IT Director - Data Platforms - Blue Bell, PA

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The IT Director - Data Platforms will lead the design, development, and scaling of enterprise-grade data platforms that power analytics, machine learning, AI, financial and regulatory reporting and business intelligence across the organization. This role requires a visionary leader who can balance technical excellence with business strategy while building and inspiring high-performing technical teams.

Job Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a comprehensive data and analytics technology roadmap aligned with the company's business goals.
• Lead the design, implementation, and management of data infrastructure in a hybrid cloud environment, including data warehouses, data lakes, and analytics platforms.
• Partner with C-suite executives and business stakeholders to align data platform capabilities with business objectives
• Partner with the Business Analytics & Innovation team to identify and deliver technology solutions for reporting and analytics (Qlik, Power BI, Databricks, Fabric)
• Implement solutions to support data governance framework to support data quality and integrity requirements working with PMA's data governance committee.
• Lead digital transformation initiatives and modernization of legacy data systems

Engineering Excellence

• Oversee the design and implementation of scalable, reliable, and secure data platforms with the appropriate new and emerging technologies
• Champion engineering best practices including CI/CD, infrastructure as code, observability, and automated testing
• Drive platform strategy to support core insurance functions including underwriting, claims, actuarial analysis, predictive modeling and agent operations
• Lead technical architecture reviews and technology evaluation processes

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, lead, and mentor a diverse team of data engineers, platform engineers, and technical managers
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning
• Develop talent pipeline through strategic hiring, succession planning, and career development programs

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with C-suite and Business Lead for Data & Analytics to help establish data platform standards, governance frameworks, and best practices across the organization
• Partner with business stakeholders to develop, deliver and maintain financial, operational and regulatory reporting solutions
• Work closely with Engineering teams across the organization to enable data-driven product development
• Engage with external partners, vendors, and technology communities to stay current with industry trends

• Demonstrate commitment to Company's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, and apply knowledge of compliance policies and procedures, standards and laws applicable to job responsibilities in the performance of work.

Prior Experience

• 15+ years of progressive experience in data engineering, platform engineering, or related technical fields
• 8+ years in senior leadership roles managing large engineering organizations
• Proven track record of scaling data platforms at high-growth companies or enterprises
• Experience leading business and technology transformations and cloud migration initiatives
• Background in both startup and enterprise environments preferred

Technical Expertise

• Deep expertise in modern data stack technologies (Fabric, Snowflake, Spark, Kafka, Airflow, Purview, Databricks, OvalEdge, etc.)
• Strong knowledge of Azure and/or AWS cloud platforms and infrastructure integrations and automation
• Experience with containerization, microservices, and distributed systems architecture
• Experience with machine learning platforms and MLOps practices
• Background with real-time data processing and streaming analytics
• Experience implementing a data mesh architecture and domain-driven design principles
• Active participation in open-source communities or technology thought leadership
• Experience in building LLMs, scaling AI driven Software and Data Engineering.

Leadership & Business Skills

• Exceptional leadership and people management skills with experience building high-performing teams
• Strong business acumen with ability to translate technical concepts to executive stakeholders
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience managing P&L responsibility and large technology budgets
• Track record of driving cultural change and organizational transformation