VP, Data Engineering

Remote | Full Time | Vancouver, Canada A leading technology company is seeking a VP, Data Engineering to lead and scale its data engineering function. This is a confidential search for a high-impact leadership role requiring technical expertise, strategic thinking, and people management. The VP, Data Engineering will be responsible for developing and optimizing the organization's data infrastructure, designing scalable pipelines, and ensuring alignment with business objectives. This role requires a leader with a strong background in big data architectures, cloud platforms, AI/ML, and modern data engineering best practices. What You’ll Do: Strategic Data Architecture & Scalability Design and oversee scalable, robust data architectures that support current and future data needs. Ensure modern data platforms, data lakes, and cloud technologies (e.g., Snowflake, AWS) can efficiently handle increasing data volumes. Implement best practices for data pipeline observability (O11y) to ensure resilience, scalability, and real-time monitoring. Establish automated dashboards (e.g., Grafana, Airflow, CloudWatch) to provide full visibility into data pipelines and enable prompt response to outages or inconsistencies. Data Governance, Compliance & Security Develop and implement data integrity, quality, and security processes/workflows to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Ensure data security policies are aligned with industry best practices, reducing risks related to data breaches or mismanagement. Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration Partner with software engineering, product, analytics, and business teams to align data strategies with organizational goals. Bridge the gap between technical and non-technical teams, effectively communicating complex data concepts to stakeholders. Drive data-driven decision-making by enabling business teams with actionable insights and reliable data. Advanced Analytics, AI/ML & Data-Driven Innovation Leverage data for advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning applications to drive business value and competitive advantage. Enable predictive insights, automation strategies, and AI-driven decision-making to enhance product offerings. Required Skills & Experience Must-Haves: ✅ 10 years of experience in data engineering, with at least 5 years in a leadership role. ✅ Expertise in big data ecosystems, including data lakes, lake houses, and modern cloud architectures. ✅ Proficiency in SQL and Python for data manipulation and engineering workflows. ✅ Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and containerized data workflows using tools like DBT and Airflow (or similar). ✅ Experience with streaming data solutions using Kafka, Pulsar, or similar technologies. ✅ Strong expertise in data warehousing tools such as Snowflake, BigQuery, or Redshift. ✅ Deep understanding of data modeling, performance optimization, and indexing strategies. ✅ Experience scaling SQL systems (vertical and horizontal) on-premises and in the cloud. ✅ Proven track record managing cloud-based data solutions (AWS, GCP, or Azure), including storage, compute, and security best practices. ✅ Expertise in PostgreSQL, PostGIS, Citus, Amazon Aurora, and Azure CosmosDB. ✅ Strong knowledge of data governance, security, and regulatory compliance. Nice-to-Haves: ⭐ Experience implementing SQL and NoSQL stores with large-scale data volumes. ⭐ Strong knowledge of distributed computing frameworks such as Apache Spark, Dask, or Presto. ⭐ Familiarity with data paradigms such as Lambda and Kappa architecture. ⭐ Hands-on experience conducting cost-benefit analysis for enterprise-level data stores. Education Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience. Why Join? This is a confidential opportunity with a high-growth company offering: ✅ Competitive salary ✅ Amazing benefits More information to be provided during the interview. ✅ Remote work environment—always ✅ A visionary leadership team guiding industry innovation Equal Opportunity Employer This organization is committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Ready to lead the future of data engineering? Apply today