Sr. Global Data Platform Lead

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC MANUBANK, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

Role Description

SMBC is in the process of leading a Digital Transformation across our Americas Division as we continue to modernize our technology, focus on our data driven approach, grow and plan for the future. As a result of this expansion, we are seeking an experienced and seasoned Data Platform lead for Data Governance as a part of the Data Management group. As the VP of Sr. Global Data Platform Lead within AD technology and Chief Data & Analytics office, you will lead the development and delivery of innovative data solutions that promote the firm’s Data Governance and Regulatory success. In this strategic role, you will oversee large-scale projects, mentor technical teams, and collaborate with product, technology, and data partners to advance our Collibra cloud data platforms and engineering practices. You will also have responsibilities for administrative tasks such as attendance, timesheets, resource planning and performance reviews.

Role Objectives

• Cloud & Containerization

o Architect and implement Azure PaaS and SaaS solutions for Collibra Data Quality and Data Intelligence Platform (DIP).

o Design and manage networking frameworks such as SD-WAN, MPLS to connect banking entities globally.

o Provide hands-on expertise in Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker, and Helm charts for container orchestration and deployment.

o Ensure scalability, security, and compliance in all cloud deployments. Performs platform design, set-up and configuration, workspace administration, resource monitoring, providing engineering support to stakeholders.

• DevOps & Automation

o Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using Git Actions, Bitbucket, and Sonatype Nexus for artifact management.

o Automate platform provisioning, deployment, and monitoring processes to improve efficiency and reliability.

o Implement Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices for consistent and repeatable environments.

• Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) & Production Support

o Establish observability and monitoring frameworks for platform health and performance.

o Drive incident management, root cause analysis, and implement self-healing mechanisms for critical systems.

o Ensure high availability and disaster recovery strategies for global data platforms.

• Leadership & Collaboration

o Lead and mentor global engineering teams, fostering technical excellence and collaboration.

o Partner with stakeholders across Americas, EMEA, APAC, and Tokyo to align platform strategies with business objectives.

o Drive capability building and knowledge sharing across regions.

o Mentor and guide technical teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and excellence in software engineering practices.

• Hands-On Coding

o Contribute at the code level using Python, Java, and JavaScript for automation and platform enhancements.

• Process & Governance

o Oversee project delivery cadence, ensuring milestones are met within scope, budget, and timelines.

o Champion Agile methodologies, manage JIRA boards, and formalize processes for iterative development.

• Testing & Compliance

o Define and execute QA/UAT strategies, collaborating with partner teams for robust validation.

o Ensure adherence to regulatory reporting, GDPR, and global compliance standards.

o Embed data privacy and security controls into platform designs.

• Innovation

o Drive innovation through Agentic AI solutions for Data Governance and Data Quality, enabling autonomous monitoring, policy enforcement, and self-healing data pipelines.

• Vendor Management

o Lead evaluation sessions with external vendors and internal teams

o Manage vendor relationships to ensure alignment with strategic goals, compliance standards, and performance expectations.

Qualifications and Skills

• 8+ years of experience in Financial Services

• 10-15 years of experience in data governance, data management, or technology role. In addition, 5+ years of experience leading technologists to manage, anticipate and solve complex technical items.

• Understanding of global and regional regulatory frameworks (BCBS 239, GDPR, etc.)

• Experience with Collibra Data Intelligence Platform and Collibra Data Quality

• Experience in banking or the financial industry, preferably in regulatory reporting or credit analysis area.

• Hands-on experience with Collibra Data Quality, Collibra Data Intelligence platform install, manage, architect and build

• Hands-on experience with Azure, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, and OpenShift

• Hands-on experience with Python and/or Java application program development with use of automated unit testing

• Hands-on practical experience delivering system design, application development, testing, and operational stability using Python

• Hands-on experience with GitHub / Bitbucket code versioning tool, Jenkins build tool and pypi / maven artifactory integrations

• Preferred: BA / BS (or equivalent experience) Degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems or related disciplines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert

• Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

• Collibra Certified Expert

• Experience with AI/ML frameworks and Agentic AI applications for data governance and quality.

• Familiarity with Data Privacy and Security frameworks beyond GDPR, BCBS239, and Regulatory reporting.

• Strong background in Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) principles and automation tooling.

• Advanced knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Terraform, Ansible).

SMBC’s employees participate in a Hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home, as well as, from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process. Hybrid work may not be permitted for certain roles, including, for example, certain FINRA-registered roles for which in-office attendance for the entire workweek is required.

SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please let us know at View email address on click.appcast.io.

EOE, including Disability/veterans