Senior Director - Data Engineering (San Jose)

Senior Director - Data Engineering Location - Remote Role OverviewThe Director / Senior Director of Data Engineering is a dual-mandate role: you are both a hands-on technical leader and a trusted client advisor. You will work alongside our Sales and Solutions teams to win new business — crafting compelling proposals, leading discovery workshops, and shaping data engineering solutions for prospective clients — while also anchoring delivery excellence for strategic engagements. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in front of clients, speaks the language of both business and data infrastructure, and can turn ambiguous client problems into crisp, winning solution narratives.Key ResponsibilitiesPre-Sales & SolutioningLead technical discovery sessions and workshops with C-suite and VP-level client stakeholders to understand their data engineering challenges, priorities, and maturityDesign and articulate end-to-end data engineering solutions (architecture, platform, team model, roadmap) tailored to client contextOwn the technical sections of RFP/RFI responses, proposals, and SOWs; ensure solutions are differentiated, commercially viable, and deliverableBuild and present compelling demos, PoCs, and reference architectures that accelerate deal closureCollaborate with Account Executives and Practice leadership to qualify opportunities, shape pursuit strategies, and support pricingServe as a subject matter expert at industry events, client briefings, and executive roundtablesPractice & Delivery LeadershipLead delivery governance for marquee data engineering engagements, ensuring quality, timeliness, and client satisfactionMentor and guide a team of data engineers and architects across projectsDefine and evolve Tredence's data engineering offerings, accelerators, and point of view across modern data stack topics (cloud data platforms, lakehouse, data mesh, real-time pipelines, DataOps)Partner with horizontal practices (Data Science, AI/ML, Analytics) to design integrated solutionsIdentify and pursue expansion opportunities within existing accountsThought LeadershipDevelop POVs, whitepapers, and solution frameworks that position Tredence as a leader in data engineeringStay current on market trends — cloud platform roadmaps, emerging tooling, competitive landscape — and translate them into client-relevant narrativesRequired Qualifications12–18 years of overall experience in data engineering, data architecture, or data platform roles, with at least 3–5 years in a client-facing, pre-sales, or solutions consulting capacityDemonstrated success in leading or significantly contributing to large deal pursuits ($2M+) in a services/consulting environmentDeep hands-on expertise across the modern data stack: cloud data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift), orchestration (Airflow, dbt), streaming (Kafka, Spark Streaming), and cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or GCP)Strong experience designing data architectures including data Lakehouse, data mesh, data warehouse modernization, and real-time/event-driven pipelinesProven ability to engage and influence senior client stakeholders (CTO, CDO, VP Engineering) — translating technical concepts into business outcomesExperience owning or co-owning proposal responses, architecture blueprints, and executive presentationsStrong understanding of data governance, data quality, and DataOps practicesBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related fieldPreferred QualificationsExperience in Retail, CPG, or Technology verticals (aligned to Tredence's core industries)Familiarity with AI/ML platform integration and MLOps in the context of data engineeringCloud certifications (AWS Solutions Architect, GCP Professional Data Engineer, Azure Data Engineer, Databricks or Snowflake certifications)MBA or equivalent business acumen developed through client advisory rolesPrior experience at a top-tier analytics/data consulting firm or Big 4What Success Looks Like in Year OneActively contributed to 3–5 new logo or expansion pursuits, with at least 2 winsEstablished as a trusted technical advisor with 2–3 strategic client accountsDelivered at least one reusable solution accelerator or offering framework for the Data Engineering practiceRecognized internally as a go-to leader for complex solutioning and client escalations