Group Manager-Data Ops and Data Governance

Milwaukee Tool•Menomonee Falls, WI

About The Position

Group Manager – Data Ops and Data Governance Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.; Sponsorship is not available for this position. At Milwaukee Tool we firmly believe that our People and our Culture are the secrets to our success -- so we give you unlimited access to everything you need to provide support to your business unit. Behind our doors you'll be empowered every day to own it, drive it, and do what it takes to support the biggest breakthroughs in the industry. Meanwhile, you'll have the support and resources of the fastest-growing brand in the construction industry to make it happen. Your Role on Our Team: As the Group Manager for Data Operations and Data Governance, you will be a hands-on leader responsible for running a team of 11–15 engineers and analysts who keep our Databricks lakehouse platform operating at the highest level. You will own the reliability, performance, and governance of our data platform — from L1/L2/L3 support operations to enterprise data governance frameworks to FinOps and cost management. This is not a delegating-from-a-distance role. You will be expected to understand what your team is building, hold them accountable to delivering it, and step in when things need to move faster. You will report to the VP of Data & AI and partner closely with engineering, commercial, and operations leaders across the business. You will lead with Extreme Ownership. When something breaks, you own the response. When a process is not working, you fix it. When your team needs direction, you provide it. This role requires a leader who moves with speed and urgency, makes decisions with the information available, and continuously raises the bar for their team and their platform. You’ll be DISRUPTIVE through these duties and responsibilities:

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related field; Master's preferred
5+ years of experience in data engineering, data operations, or platform engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role managing teams
Demonstrated ability to lead with ownership — you have a track record of building accountable teams, not just managing individuals
Hands-on experience with Databricks, including Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, and workspace administration
Strong understanding of L1/L2/L3 support operations, on-call processes, incident management, and root cause analysis
Experience building and enforcing data governance frameworks, including data classification, access controls, and data quality management
Working knowledge of FinOps principles and Databricks cost management tools
Proven ability to make decisions with urgency and move quickly — you do not wait for perfect information
Strong communicator who can manage up, across, and down with clarity and candor
Experience managing contractors and vendor relationships with accountability to outcomes

Nice To Haves

Experience in a manufacturing, industrial, or product-driven company where data directly supports operational and commercial outcomes
Databricks certifications or equivalent demonstrated expertise
Familiarity with PagerDuty or similar on-call management tools
Experience with Terraform or infrastructure-as-code tooling for data platform provisioning
Advanced certifications in data management (e.g., CDMP) or cloud platforms

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end reliability of L1/L2/L3 support operations for the Databricks lakehouse platform, including on-call escalation processes, incident response, and root cause analysis
Build and continuously improve operational processes, runbooks, and escalation frameworks so that the team can respond to issues independently and effectively
Hold direct reports accountable to their work, their priorities, and the outcomes they are responsible for delivering
Drive FinOps discipline — establish cost visibility, governance, and optimization across all Databricks workspaces and compute resources
Monitor platform performance and proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks before they become incidents
Manage contractor and vendor relationships with a focus on outcomes and accountability
Establish and maintain an enterprise-wide data governance framework using Databricks Unity Catalog, including data classification, access controls, lineage, and quality standards
Define and enforce policies for data ownership, stewardship, and accountability across source systems and data products
Ensure compliance with data security, privacy, and regulatory requirements
Partner with business and technology stakeholders to drive adoption of governance standards and build a data-literate, accountable culture
Maintain a catalog of enterprise data assets with clear ownership and quality metrics
Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of 11–15 direct and indirect reports spanning data operations, governance, and platform engineering
Be present and engaged — available when your team needs you, visible during incidents, and proactive in surfacing and resolving issues
Communicate clearly and with candor up, down, and across the organization
Drive PI planning participation and ensure your team's work is aligned to organizational priorities
Continuously improve team processes, tooling, and ways of working
Performs other duties as assigned.