Data & Cloud Transformation Leader

AOB Recruitment•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

The Senior Director – Data & Cloud Transformation (Pre-Sales) leads strategic client engagements and shapes enterprise data and cloud transformation roadmaps. The role combines technical expertise with executive communication, consulting, business development, and content development to help organizations realize measurable value from data and cloud investments. The successful candidate will lead pre-sales initiatives, advise enterprise clients, develop technical and business propositions, and guide large-scale data transformations, cloud migrations, and modernization programs. The role engages senior client stakeholders to understand business objectives, data challenges, and growth ambitions, then defines transformation journeys from assessment through implementation and optimization. It partners with sales, architecture, engineering, data science, and delivery teams to develop feasible, client-specific solutions, support opportunity development, and align pre-sales commitments with delivery capabilities. The position also contributes to thought leadership and reusable solution assets, mentors colleagues, maintains client relationships, and tracks transformation progress and business impact.

Requirements

18+ years of experience in data and cloud transformation, technology consulting, pre-sales, or client-facing technology leadership.
Proven track record leading pre-sales engagements and advising enterprise clients on data and cloud initiatives.
Experience managing large-scale data transformations, cloud migrations, modernization programs, or similar enterprise technology initiatives.
Ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions and strategic transformation roadmaps.
Strong understanding of AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
Expertise in data engineering, data architecture, data pipelines, big data solutions, and cloud-native services.
Familiarity with modern data platforms, data lakes, cloud data warehouses, data fabrics, and machine learning concepts.
Ability to evaluate technology options and recommend solutions aligned with business objectives, scalability, security, and operational efficiency.
Awareness of developments in cloud computing, data engineering, and enterprise digital transformation.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to senior executives.
Ability to influence stakeholders at multiple organizational levels and communicate a strategic vision for enterprise data and cloud transformation.
Experience facilitating executive workshops, technical discussions, and strategic planning sessions.
Strong consulting and analytical skills, including the ability to assess client requirements and recommend tailored solutions.
Ability to identify business challenges, technology gaps, and process improvement opportunities, and connect technology investments to measurable business outcomes.
Experience supporting organizational change and business transformation through modern data and cloud technologies.
Demonstrated success with pre-sales activities, including RFP responses, proposal development, and client presentations.
Experience supporting opportunity qualification, solution development, sales pursuits, new business acquisition, and collaboration with sales teams on value propositions, business cases, and strategic account opportunities.
Strong understanding of consultative selling and enterprise technology engagement models.
Experience leading and collaborating with cross-functional teams, including data architects, cloud engineers, data scientists, and delivery professionals.
Ability to coordinate multiple initiatives and stakeholders while maintaining quality and delivery timelines.
Strong organizational, planning, prioritization, and execution skills.
Experience aligning pre-sales commitments with delivery capabilities and customer expectations.
Hands-on experience creating and curating proposals, presentations, and client-facing documents.
Excellent writing skills and ability to develop clear, concise, and persuasive technical and business content.
Experience creating solution briefs, whitepapers, executive presentations, pitch decks, and transformation roadmaps.
Ability and willingness to develop content directly and translate technical concepts into compelling business narratives.
Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.

Nice To Haves

Cloud certifications across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Data Engineering, Data Architecture, or other relevant industry-recognized certifications.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of enterprise client data and cloud transformation strategies.
Engage CXOs, directors, vice presidents, and other senior stakeholders to understand business objectives, data challenges, and growth ambitions.
Define transformation journeys from initial assessment through implementation and optimization, including roadmaps, recommendations, timelines, milestones, dependencies, and expected business outcomes.
Develop business cases and innovative solutions aligned with client priorities and strategic objectives.
Act as a trusted advisor through technical discussions, workshops, executive briefings, and presentations.
Partner with sales teams to identify opportunities, develop proposals, lead RFP responses, and support sales pursuits and new business acquisition.
Collaborate with data architects, cloud engineers, data scientists, and subject-matter experts to develop client-specific solutions.
Lead solution positioning, technical value articulation, proposal development, and presentation preparation.
Ensure proposed solutions address client requirements and align with business value, technical feasibility, and delivery capabilities.
Provide strategic technical guidance across AWS, Azure, GCP, data engineering, data architecture, cloud-native technologies, and modernization strategies.
Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to improve client outcomes.
Develop solution briefs, whitepapers, pitch decks, technical presentations, and other client-facing materials.
Create reusable solution assets, frameworks, and transformation methodologies, and translate technical architectures into business benefits, investment rationale, and implementation approaches.
Work with sales, pre-sales, architecture, engineering, and delivery teams to align proposed solutions with client expectations.
Mentor junior team members and other stakeholders, and improve pre-sales processes, tools, frameworks, and delivery approaches.
Build and maintain relationships with client stakeholders, executives, and decision-makers throughout the engagement lifecycle.
Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities by mapping evolving client requirements to data and cloud solutions.
Define and track KPIs, measure and communicate transformation progress and business impact, and report milestones, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.
Refine strategic recommendations and identify improvements based on performance insights.