[Hiring] Senior Director Data Engineering & Analytics @Alight

Role Description

We are seeking a Senior Director, Data Engineering & Analytics to lead and evolve our enterprise data engineering, analytics engineering, and data quality functions. This leadership role blends strategic vision, technical expertise, and people leadership to drive scalable, high-quality data solutions across a global organization.

Reporting to the VP of Data, AI & Analytics, this leader will shape technical strategy, establish engineering standards, and foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across teams in the U.S. and India.

Key Responsibilities

• Defining and executing the data engineering and analytics roadmap aligned with business and product priorities.
• Leading modernization initiatives across cloud platforms, data lakes, and enterprise data quality programs.
• Balancing near-term delivery needs with long-term architectural sustainability.
• Managing budgets, vendor partnerships, and technology investment decisions.
• Providing hands-on guidance in data architecture, pipeline design, data modeling, and data quality practices.
• Leading architecture reviews and key technical decisions for complex data solutions.
• Establishing engineering standards, best practices, and quality expectations across teams.
• Evaluating and implementing emerging technologies, including AI-driven engineering capabilities.
• Driving adoption of AI and automation across engineering workflows.
• Establishing governance and standards for AI-assisted development and testing.
• Partnering across Data & AI teams to ensure platforms effectively support AI/ML initiatives.
• Building trusted partnerships across technology, product, operations, and business teams.
• Communicating strategy, priorities, risks, and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Aligning stakeholders around shared goals and delivery outcomes.
• Collaborating closely with global Data & AI leaders to drive execution and accountability.
• Leading, mentoring, and developing teams of data engineers, analytics engineers, technical leads, and data product professionals.
• Fostering an inclusive, high-performing culture that values growth, innovation, and diverse perspectives.
• Supporting career development, succession planning, and organizational effectiveness.
• Partnering globally on workforce planning, capability development, and talent strategy.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, data architecture, or related disciplines.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing multiple teams across global organizations.
• Deep expertise in modern data platforms, cloud data lakes, data warehouses, and distributed data systems.
• Strong proficiency in SQL, Python/PySpark, AWS data services, and workflow orchestration tools.
• Experience leading large-scale data platform modernization or migration initiatives.
• Proven success building and scaling enterprise data quality programs.
• Experience managing complex technical roadmaps and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Demonstrated adoption of AI-enabled engineering tools and automation practices.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence executive and business leaders.
• Experience working with geographically distributed teams.
• Experience in HR technology, benefits, healthcare, payroll, or similar enterprise environments.
• Knowledge of Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, and cloud migration strategies.
• Experience with data governance, metadata management, and data catalog solutions.
• AWS or equivalent cloud certifications.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Information Systems, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Equivalent combinations of education, training, and relevant experience will also be considered.

Requirements

• Background check consistent with Alight’s employment policies.
• All virtual interviews to be conducted on video.
• Occasional travel to one of our physical office locations may be required.

Benefits

• Comprehensive total rewards package supporting mind, body, wallet, and life.
• Health, dental, and vision coverages starting Day One.
• Wellbeing programs.
• Retirement plans with contribution matching.
• Generous time off and parental leave.
• Continuing education and career growth opportunities.
• Flexible working arrangements.