Technical Project Manager - Data Engineering

Role & responsibilities

We are seeking a strong Program Manager to join our team, serving a key data transformation project with a large US Telecom client. We are not looking for a functional project manager who tracks timelines; we are seeking a seasoned, hands-on Technical Program Manager to be the driving force behind the transformation of raw data into a governed, high-value enterprise data asset on Snowflake.

You will be the linchpin between our engineering team spread across US, Europe & Africa and a demanding client, responsible for orchestrating the end-to-end delivery of the foundational "Silver Layer" data asset. This is a player- coach role for a leader with 15+ years of experience who thrives on diving deep into technical complexities, managing senior stakeholder relationships, and navigating the ups and downs of a large-scale modernization program. Your success will be measured by your ability to translate a complex vision into a tangible, high-quality data product that is sustainable, scalable.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Delivery Ownership: Take end-to-end ownership for the successful delivery of the data platform.
• You will lead the program from initial discovery and architectural design through development, testing, and final client acceptance, ensuring the solution is built to the highest standards.
• Hands-On Technical Leadership: Act as the first line of defense for quality and architectural integrity. While not writing production code, you will lead architectural discussions, review data models for logical soundness, data modeling best practices such as dimensional modeling, subject-area design, and challenge technical approaches to ensure they align with program goals. This extends to getting into the weeds of the implementation; you will be expected to review transformation flows, participate in code reviews to ensure quality and adherence to patterns, and proactively identify opportunities for performance optimization and efficiency gains.
• Masterful Client Engagement: Serve as the primary technical and program-level point of contact for the client.
• You will build trust with senior stakeholders, manage expectations, facilitate workshops, and seamlessly navigate difficult conversations to keep the engagement on track and aligned.
• Strategic Road mapping & Risk Management: Develop and maintain the integrated program roadmap, clearly communicating timelines, milestones, and cross-domain dependencies. You will proactively identify, track, and mitigate technical and logistical risks before they become roadblocks, demonstrating foresight and strategic thinking.
• Technical Translation & Facilitation: Serve as the critical bridge between the client's business needs and the data engineering team. You must be technically fluent enough to deconstruct complex legacy business logic (e.g., from cryptic source systems) and translate it into clear, actionable epics and user stories for the engineering team.
• Agile Process Excellence: Lead the agile/scrum process for the data engineering team, tailoring it to the unique challenges of a data modernization project. You will facilitate all ceremonies, ensuring the team is focused, unblocked, and operating at a high level of efficiency and predictability.

Core Qualifications

• Experience: 15+ years in technical program/project management, with a decisive track record of delivering multiple large-scale, complex data warehouse, data platform, or legacy modernization projects from inception to launch.
• Cross-Functional Delivery: Proven experience in designing and managing cross-functional delivery across source systems, Enterprise Data Warehouses (EDW), and BI tools.
• Client Leadership: Demonstrable mastery of senior-level customer engagement. You have a proven history of being the trusted advisor for clients, leading executive-level presentations, and successfully managing complex stakeholder landscapes.
• Data Architecture Fluency: You possess a deep, practical understanding of data warehousing concepts (ETL/ELT, Medallion Architecture), data modeling methodologies (Domain-Driven Design, Star Schema), and the principles of data governance. You can confidently lead a technical design session with data architects.
• Legacy Modernization Acumen: You have battle-tested experience with the challenges of migrating from complex, on-premise legacy systems to a modern cloud data stack. You understand the art of data archaeology and can guide a team through the process of reverse-engineering business logic.

Technical Qualifications

• Modern Data Stack Awareness: You are fluent in the modern data ecosystem and can speak intelligently about the roles and interactions of technologies like Snowflake, AWS/GCP, and ELT tools like Matillion or dbt.
• SQL & Data Modeling Literacy: You are comfortable reading and understanding complex SQL queries and can critically evaluate a data model for logical soundness, normalization, and scalability.
• End-to-End Governance Awareness: Awareness of data lineage, metadata, and semantic layer needs from a delivery perspective.
• Agile for Data: Deep expertise in Agile/Scrum, specifically tailored for the iterative and often unpredictable nature of data engineering projects.

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• An MBA or a Master's degree in a technical or management discipline is highly desirable. For candidates with an exceptional track record of delivery, the specific degree is secondary to demonstrated experience.
• Relevant professional certifications (e.g., PMP, CSM, SAFe) are a plus.

Good to have:

A prior career as a data engineer, data architect, or solutions architect before transitioning into program management. This hands-on experience is the ideal background for this role.

Experience managing programs in other complex, regulated industries (e.g., finance, healthcare) where intricate business rules and data relationships are common.