The Data Engineering Practice Leader will serve as a senior pillar lead responsible for shaping data engineering strategy, growing a book of business, leading practice development, and overseeing delivery of enterprise-scale data transformation initiatives.

This role sits within FormativGroup’s Data & Analytics practice and blends consulting leadership, executive advisory, technical oversight, commercial ownership, and team development. The position is approximately 25% billable delivery and 75% business development, practice ownership, and strategic leadership.

As the Practice Leader, you will partner with executive client stakeholders, lead account growth, oversee solution architecture, guide delivery teams, and help define scalable, modern data solutions across Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, and related cloud data ecosystems.

What You'll Work On

As Data Engineering Practice Leader, you will:

• Serve as a senior pillar lead for the Data & Analytics - Data Engineering practice.
• Own and grow a book of business through client relationship leadership, business development, and strategic account expansion.
• Lead strategic data modernization discussions with executive and senior client stakeholders.
• Shape solution strategy, future-state architecture, and transformation roadmaps for enterprise clients.
• Oversee delivery of complex data engineering programs, ensuring alignment to business outcomes, architecture standards, and delivery quality.
• Develop new data engineering offerings, accelerators, products, and reusable delivery assets.
• Provide technical oversight across Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, and equivalent modern data platforms.
• Guide solutioning for data lakes, data warehouses, lakehouses, advanced analytics enablement, and AI-ready data platforms.
• Lead proposal strategy, pursuit support, client presentations, and commercial solution development.
• Partner with internal leadership to define practice priorities, talent strategy, delivery methodology, and growth plans.
• Manage, mentor, and develop senior managers, managers, architects, consultants, and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Establish governance, data quality, metadata, lineage, security, privacy, and compliance standards across client programs.
• Evaluate emerging data, analytics, and AI-enablement technologies and determine applicability to client and practice needs.
• Monitor portfolio performance, delivery health, financial outcomes, and client satisfaction.
• Represent FormativGroup as a trusted advisor in data engineering, analytics modernization, and cloud data transformation.

What You'll Bring

You will likely be successful in this role if you have:

• 15+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, data architecture, cloud data platforms, or related technology consulting roles.
• 10+ years of leadership experience within a traditional consulting firm, technology consulting firm, systems integrator, or professional services organization.
• Bachelor’s degree in Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Information Systems, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, or a related field.
• Strong technical background with the ability to solution, oversee architecture, evaluate technical tradeoffs, and develop new data products or offerings.
• Executive-level advisory experience across analytics strategy, data modernization, cloud transformation, and business value realization.
• Strong understanding of data architecture, data modeling, ETL/ELT, pipeline design, data integration, governance, security, and compliance.
• Experience leading large enterprise programs, multi-year engagements, or complex consulting portfolios.
• Experience with proposal development, pursuit strategy, solution design, pricing support, and executive presentations.
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to balance client outcomes, delivery quality, and financial performance.
• Exceptional communication, executive presence, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading account growth, business development, relationship leadership, and strategic account expansion.

How You Work

• You operate as a senior consulting leader who can balance client advisory, commercial growth, technical strategy, delivery quality, and team development.
• You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, influencing executive stakeholders, and driving enterprise transformation initiatives.
• You bring a practical, outcome-focused approach to architecture, solutioning, delivery oversight, portfolio performance, and client satisfaction.
• You can develop leaders, mentor senior teams, and help build a scalable, high-performing consulting practice.

Bonus Points If You Have

• Advanced degree or MBA.
• Relevant industry certifications or technical credentials.
• Deep familiarity with modern data platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, AWS, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, BigQuery, or related technologies.
• Demonstrated success serving as a practice, pillar, portfolio, or account leader with ownership of client growth and delivery outcomes.
• Demonstrated success managing senior teams, developing leaders, and building high-performing consulting practices.

What Success Looks Like

• The Data Engineering pillar has stronger offerings, delivery assets, methodologies, growth plans, and commercial strategy.
• Clients view you as a trusted executive advisor across data engineering, analytics modernization, AI-ready data platforms, and cloud data transformation.
• Enterprise data engineering programs are delivered with clear architecture standards, quality controls, business outcome alignment, and stakeholder confidence.
• The practice grows through account expansion, business development, strong delivery health, financial performance, and improved client satisfaction.
• Internal teams benefit from clear leadership, mentoring, scalable delivery methods, and stronger technical and commercial direction.

Why Join FormativGroup

At FormativGroup, you’ll work with people who are practical, collaborative, and focused on solving meaningful business and technology problems. We’re growing, which means you’ll have opportunities to contribute ideas, work closely with experienced leaders, and help shape how we deliver for clients.

Employment Eligibility

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa currently.

This is a remote role with approximately 50% travel. The preferred location is the Northeast U.S. To be considered for this position, candidates must reside in one of the following U.S. states or Washington, DC: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI, or Washington, DC. Candidates residing outside these locations are not eligible for consideration currently.