Head of Data Engineering

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, build, and operation of scalable, secure, and high-performing data platforms and pipelines across on-premises, private cloud, and public cloud environments.
• Own the end-to-end architecture and evolution of data platforms, including data lakes, warehouses, and lakehouses.
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing data engineering team, overseeing hiring, performance management, and career development.
• Drive the implementation of CI/CD, automation, and data observability to ensure platform reliability and meet defined SLAs.
• Collaborate with Sales and Presales to lead solution discovery, design winning RFP/RFI responses, and provide technical effort estimations.
• Partner with strategic vendors like Microsoft, Cloudera, and Databricks to align on best practices and reference architectures.
• Stay at the forefront of industry trends in big data, cloud services, real-time analytics, and MLOps to drive innovation and PoCs.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in data engineering or data platforms, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven expertise in on-prem big data ecosystems including Cloudera, Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, and Hive.
• Extensive experience with cloud data services across Azure (Synapse, Fabric), AWS (Redshift, EMR), or GCP (BigQuery, Dataproc).
• Strong proficiency in containerization and orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Deep understanding of data modeling, architecture patterns (relational, dimensional, lakehouse), and integration patterns (batch, streaming, CDC).
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to translate complex technical architectures for business stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certifications in cloud and data technologies (e.g., Azure Data Engineer, AWS Data Analytics, or Databricks).
• Experience working within regulated industries such as telecom, financial services, or government.
• Familiarity with data residency and compliance requirements.
• Arabic language proficiency.
• Formal training in Agile, DevOps, or SAFe methodologies.

About the Company

ZainTECH provides advanced technology and digital solutions, helping businesses navigate complex digital transformations through robust data, cloud, and connectivity services.