Platform Owner, Databricks Citizen Platform

Platform Owner, Databricks Citizen Platform

KONE Technology and Innovation Unit (KTI) is where we combine the physical world - escalators and elevators - with smart and connected digital systems. We are changing and improving the way billions of people move within buildings every day. We are on a mission to expand and develop new digital solutions that are based on emerging technologies.

KONE IT is a global team of expert professionals working along with business functions and area teams to develop new capabilities and enable new business opportunities. We are trusted partners of KONE business lines and functions to develop, transform, manage and run their information technology solutions. We support KONE in its digital transformation journey by introducing e.g. digital cloud-based IT services, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to support productivity, business growth and technological disruption. Sustainability, curious mindset and innovation are at the core of everything we do, and this makes us an integral part of KONE's success.

Ready to shape the future of business-led data and AI enablement Join the KONE IT Enterprise Data & Analytics team in Chennai, India, and help build the Databricks Citizen platform as part of KONE's modern cloud data and AI architecture. The platform provides governed, scalable, and cost-efficient Databricks capabilities for citizen development across KONE business areas.

The Databricks Citizen Platform Owner is responsible for maximizing the business value, reliability, security, and adoption of the Databricks Citizen platform across its lifecycle, in alignment with the Platform Manager's direction. Working with stakeholders, Advanced Citizen Developers, AREA IT teams, business teams, security, architecture, and operations, the Platform Owner translates business and platform needs into a clear platform roadmap and prioritized backlog. The role ensures that the Databricks Citizen platform provides secure, governed, usable, and cost-efficient capabilities within its agreed platform scope.

The Databricks Citizen platform includes platform capabilities such as workspaces, compute, governance, data access, user enablement, observability, demand management, support processes, and platform operations. Stakeholders and users may include Advanced Citizen Developers, citizen analysts, AREA IT teams, business teams, platform engineers, security and compliance functions, enterprise architecture, operations, finance, and other technology or business teams using or supporting the platform.

The Databricks Citizen Platform Owner guides platform teams to balance platform stability, governance, usability, and speed of delivery. The role follows platform KPIs such as availability, adoption, demand flow, delivery performance, security posture, cost efficiency, and user satisfaction, and drives corrective actions when needed, escalating strategic trade-offs to the Platform Manager. The Platform Owner applies agile, platform engineering, DevOps, and FinOps principles to improve stakeholder experience, accelerate value realization, and ensure the platform evolves in line with enterprise data and AI strategy. The Platform Owner manages the platform and its operating model, while business teams remain accountable for the solutions and business outcomes created using the platform.

Core responsibilities:

• Own the Databricks Citizen platform vision, roadmap, and backlog in alignment with the Platform Manager and enterprise data, analytics, and AI strategy, ensuring investments maximize business value across the platform lifecycle.
• Partner with stakeholders and the Platform Manager to define and prioritize platform capabilities such as workspace standards, compute models, data access patterns, user enablement, governance controls, support processes, and self-service experiences.
• Manage the intake, clarification, prioritization, and follow-up of new platform demands, ensuring requests are assessed consistently against business value, platform scope, feasibility, security, governance, cost, and operational readiness.
• Establish and continuously improve processes for onboarding, access, demand management, support, communication, enablement, and operational handovers for the Databricks Citizen platform.
• Be accountable for platform governance by ensuring consistent implementation of catalog, schema, access control, lineage, auditability, ownership, and data sharing practices, including adoption of Unity Catalog and related governance controls where applicable.
• Ensure the platform is secure and compliant by working with cybersecurity, identity, infrastructure, AREA IT, and architecture stakeholders on access models, environment segregation, platform controls, and policy enforcement.
• Guide the team toward a platform engineering mindset by building reusable platform services, guardrails, templates, and automation that support effective and safe use of Databricks.
• Own platform operations and reliability, including service levels, observability, incident follow-up, environment health, capacity and quota planning, and corrective actions needed to sustain stable operations.
• Drive cost transparency and optimization across the platform lifecycle, including budgeting input, usage visibility, tagging and chargeback principles, compute policy governance, license considerations, and FinOps-oriented decision making in alignment with the Platform Manager.
• Ensure platform changes are translated into clear releases, standards, and enablement so that stakeholders can adopt new features smoothly and responsibly.
• Continuously monitor platform adoption and stakeholder experience, gather feedback from stakeholders, and turn feedback into prioritized improvements to increase usability and value realization.
• Apply agile, DevOps, and automation practices to improve release quality, delivery speed, repeatability, and environment consistency.
• Collaborate with enterprise architecture and data/domain leaders on platform standards, reference patterns, and roadmap dependencies to ensure Databricks fits into the broader enterprise technology landscape.
• Guide team members on platform priorities, operational practices, governance expectations, demand management, and change management while promoting continuous improvement in both the platform and ways of working.
• Support adoption of new Databricks capabilities relevant to the Citizen platform, based on business needs, platform scope, governance readiness, and operational readiness.

Professional requirements

• A master's degree in engineering, computer science, management information systems, business analytics, or a related field.
• 12-15+ years of experience in platform ownership, product management, data and analytics platforms, analytics enablement, citizen development enablement, or a closely related role.
• Experience working with global stakeholders, business-led analytics communities, and cross-functional technology teams experience with Databricks or similar cloud data platforms is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of self-service analytics platforms, platform governance, and the difference between managing a shared platform and owning business solutions built on it.
• Good knowledge of platform or product management practices, including roadmap management, prioritization, stakeholder engagement, service quality, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to work effectively with Advanced Citizen Developers, AREA IT teams, business stakeholders, platform engineering, security, architecture, and operations stakeholders.
• Ability to define practical ways of working, clarify responsibilities, support onboarding, and make platform usage simple and understandable for stakeholders.
• Understanding of governance, access management, data ownership, compliance expectations, and how these apply to self-service analytics environments.
• Practical understanding of Databricks or similar cloud data platforms and how shared platforms are adopted by business and technology stakeholders.
• Familiarity with agile ways of working, demand management, process design, operational follow-up, cost awareness, and value-driven prioritization.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, coaching, and influencing skills in a global and cross-functional environment using English language.

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