[Remote] Data Operations Lead

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Workiva is dedicated to building the data foundation for the next generation of AI-enabled platforms. They are seeking a Data Operations Lead to ensure the reliability, scalability, and operational excellence of their analytics and data systems, providing technical direction and managing offshore teams while driving technical strategy and execution.ResponsibilitiesProvide expert technical guidance and direction to an offshore contract team to ensure high-quality execution of platform operations, automation, and reliability projectsOwn the operational health and performance of the data platformDefine and implement reliability goals (SLIs/SLOs) and establish sustainable mechanisms for scaling systems through automationLead and drive incident response and management for platform-related production issuesConduct blameless post-mortems and drive systemic enhancements in reliability and efficiency based on findingsDesign and implement monitoring frameworks to govern service-oriented architecture (SOA) efficiently and intelligentlyEstablish alerting for system health, query behavior, and performance bottlenecksReduce operational toil by building self-service workflows, "guardrails," and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) solutionsAutomate administration tasks, environment provisioning, and usage monitoring, leveraging and mentoring the offshore team to executeManaging the "traffic control" of data tasks (using tools like Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect) to ensure complex dependencies are handled efficientlyEnsuring the right people have access to the right data (RBAC - Role-Based Access Control) without slowing down the businessBuilding automated "circuit breakers" that stop data from reaching the warehouse if it doesn't meet quality standards (e.g., missing values or incorrect formatting)Partnering with Legal/Security teams to ensure data handling meets GDPR, CCPA, or industry-specific regulations (HIPAA, SOX)Managing the cloud budget (Snowflake/BigQuery/Databricks costs) and predicting how much compute power the company will need as data volume growsTranslating technical constraints into business impactConsult with and provide expert operational support to data engineering, product teams, and stakeholders who utilize the Data PlatformSkillsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience6+ years of experience in SRE, DevOps, or Systems Engineering roles, with a deep focus on data infrastructure, including experience leading technical projects or teamsProven ability to provide clear technical leadership, direction, and oversight to cross-functional or geographically distributed engineering teams (e.g., contract or offshore teams)Deep understanding of data modeling, warehousing, and building scalable ETL/ELT pipelinesHands-on experience with Snowflake and DBT a must. Expert in Snowflake SQLExpert-level hands-on experience with Terraform, Splunk, and Airflow or similar technologies requiredHigh proficiency in Python and programming languages such as Java, Go, or ScalaManagement of ingestion frameworks like Fivetran, CData, Census and OpenflowExperience with S3, Athena and Iceberg requiredExtensive experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and cloud-managed services (AWS preferred)Familiarity with Unix/Linux system internals, networking, and distributed systemsExperience in designing, analyzing, and operating large-scale distributed systems and massive data warehousesStrong background in cost optimization, usage governance, and maturing SRE practices within a data ecosystemBenefitsA discretionary bonus typically paid annuallyRestricted Stock Units granted at time of hire401(k) match and comprehensive employee benefits packageMinimal (Reliable internet access for remote working opportunitiesWorkiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment.Company OverviewWorkiva created Wdesk, a cloud-based platform for enterprises to collect, manage, report, and analyze critical business data in real time. It was founded in 2008, and is headquartered in Ames, Iowa, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is http://www.workiva.com.Company H1B SponsorshipWorkiva has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 4 in 2025, 3 in 2024, 1 in 2023, 3 in 2022, 1 in 2021, 5 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.