Data Platform Technical Program Director

DescriptionKforce has a client in Kansas City, MO that is looking for a Data Platform Technical Program Director to lead the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of critical data platform and architecture improvements. This role reports into the EPMO and is embedded within the Engineering team's data platform group, following the EPMO's established operating model.Summary:The Data Platform Program Director will work alongside the Data Engineering VP and Data Science and Analytics VP as a strategic partner, engaging with Marketing, CCO, Fraud, and Technology teams to ensure data platform improvements are driven by real business needs and deliver measurable outcomes. They will be the single point of accountability for defining what the client builds, why they build it, and ensuring it gets delivered. Responsibilities:* Own the data platform roadmap and drive right business outcome: gather requirements from Marketing, CCO, Fraud, Technology, Data Science, Analytics, and other business stakeholders to define priorities and sequencing* Translate business needs into technical requirements and work with engineering to define architecture direction for data platform enhancements* Make tradeoff decisions on scope, timeline, and technical approach in partnership with the Data Engineering VP, Data Science and Analytics VP and engineering leads* Define and track success metrics for data quality, platform reliability, and stakeholder satisfaction* Drive delivery accountability: set milestones, track progress, identify risks early, and escalate blockers* Facilitate the Data Platform Steering Committee, providing regular progress updates to cross-functional leadership* Coordinate across Marketing, CCO, Fraud, Technology, Engineering, Ops, and Data Science teams to maintain alignment and resolve dependencies* Establish program governance practices for data initiatives aligned with EPMO standardsRequirements* 8+ years of experience in technical program management, with heavy emphasis on value delivery through data* Strong technical fluency - you can credibly discuss data architecture, ETL/ELT pipelines, data warehousing, and platform tradeoffs with engineers* Proven ability to influence without direct authority - you drive outcomes through clarity, relationships, and structured accountability* Experience working with or within an EPMO, PMO, or similar program governance structure* Track record of delivering complex, cross-functional technical initiatives* Excellent communication skills - translate between technical teams and business stakeholders fluentlyPreferred:* Experience with data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, dbt, Airflow, or similar)* Background in data governance, data quality frameworks, or master data management* Experience treating internal platforms as products (platform product management)* Familiarity with Agile, SAFe, or similar delivery frameworks in an enterprise context* Experience in tax industryJob TypeContractCompensation100 - $110