Data Operations Lead

Overview

Lead a new Data Integration & Operations team in Chennai to establish and run operational excellence for WPP Media's global Databridge data platform, a build-and-run role covering CI/CD, monitoring, data quality, and incident management.

What you'll do

• Lead the team responsible for data integration, orchestration, and platform operations across Azure and GCP environments
• Build and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Databricks Asset Bundles for data workflows
• Design platform-wide monitoring, logging, and alerting covering pipeline execution, data quality, SLA compliance, and cost
• Manage production deployments and own centralized job orchestration via Databricks Jobs/Workflows (scheduling, dependencies, retries, notifications)
• Implement comprehensive data quality testing and validation using dbt's testing framework and custom checks
• Create and roll out standard operating procedures, runbooks, onboarding guides, and automation patterns
• Establish reusable deployment frameworks and project templates for consistent implementation across markets
• Build and maintain the Central Data Solution Repository with reusable assets (dlthub pipelines, dbt models, tests, macros)
• Define repeatable deployment patterns ensuring standards and best practices are followed globally
• Set up and manage SLAs, incident workflows, and escalation models
• Proactively identify and resolve operational risks in cloud-based data platforms
• Partner with DevOps to leverage Databricks Unity Catalog for governance, access control, and lineage
• Enforce data quality standards and governance policies embedded within pipeline code
• Lead and mentor the Data Integration & Operations team in Chennai
• Shape the team's operating model, priorities, and capabilities
• Act as subject matter expert and escalation point for technical operations
• Facilitate regular retrospectives to drive continuous improvement and optimize processes
• Collaborate with Data Engineering, DevOps, and Product teams globally

What you'll need

• 7+ years in data operations, platform engineering, or data engineering with hands-on production experience
• 3+ years in technical leadership or team lead capacity, with proven ability to build and scale teams
• Demonstrated experience establishing DataOps practices and operational frameworks from the ground up
• Deep, hands-on experience with Databricks platform, specifically Databricks SQL Warehouses, Unity Catalog, and Jobs/Workflows
• Databricks Asset Bundles for Infrastructure as Code
• Delta Lake performance optimization
• Strong proficiency with dbt (Core): project structure, macros, tests, documentation, CI/CD integration, production troubleshooting
• Expert-level cloud platform knowledge (Azure and/or GCP): object storage (ADLS/GCS), secret management (Key Vault/Secret Manager)
• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
• CI/CD mastery with GitHub Actions: workflow design, secrets management, automated testing and deployment
• Proficient in Python for automation and scripting
• Strong SQL skills for data validation, quality testing, and troubleshooting
• Proven ability to design operational frameworks: monitoring, alerting, incident management, SLA tracking
• Experience managing production data platforms with high uptime requirements
• Excellent communication skills with ability to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Strong documentation skills and commitment to knowledge sharing

Nice to have

• Experience with dlthub (a major plus)
• Experience working in multi-cloud environments (Azure + GCP)
• Familiarity with Power BI or similar BI platforms
• Understanding of FinOps practices for cloud cost optimization

Details

• Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
• Hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week
• Accommodations or flexibility can be discussed with the hiring team during the interview process