Director, Data Engineering - Databricks

Risepoint is an education technology company that provides world-class support and trusted expertise to more than 100 universities and colleges. We primarily work with regional universities, helping them develop and grow their high-ROI, workforce-focused online degree programs in critical areas such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service. Risepoint is dedicated to increasing access to affordable education so that more students, especially working adults, can improve their careers and meet employer and community needs.

The Impact You Will Make

As Director Data Engineering, you will own the execution, delivery and technical implementation of our modern platform on Databricks. You will operate as a hands-on technical leader by guiding architecture, validating design decisions and step into complex engineering challenges when needed. Working closely with leadership, you will ensure data pipelines, models and frameworks are build for performance, reliability and extensibility. In this role you will bridge architecture and delivery, enabling high-quality data products that power advanced analytics and AI at scale.

How You Will Bring Our Mission to Life

What You Will Do:

• Lead, monitor and improve the end-to-end delivery of scalable data products and platform capabilities that enable high-quality insights, supporting Risepoint’s mission to expand access to affordable, workforce-relevant education

• Translate data platform priorities into actionable roadmaps, technical designs, and execution plans that drive measurable business value for university partners and learners

• Oversee the development of robust, efficient, and reliable data pipelines and lakehouse solutions on Databricks, ensuring performance, scalability, and cost optimization

• Guide and enforce enterprise data architecture standards, including data modeling, semantic layers, and reusable design patterns that support analytics, reporting, and AI/ML use cases

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of data engineers, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and innovation aligned to Risepoint’s values

• Provide hands-on technical leadership by reviewing designs, validating approaches, and supporting the team through complex engineering challenges

• Partner cross-functionally with product, analytics, and business teams to define, prioritize, and deliver data solutions that improve decision-making and enhance the student and partner experience

• Drive adoption of modern data engineering practices, including AI-assisted development, CI/CD, and infrastructure as code, to increase delivery speed and quality

• Enable AI and advanced analytics by ensuring data is well-structured, accessible, and model-ready, supporting initiatives that improve outcomes for students and institutions

• Manage multiple concurrent initiatives, balancing priorities, timelines, and resources while proactively communicating progress, risks, and dependencies to stakeholders

What Success Looks Like:

• Consistently delivers scalable, high-quality data products on time that enable reliable analytics, reporting, and AI use cases across the business

• Builds and leads a high-performing data engineering team that operates with strong accountability, clear standards, and continuous improvement

• Effectively translates strategy into execution by aligning stakeholders, managing priorities, and driving measurable impact for university partners and learners

How Impact Will be Measured:

• Successfully delivers priority data platform initiatives on Databricks, including production-ready data pipelines and data products that improve data quality, accessibility, and time-to-insight for key business stakeholders

• Establishes and operationalizes data engineering standards and ways of working (e.g., architecture patterns, CI/CD, and delivery practices), resulting in more consistent, scalable, and efficient

  execution across the team

• Builds and stabilizes a high-performing data engineering team by providing clear direction, strengthening technical capabilities, and improving delivery predictability, stakeholder alignment, and overall team effectiveness

What You'll Bring to the Team

Experience That Matters Most:

• Data Engineering & Architecture Expertise: 8–12 years of experience in data engineering, architecture, or software engineering, with strong hands-on expertise in Databricks, Apache Spark,

  and modern lakehouse architectures, as well as experience building scalable data pipelines in cloud environments (AWS and/or Azure)

• Leadership & Delivery Execution: 3–5 years of experience leading data engineering teams and delivering complex, cross-functional data initiatives, with a proven ability to translate strategy into execution, manage priorities, and drive high-quality outcomes

• Data Modeling, Modern Practices & Education: Strong foundation in data modeling (including dimensional modeling and semantic layers), along with experience in modern data practices such as CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and AI/ML data enablement; Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)

Experience That's Great to Have:

• Experience leading teams through periods of change or transformation, including evolving business processes and leveraging modern technologies (such as AI-enabled tools) to improve efficiency, scalability, and business outcomes

• Familiarity with advanced Databricks capabilities and modern data ecosystem tools (e.g., Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables, dbt, streaming technologies, or MLOps frameworks)

• Experience working closely with business stakeholders to define and deliver data products, particularly in environments that support analytics, reporting, or AI-driven decision-making

Risepoint is an equal-opportunity employer and supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.