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 contemporary 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.

📌 Vice President- Data Engineering (Hyderabad)
🏢 SMC Squared India
📍 Hyderabad