Vice President- Data Engineering

About This Job

SMC Squared India

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Work Mode: On-site

Industry: IT Services and IT Consulting

Job Description

The Opportunity

One of our clients is seeking a Vice President, Head of Data Engineering to lead our enterprise data engineering organization from our Hyderabad GCC.

Reporting to the Chief Data Officer, this executive will play a critical role in defining and delivering our client’s data platform strategy while building and scaling a high-caliber, globally distributed data engineering team across India and the United States.

This role combines enterprise-scale data leadership with GCC build-out expertise, owning both the development of a modern, scalable data platform and the establishment of Hyderabad as a world-class hub for data and platform engineering excellence.

You will lead teams responsible for building and operating the foundational data systems that power our client’s products, analytics, operations, and AI/ML initiatives. This includes enabling trusted, governed, and high-quality data for a wide range of stakeholders including financial advisors, investors, operations teams, and institutional partners.

At our client, Data, Product, and Engineering operate in close partnership. This role is a key collaborator with leadership to define data strategy, drive platform innovation, and ensure delivery of scalable, secure, and commercially impactful data solutions that position data as a core competitive advantage for the firm.

Key Responsibilities

GCC Leadership & Build-Out

• Establish and scale our client’s Hyderabad GCC as a strategic engineering hub
• Build a high-performing local leadership team and engineering organization from the ground up
• Define and embed operating models that enable seamless collaboration between India and US teams
• Champion a strong, inclusive culture in India that aligns with our client’s global values while reflecting local strengths
• Create a compelling employee value proposition to attract, engage, and retain top data engineering talent in the region
  
  

Global Team Leadership

• Lead and scale distributed data engineering teams across India and the United States
• Demonstrate proven ability to manage US-based teams and stakeholders from India with high effectiveness and trust
• Drive alignment across time zones, ensuring clarity in priorities, communication, and execution
• Ability to regularly travel back and forth to the U.S. to build relationship and depth and drive a cohesive culture across geographies
• Build a cohesive “one team” culture across geographies
  
  

Architecture & Strategic Leadership

• Own and drive the multi-year vision, strategy, and architecture for our client’s enterprise data platform (Data Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Operational Data Stores). Ensure alignment with company-wide technology and business strategy, establishing data as a core competitive advantage.
• Act as the highest-level decision-maker for data architecture and platform direction. Establish architectural principles, governance frameworks, and review mechanisms (RFCs/ADRs) to ensure consistency, scalability, and long-term sustainability across all data systems.
• Own strategic technology decisions, including platform selection, vendor partnerships, and investment prioritization. Balance innovation, cost efficiency, and long-term maintainability across the data ecosystem.
• Define and champion the strategy for enabling advanced analytics, data science, and AI/ML capabilities. Ensure the data platform supports scalable feature engineering, experimentation, and production-grade model deployment.
  
  

Required Qualifications

12–15+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Platform Engineering, or Technology Leadership, with significant experience leading large, distributed teams and organizations.Proven experience leading managers and senior technical leaders, with ownership of large-scale data platforms and multi-team organizations.Strong architectural background in modern data platforms. Solid understanding of distributed systems, data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark/Databricks), and cloud ecosystems. Ability to operate credibly with senior engineers and architects.Deep experience with modern cloud data platforms such as Snowflake, Azure Synapse, Azure Fabric, or similar technologies.Strong preference for experience in Financial Services, Wealth Management, or FinTech, including familiarity with regulatory and data governance requirements.Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders, align cross-functional teams, and operate effectively at executive leadership levels.

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