Director, Data Engineering

Gallagher•Rolling Meadows, IL

40d

About The Position

The Director of Data Engineering, Global Technology Services GTS, will lead the design, development, and implementation of scalable data solutions to support the organization’s strategic goals. This role will oversee the data engineering team, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, reliable, and secure data pipelines, platforms, and architectures. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, proven leadership skills, hands-on experience, and the ability to align data engineering initiatives with business objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, or a related field.
10+ years of experience in data engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership or technical lead role.
Hands-on experience with Azure cloud platform and its native services.
Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala.
Expertise in designing and managing data warehouses and databases (e.g., Snowflake, SQL Server).
Solid understanding of and hands-on experience in ETL/ELT processes, data modeling, and data architecture.
Experience with data governance, security, and compliance standards.
Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Proven experience (5+ years) in leading AI initiatives, getting data analytics platform ‘ready for AI’, designing, developing, and deployment of AI systems and algorithms.
Knowledge of ethical consideration and legal requirements related to AI, including privacy, security and bias mitigation.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute data engineering strategies to support the organization’s data-driven decision-making and analytics goals.
Lead, mentor, and manage a team of data engineers, providing technical expertise and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning and improvement.
Stay updated on emerging trends, technologies, and best practices in data engineering, analytics, and AI to provide ongoing leadership and expertise on data analytics initiatives.
Lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable data pipelines and architectures to support optimal extraction, generation, transformation, and loading of data from a wide variety of data sources using SQL, Fivetran, and Azure technologies
Oversee the development and maintenance of ETL/ELT processes to ensure the seamless flow of data across systems.
Ensure data quality, integrity, and governance across all data engineering initiatives.
Optimize data storage and retrieval processes to improve performance and reduce costs.
Monitor and troubleshoot data pipelines and workflows to ensure seamless operations.
Conduct research and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI technologies, tools and methodologies, and recommend their adoption as appropriate.
Oversee the design and development of AI models, algorithms and systems, ensuring they meet quality standards and business requirements.
Drive the integration of AI solutions with existing business processes, systems and applications, ensuring seamless functionality and user experience.
Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
Work closely with product and data teams, data scientists, analysts, AI prompt engineers, data visualization developers, and others to enable data-driven decision-making across the organization.
Ensure compliance with data privacy and security regulations, including SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, and other relevant standards.
Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of data engineering initiatives.
Develop data engineering and AI architecture playbooks and best practices and enforce guidelines and standards for coding, testing, and deployment to ensure high-quality and secure deliverables.
Manage budgets, resources, and timelines for data engineering projects.

Benefits

Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one!
Life and accident insurance
401(K) and Roth options
Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA)
Educational expense reimbursement
Paid parental leave
Digital mental health services (Talkspace)
Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function)
Training programs
Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing
Charitable matching gift program