and develop proactive monitoring and alerting.
  

Data Integration & Quality

• Own the data ingestion framework using Azure Data Factory and other tools to ensure reliable, repeatable data movement across systems.
• Enforce data quality, lineage, and governance standards across the data lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain documentation, standards, and reusable patterns for enterprise-wide data access.
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the point of contact between the Data team and infrastructure, application, and compliance teams.
• Work closely with the analytics team to translate business requirements into efficient technical solutions.
  

What You Bring to GFD

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or database development, including at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience managing large-scale Snowflake environments and operational SQL Server instances in Azure.
  

Technical Expertise

• Deep expertise in SQL (T-SQL and Snowflake SQL), ETL/ELT pipeline development, and data modeling.
• Hands-on experience with Azure Data Factory, Azure SQL DB, and managing data operations in cloud-native environments.
• Proficient in Python (preferred) or Java for automation, scripting, and orchestration.
  

Leadership & Communication

• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team-building skills with a collaborative and accountable mindset.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in high-volume transactional environments or SaaS platforms.
• Familiarity with data governance, compliance, and security frameworks.
• Certification in Snowflake, Azure, or related platforms is a plus.