Senior Director, Data & Analytics

Ashurst Perkins Coie•Seattle, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Ashurst Perkins Coie US LLP, data and analytics are critical to delivering exceptional client service and advancing the firm’s strategic goals. The Senior Director of Data & Analytics leads the firm’s global data and analytics organization and owns the enterprise data strategy, establishing data as a trusted, governed, and reusable firm asset. This role sets the multi-year vision, architecture, and investment roadmap for the enterprise data estate and leads data architecture, engineering, governance, analytics, data science, and machine learning engineering as a connected function. The Senior Director is accountable for the security, reliability, scalability, performance, and cost efficiency of the firm’s data platforms and for delivering trusted data products, insights, and AI capabilities.

Requirements

10-plus years of progressive experience in data engineering, analytics, data science, or related technology disciplines, including enterprise cloud and data solutions.
5-plus years of senior leadership experience managing multidisciplinary data, analytics, engineering, or technology teams, including people managers.
Strong expertise in enterprise data architecture, lakehouse platforms, data integration, dimensional and semantic modeling, ETL/ELT, and data warehousing.
Deep experience with Databricks, Microsoft Azure, SQL, Python, and PySpark.
Working knowledge of machine learning, MLOps, generative AI, feature stores, model deployment, monitoring, and AI governance.
Demonstrated experience taking analytics, data science, or AI initiatives from prototype through production and measurable business impact.
Strong understanding of data quality, governance, security, metadata, lineage, compliance, and data residency requirements.
Experience managing technology budgets, vendors, platform costs, and cross-functional initiatives.
Experience leading distributed or global teams across multiple regions and time zones.
Excellent executive communication, strategic thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, statistics, or a related quantitative discipline; equivalent experience may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
Experience with Elite 3E and related professional services or practice management data structures.
Experience with Databricks, Unity Catalog, Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Denodo, and emerging AI or agentic AI platforms.
Experience in a law firm or professional services environment, including client confidentiality, matter-level data, data residency, and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

Lead the firm’s enterprise data and analytics strategy, roadmap, operating model, and investment priorities in partnership with the Chief Digital & Data Officer and firm leadership.
Oversee data architecture, engineering, governance, analytics, data science, machine learning engineering, and enterprise data platforms.
Own the architecture, security, reliability, scalability, performance, and cost efficiency of the firm’s Databricks and Microsoft Azure lakehouse environment.
Establish enterprise standards for data integration, modeling, quality, governance, metadata, lineage, access, security, and compliance.
Direct machine learning engineering and MLOps practices, ensuring models and data products can move reliably from development to production.
Enable analytics, AI, and self-service capabilities through trusted data products, semantic models, and governed data services.
Lead build, buy, and partner decisions, including vendor management, technology investments, platform optimization, and technical debt reduction.
Partner with business and technology leaders to identify opportunities for data, analytics, and AI and translate technical priorities into measurable business value.
Manage budgets, resources, platform consumption, risks, and executive reporting across the data organization.
Lead and develop a high-performing global organization across multiple regions and time zones, fostering technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.