About the Role
The Vice President of Data Engineering is responsible for defining, building, and scaling a modern, enterprise-wide data engineering capability within a federated operating model. This role will lead the design and delivery of robust, secure, and high-performing data pipelines, with a strong focus on AWS-native architectures and Snowflake-based data warehousing. A critical aspect of the role is enabling the development of AI-ready data ecosystems, including knowledge graphs, ontologies, and semantically enriched datasets that support advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI-native applications.
Responsibilities
- Define and execute the enterprise data engineering strategy aligned to a federated (data mesh-style) operating model, balancing domain autonomy with centralized governance
- Build, scale and lead a high-performing data engineering organization, including platform, enablement, and domain-aligned teams
- Architect and oversee scalable, secure data platforms leveraging AWS services (e.g. S3, Glue, Lambda, EMR, Redshift), dbt and Snowflake
- Establish best practices for data ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and serving (batch, streaming, and real-time patterns)
- Drive adoption of modern data engineering principles including DataOps, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, and automated testing frameworks
- Define and enforce data governance standards, including data quality, lineage, cataloging, security, and compliance across federated domains
- Enable self-service data capabilities through reusable data products, shared tooling, and developer platforms
- Lead the design and implementation of AI-native data architectures, including feature stores, vector databases, and semantic layers
- Champion the creation and integration of knowledge graphs and ontologies to enhance data discoverability, interoperability, and contextual understanding
- Collaborate with senior stakeholders across engineering, product, analytics, and AI/ML teams to deliver business value through data
Requirements
- Proven experience leading large-scale data engineering organizations in complex, federated or matrixed environments
- Deep expertise in AWS data ecosystem (S3, Glue, Lambda, Kinesis, EMR, IAM, Lake Formation) and cloud-native architecture patterns
- Strong hands-on and architectural experience with Snowflake/dbt/Airflow, including performance optimization, data modelling, and cost management
- Expertise in building scalable modern data platforms (data lakes, lakehouses, and data warehouses) enabling reliable real-time and batch analytics
- Strong understanding of distributed data processing frameworks (e.g. Spark, Flink) and streaming technologies
- Demonstrated implementation of DataOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, observability, testing, and automated deployments
- Experience designing and operationalizing data governance frameworks in a federated or data mesh environment with self-service and trusted data capabilities
- Highly versed in delivering ML/AI-ready ecosystems (feature stores, semantic layers, graph databases) aligned with executive stakeholders to drive business impact
- Practical experience with knowledge graphs, ontologies, semantic modelling (e.g. RDF, OWL), delivering faster insights
- Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence at executive level and drive organizational change.
Skills
- AWS data ecosystem
- Cloud-native architecture patterns
- Snowflake
- dbt
- Airflow
- Data modelling
- Cost management
- Data lakes
- Lakehouses
- Data warehouses
- Real-time analytics
- Batch analytics
- Distributed data processing frameworks
- Spark
- Flink
- Streaming technologies
- DataOps
- CI/CD pipelines
- Observability
- Automated testing
- Automated deployments
- Data governance
- Self-service data capabilities
- ML/AI-ready ecosystems
- Feature stores
- Semantic layers
- Graph databases
- Knowledge graphs
- Ontologies
- Semantic modelling
- RDF
- OWL
- Leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Communication
Experience Level
- Vice President
About the Company
- Wood Mackenzie is the global leader in analytics, insights and proprietary data across the entire energy and natural resources landscape.
- For over 50 years our work has guided the decisions of the world’s most influential energy producers, utilities companies, financial institutions and governments.
- Now, with the world’s energy system more complex and interconnected than ever before, sector-specific views are no longer enough. That’s why we’ve redefined what’s possible with Intelligence Connected.
- By fusing our unparalleled proprietary data with the sharpest analytical minds, all supercharged by Synoptic AI, we deliver a clear, interconnected view of the entire value chain.
- Our trusted team of 2,700 experts across 30 countries breaks siloes and connects industries, markets and regions across the globe.
- This empowers our customers to identify risk sooner, spot opportunities faster and recalibrate strategy with confidence – whether planning days, weeks, months or decades ahead.
- Wood Mackenzie Intelligence Connected
- WoodMac.com
- Wood Mackenzie Brand Video
- Wood Mackenzie Values Inclusive – we succeed together Trusting – we choose to trust each other Customer committed – we put customers at the heart of our decisions Future Focused – we accelerate change Curious – we turn knowledge into action
- If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!
- Our Work Experience is the combination of everything that's unique about us: our culture, our core values, our company meetings, our commitment to sustainability, our recognition programs, but most importantly, it's our people.
- Our employees are self-disciplined, hard working, curious, trustworthy, humble, and truthful.
- They make choices according to what is best for the team, they live for opportunities to collaborate and make a difference, and they make us the #1 Top Workplace in the area.
Equal Opportunity
- We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.
- You can find out more about your rights under the law at www.eeoc.gov
