Vice President- Data Engineering

The Opportunity

One of our clients is seeking a Vice President, Head of Data Engineering to lead our enterprise data engineering organization from our Hyderabad GCC.

Reporting to the Chief Data Officer, this executive will play a critical role in defining and delivering our client's data platform strategy while building and scaling a high-caliber, globally distributed data engineering team across India and the United States.

This role combines enterprise-scale data leadership with GCC build-out expertise, owning both the development of a modern, scalable data platform and the establishment of Hyderabad as a world-class hub for data and platform engineering excellence.

You will lead teams responsible for building and operating the foundational data systems that power our client's products, analytics, operations, and AI/ML initiatives. This includes enabling trusted, governed, and high-quality data for a wide range of stakeholders including financial advisors, investors, operations teams, and institutional partners.

At our client, Data, Product, and Engineering operate in close partnership. This role is a key collaborator with leadership to define data strategy, drive platform innovation, and ensure delivery of scalable, secure, and commercially impactful data solutions that position data as a core competitive advantage for the firm.

Key Responsibilities

GCC Leadership & Build-Out

• Establish and scale our client's Hyderabad GCC as a strategic engineering hub

• Build a high-performing local leadership team and engineering organization from the ground up

• Define and embed operating models that enable seamless collaboration between India and US teams

• Champion a strong, inclusive culture in India that aligns with our client's global values while reflecting local strengths

• Create a compelling employee value proposition to attract, engage, and retain top data engineering talent in the region

Global Team Leadership

• Lead and scale distributed data engineering teams across India and the United States

• Demonstrate proven ability to manage US-based teams and stakeholders from India with high effectiveness and trust

• Drive alignment across time zones, ensuring clarity in priorities, communication, and execution

• Ability to regularly travel back and forth to the U.S. to build relationship and depth and drive a cohesive culture across geographies

• Build a cohesive one team culture across geographies

Architecture & Strategic Leadership

• Own and drive the multi-year vision, strategy, and architecture for our client's enterprise data platform (Data Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Operational Data Stores). Ensure alignment with company-wide technology and business strategy, establishing data as a core competitive advantage.

• Act as the highest-level decision-maker for data architecture and platform direction. Establish architectural principles, governance frameworks, and review mechanisms (RFCs/ADRs) to ensure consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability across all data systems.

• Own strategic technology decisions, including platform selection, vendor partnerships, and investment prioritization. Balance innovation, cost efficiency, and long-term maintainability across the data ecosystem.

• Define and champion the strategy for enabling advanced analytics, data science, and AI/ML capabilities. Ensure the data platform supports scalable feature engineering, experimentation, and production-grade model deployment.

Required Qualifications

• 12–15+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Platform Engineering, or Technology Leadership, with significant experience leading large, distributed teams and organizations.
• Proven experience leading managers and senior technical leaders, with ownership of large-scale data platforms and multi-team organizations.
• Strong architectural background in modern data platforms. Solid understanding of distributed systems, data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark/Databricks), and cloud ecosystems. Ability to operate credibly with senior engineers and architects.
• Deep experience with modern cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Azure Synapse, Azure Fabric, or similar technologies.
• Strong preference for experience in Financial Services, Wealth Management, or FinTech, including familiarity with regulatory and data governance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders, align cross-functional teams, and operate effectively at executive leadership levels.