Senior Director Data Engineering

Senior Director, Data Engineering - Professional Services - Consulting (Brazil)
About phData
phData is an AI-forward engineering company focused on getting enterprise data and AI workloads in production for some of the largest and most well-known companies in the world.
We specialize in the most complex data, machine learning, and AI problems that only the best engineers can solve. From the top down, we're built and run by hardcore data, ML, and AI engineers.
Founders and leadership teams wrote books on databases and built key open-source tools, including Kafka, Parquet, Hive, and more.
We are a partner to major cloud data platforms like Snowflake (6X POTY), AWS, Azure, GCP, Fivetran, dbt, OpenAI, Anthropic, and more.
We have nearly 700 employees operating across 3 continents, and we're growing quickly.
We build AI and automation tools that no other consulting company has, enabling us to do more with smaller teams and without sacrificing quality.
We are not staff aug. We are a premium provider of data and AI services and our clients pay to work with the best teams.
Our Core Values
Grit. We make sacrifices and accomplish the mission no matter what, because greatness demands commitment.
Psychological Safety. We take risks, try new things, and have uncomfortable conversations without fear. We know that failure is the mother of success.
Curiosity. We seek genuine feedback and assume positive intent. We challenge assumptions, explore boldly, and never settle for "good enough" or "because we've always done it that way".
Community. We do the work to help the team, not to collect personal recognition. No task is beneath us, and no ego is above the work. If something needs doing, we do it—whether or not anyone notices.
About the Role
This person will act as the technical leader for phData's most strategic clients. This is among the most challenging, highest-profile, and highest-value roles in all of phData.
Why is this one of the most challenging? This person must have a versatile arsenal of skills, technical knowledge, and communication styles. It's more than saying the right thing. The Technical Account Lead must also be able to write code, stay up to date with the latest developments in technology, and lead and motivate a team to respond to the challenges and high expectations of our clients.
If our clients could solve these problems themselves, they would. Instead, they hire phData. We see ourselves as the client's special forces and do what it takes to complete the mission. The Technical Account Lead doesn't just get into the weeds—they study the entire root system.
This person needs to proactively give feedback internally and externally. They need to make sure we have the right people and the best teams. They will interface at the executive level, tackling uncomfortable conversations head-on and through a lens of respect, ownership, and integrity.
Our ultimate goal is to make our clients say "wow". The ultimate measure of success for a Technical Account Lead is when a client chooses to extend projects with us and expand into new projects and workloads with us. The Technical Account Lead is personally accountable for converting highly strategic first-time engagements into multi-year partnerships, and growing strategic clients into $10M+ in annual value.
About You
You've been the person others relied on to make the hard technical calls and guide execution at scale.
You can sit across from a Fortune 500 CTO, ask door-opening questions, and confidently recommend a roadmap that changes how they think about data or AI.
You are client-obsessed. You know the history, business context, and org structure of whoever you work with.
You know greatness doesn't come from working 9 to 5.
You know that giving and receiving feedback, internally and externally, is your fastest path to excellence and meaningful relationships.
You are a builder. You aren't looking for a company that has it all figured out already. You want to have a voice in building something great.
You thrive on and grow through change.
You want to work alongside the brightest minds in data and AI.
Job Requirements
Act as the executive-level technical leader for a set of strategic clients, operating like the account's CTO: owning technology direction, technical stakeholder relationships, and strategic alignment.
Build trusted relationships with technical and business stakeholders through 1:1s, on-site visits, and active engagement across initiatives.
Lead key client events (e.g., QBRs, Innovation Days, workshops) and contribute content that connects strategic goals with technical execution.
Develop and maintain a technology strategy and roadmap tailored to the client's goals, providing hands-on architectural guidance when needed.
Partner closely with the account team to drive growth by collaborating on strategy and opportunity creation.
Write and guide scopes, proposals, and pricing estimates. Enable other leaders to do the same using phData's processes and templates.
Create and present clear deliverables (e.g. architecture diagrams, enablement docs, POVs) that drive alignment from execs to practitioners.
Help the client operationalize data and AI projects—ensuring ideas move from prototype to production with measurable business impact.
Act as the ultimate owner of technical success for the client:
Resolve technical and strategic escalations across delivery and act as a point of accountability for both phData and the client
Hold delivery quality to a high standard, onboard new team members effectively, and continuously identify areas for improvement
Track and report KPIs that demonstrate client success and business value; use data to inform strategy and improve delivery
Meet minimum billable utilization requirements within book of business
Educate internal teams on successful delivery patterns and contribute to phData's internal playbooks, QBR content, and sales collaboration.
Cultivate and manage relationships with key technology partners.
BA/BS in computer science, engineering, business, operations, or related fields preferred.
Must have demonstrated experience leading highly technical engineering teams or serving as the chief architect in a complex, hands-on technical environment.
Travel up to 35% (client-dependent).