Data Capability Leader

RSM•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Data Capability Leader is a strategic and operational leader responsible for architecting and driving data capability within the Digital Solutions group. The Data Capability Leader will lead and evolve the data team within the firm’s Digital Solutions organization, ensuring a team strategy that proactively aligns with business objectives and 18-month rolling roadmaps. This leader will ensure the data function delivers high-quality, innovative, and standard-driven solutions that support business objectives in an Agile SAFe environment. This leader will create an environment where data professionals thrive – combining technical excellence with a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation. The Data leader will be responsible for planning and defining the information structure of the enterprise in collaboration with the Data Strategy team. This includes collaborating on and leading the creation of the living data architecture, practice standards, processes and governance. They will lead the team to design the data master blueprints to meet the technical and business needs within the context of all enterprise architecture and the connections with information systems, technologies and business solutions. They are responsible for defining and implementing an enterprise and business aligned data architecture strategy and delivering data design to meet those needs based on business and IT requirements. The ideal candidate will have deep experience building high-performing data teams, managing both complex enterprise engineering and low-code/no-code solutions, and fostering a culture of technical excellence, agility and innovation. The role requires balancing hands-on technical credibility with strong leadership and developing people's skills. The role demands visionary leadership, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, while building robust processes and accountability mechanisms that enable predictable, efficient, and high-quality delivery across all digital initiatives. The Data Capability Leader is accountable for achieving success metrics, setting discipline expectations, and holding the team to the highest standards of quality and delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field
Deep expertise in cloud platforms such as Azure, API management frameworks and data architecture.
Experience in Microsoft SQL, Enterprise Data and Information Architecture, Data Warehousing, and Big Data
Understanding of Agile and SAFe concepts, including solution intent, enablers, system architect roles and architectural runway
Strong technical foundation in enterprise architecture, integration, and modern development stacks
Strong experience with enterprise platforms, integrations, data, complex custom build and buy and extend solutions
Experience with low-code platforms
Strong grasp of cybersecurity, compliance, and governance requirements for enterprise systems
Strategic thinker able to align delivery capability with measurable business outcomes
Collaborative mindset with a commitment to continuous learning, lean thinking and incremental improvement
Proven success in reducing bottlenecks
Demonstrated maturity of an organization’s data capabilities through metrics, governance, and outcomes
Minimum of 10 years’ experience leading enterprise data teams and enterprise data strategies including enterprise-class on-premises, cloud and hybrid solutions
Minimum of 5 years working with data modeling, big data, data analytics required
Minimum of 5 years’ experience developing and maintaining policies, procedures, standards and guidelines required
Proven success implementing or operating within a Scaled Agile or lean portfolio management environment
Expert at stakeholder management
10 years of demonstrated leadership experience leading high performing teams
Strong people leader with a track record of energizing and developing talent and creating scalable, high-performing teams
Ability to influence without authority
Excellent communication, coaching, and change-management skills

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in computer science, data certifications, information systems or another related field

Responsibilities

Organizational and People Leadership Create and execute a comprehensive talent strategy for the data discipline, ensuring optimal skill mix, clear roles, and progressive career paths to support enterprise delivery needs and proactively align with 18-month rolling roadmaps.
Provide significant technical expertise, experience and authority over firm Data, Information Architecture and data flow in all firm technology, including but not exclusive to SQL Databases, Microsoft, Mobile and Cloud Platforms.
Support planning processes to understand business goals and align future development goals and strategies
Recruit, build, and inspire a diverse and high-performing team of developers with the right capability mix for the firm’s evolving portfolio. This includes fostering career growth through mentoring and continuous learning
Build and maintain a balanced mix of skills across full-stack, integration, cloud, and low-code platforms
Build and maintain development competency frameworks and targeted training programs that drive excellence in Agile delivery and provide accelerated growth for early-career and mid-level developers
Cultivate a collaborative, learning-oriented culture that values efficiency, innovation, and quality. Mentor and empower high-performing teams
Process and Standards Management Define and execute the development strategy aligned with the firm’s Digital Solutions vision and SAFe framework
Ensure standardized Agile and SAFe practices across all developments, ensuring consistency in ceremonies, tools and performance measures
Implement governance and quality control mechanisms to uphold high delivery standards across products, projects, and programs.
Partner with Solution Architecture, QA, BA, and Operations capability leaders to ensure end-to-end delivery efficiency and consistency.
Operational Efficiency and Tooling Lead the team to build Enterprise models and demonstrate effective data integration between specific and enterprise applications.
Collaborate with business strategy in the design of the enterprise data strategy
Lead the deployment of the organization of the data architecture practices
Collaborate with application teams and other technology project teams to help deploy and develop architectural design and identify enterprise impacts
Lead the definition of architectural principles, patterns, guidelines and standards
Lead and hold the team accountable for identifying and implementing opportunities to streamline delivery workflows through AI, automation, and modern delivery tools.
Oversee data activities across multiple Agile teams, ensuring predictable delivery and adherence to SAFe principles
Evaluate and deploy emerging technologies that enhance productivity, accuracy, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Implement metrics and maturity models to assess and continually improve the capabilities' effectiveness
Agile Delivery Enablement Champion continuous improvement across Agile ceremonies, backlog refinement, and quality gates
Proactively remove systemic impediments that hinder efficiency or slow delivery cycles
Quality and Continuous Improvement Provide innovative leadership with evolving data management trends and data models, developing and maintaining data management standards, roadmaps, strategies and governance based on industry trends.
Establish and track KPIs and metrics to measure discipline performance, including throughput, quality, and automation adoption
Foster a culture of built-in quality and technical excellence, ensuring solutions meet current and future business needs.
Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Serve as a key liaison between capability leaders and portfolio teams to ensure alignment of delivery objectives with organizational strategy
Communicate progress, risks, and opportunities with clarity and transparency, enabling informed decision-making at all levels
Other duties as assigned.