Director, Head of Data Architecture

Job Summary:

The Head of Data Architecture is responsible for leading the design and implementation of the enterprise data architecture strategy. This includes defining and maintaining the organization's overall data architecture strategy, developing the data strategy for the enterprise and the various business units across the organization, establishing data standards, defining, and identifying the best tools and technology for Data and Analytics.

This position manages a team of Data Architects and has primary responsibility of defining and delivering on the data strategy. The position engages with multiple business units to understand the various challenges and business strategy, develop the data strategy for the various business units, prototype development frameworks and new technologies, help create solutions to deliver on the data strategy. This position will work closely with the Enterprise Data Engineering, Data Analytics, Enterprise Architecture teams and will work with various stakeholders across IT and the business to help build a forward-looking strategic enterprise data architecture for the firm. This will be a hybrid-based position in our St Petersburg, FL headquarters.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Developing and maintaining the data architecture strategy: Collaborating with other executives and stakeholders to define the organization's overall data architecture vision, strategy, and roadmap.
2. Establishing the roadmap and vision for enterprise scale data architecture, executing on this roadmap to deliver shared frameworks for the broader enterprise application development teams.
3. Establishing the strategy to opportunistically migrate on-prem based data solutions to cloud-based solutions.
4. Collaborating with multiple stakeholders, understanding the overall business strategy, enterprise Architecture and developing the end-to-end solutions for data sourcing, data processing/integration, data provisioning and delivery.
5. Architecting solutions which are resilient, stable, and always on. Working with multiple teams across the organization, ensuring that mission critical data platforms are highly available and resilient.
6. Establishing data standards: Defining and implementing data standards that ensure data is consistent, accurate, and reliable. The Head of Data Architecture works with other executives and stakeholders, Data governance teams to define and implement data governance policies and procedures.
7. Leading a team: Managing a team of data architects and data engineers, providing direction, guidance, and mentoring to the team, as well as managing their performance and professional development.
8. Delivering projects to successful completion as defined by predetermined project success criteria including those established by the business, ensuring that projects are delivered on time and within budget.
9. Focusing on designing and developing highly scalable, efficient, and reliable data infrastructure to scale and compute to meet business objectives.
10. Leading, coaching, and developing the team, while creating a vision for the team and educating cross-functional teams on how to leverage data to identify opportunities to increase revenue and performance.
11. Mentoring leaders and associates in the team to develop them and to build a strong team.
12. Driving IT solutions to ensure they meet the business needs balanced with a pragmatic and integrated approach to the design of technical solutions.
13. Focusing on workforce development and ensuring that a strong team is built.
14. Remaining up to date on key technology, business, and industry trends.
15. Performing other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Experience and Skills:

1. Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, MIS or related degree and ten plus (10) years of relevant experience including management or leadership experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
2. Experience in working with multiple business units to understand the overall business strategy and developing an Enterprise Data strategy which is aligned to the overall business goals and business strategy.
3. Experience with a breadth of Data Platforms, Data Integration tools, Databases, Big Data Platforms, Cloud-based data platforms and Data Streaming technologies.
4. Strong understanding of modern Data Architectures and deep understanding of the overall Data in an enterprise and ability to understand Data in the context of Business goals.
5. Experience with developing and architecting very large mission critical data platforms which are highly resilient, scalable, and flexible.
6. Experience in architecting and building cloud-based analytical data platforms (like Data Lakes, Lake Houses, Data Warehouses etc.), analytical tools and platforms.
7. Experience with ETL technologies, Data Streaming using integration patterns like Kafka, Spark Streaming.
8. Experience with developing AI/ML solutions is a plus.
9. Expert level experience with AWS Data Platforms is a plus.
10. Experience or understanding of programming languages like Python, Java, R, Shell, Perl, etc. is a plus.
11. Financial Services experience is preferred.
12. Experience in enterprise implementation, leadership experience, strategic planning, strong business acumen.

Licenses/Certifications:

Raymond James Guiding Behaviors: At Raymond James our associates use five guiding behaviors (Develop, Collaborate, Decide, Deliver, Improve) to deliver on the firm's core values of client-first, integrity, independence and a conservative, long-term view. We expect our associates at all levels to:

1. Grow professionally and inspire others to do the same.
2. Work with and through others to achieve desired outcomes.
3. Make prompt, pragmatic choices and act with the client in mind.
4. Take ownership and hold themselves and others accountable for delivering results that matter.
5. Contribute to the continuous evolution of the firm.

At Raymond James – we honor, value, respect the uniqueness, experiences, and backgrounds of all of our Associates. When associates bring their best authentic self, our organization, clients and communities thrive; it is part of our people-first culture. The Company is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs.