Data Practice Lead

Job description

USA (Remote) with 35-40% Travel Robots & Pencils is an applied AI engineering firm building the next frontier of business architecture. We design and ship AI co-workers that integrate into enterprise operations and deliver measurable results for our clients. We're all in on AWS, combining deep UX capability with senior engineering talent to get AI into production fast and keep it there. We’ve earned the trust of leaders across Consumer Products and Retail, Education, Energy, Financial Services, Healthcare, and Manufacturing and more, and earned a reputation as the nimble alternative to traditional global systems integrators. Founded in 2009, with delivery centers in Canada, the United States, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, we are smaller, faster, and more senior by design. Our teams average 15+ years of experience. We move fast, sweat the details, and build things that actually ship. **Position Overview** We’re looking for a Vice President, Data to build, lead, and grow R&P’s data practice from the ground up. This is an important role at Robots & Pencils, a player-coach position that demands equal parts technical depth, business ownership, and leadership. You will establish R&P as a go-to partner for data strategy, modern data architecture, AI-ready platforms, business intelligence, and data engineering. You will own the practice as a true business, with full accountability for revenue, profitability, client outcomes, and team development. You’ll report to the Global Head of Delivery, and be part of the Senior Leadership team. **What You’ll Do** *Technical Expertise* - Act as the senior data authority in front of client CTOs, CIOs, and heads of data, leading pursuit work where data is the primary buy - Develop strategic views on where the data market is headed - Champion internal and external thought leadership, publishing points of view, speaking at industry events, and elevating R&P’s brand in the data ecosystem - Develop best-in-class solutions architecture recommendations for clients and prospects - Contribute to R&P's AI software development lifecycle — helping advance internal AI capabilities and embedding intelligent practices into data delivery *Management & Leadership* - Build and lead a high-performing team of data consultants, engineers, BI leads, and data scientists, consolidating practitioners currently embedded across the firm and fostering a culture of excellence, curiosity, and accountability - Set the technical standards, career architecture, and development pathways for data practitioners inside the firm - Cultivate a collaborative, inclusive practice culture that attracts and retains top talent *Business Ownership & Commercial Strategy* - Build the data practice into a $5m revenue practice in the first twelve months; own the full P&L with accountability for revenue, chargeability, and gross margin - Set a clear vision for the practice and communicate it compellingly to both internal stakeholders and clients - Define service lines, target industries, pricing logic, and operating model; shape the data proposition in partnership with the commercial team - Partner with the sales organization and client teams to identify, develop, and expand strategic accounts where data capabilities can drive meaningful transformation - Lead and support presales solutioning and scoping engagements, crafting compelling proposals and winning new business - Lead the firm’s Databricks relationship and adjacent data partnerships; convert partnership status into pipeline, co-sell motions, and joint delivery **Required Skills & Experience** - 10+ years of progressive experience in data and analytics, with at least 3 years at director, principal, or practice-lead level within a professional services or technology consulting business - Demonstrated track record of building or scaling a data practice or service line, including ownership of P&L and go-to-market strategy - Proven experience solutioning and delivering complex data engagements across data engineering, analytics, cloud migration, and AI/ML readiness - Deep expertise in Databricks, Snowflake, and/or AWS (Redshift/S3), with hands-on fluency in modern Data Lake and Lakehouse patterns and the broader enterprise data stack - Comprehensive command of the data ecosystem: data strategy, governance, master data management (MDM), data architecture, cloud-native platforms, and AI/ML readiness - Expertise across the full data value chain (ingestion, transformation, analytics, and warehousing) with the ability to assess and evolve skill competencies within the practice - Strong executive presence with the ability to engage C-suite stakeholders, drive strategic conversations, and build lasting client relationships - History of developing and mentoring high-performing technical teams; comfortable owning performance management and talent development **Helpgul Extras & Unique Skills** - AWS certifications, like Certified Data Engineer – Associate, preferred **You’ll Do Well Here if You Are** - **A doer.** You see something broken and fix it. You'd rather move on clarity than wait for certainty. - **A fast learner who knows you don't know everything.** The AI landscape changes weekly. You're senior enough to know better and curious enough to keep learning anyway. - **Direct in a way that makes the work better.** You give honest feedback. You'd rather have the hard conversation than blow smoke. - **Obsessed with craft.** You know genius is in the details. You ship exceptional, not perfect, and you don't put your name on work you wouldn't stand behind. - **Built for ownership.** You honor commitments, admit mistakes fast, and back your teammates when a decision costs something. No handoffs, no finger-pointing. - **All in.** You treat clients' businesses like your own. You take the work seriously without taking yourself seriously. - **Resourceful when the budget, timeline, or team is tight.** Constraints don't slow you down. They sharpen you. - **Glad to be in the room with people who care as much as you do.** Our teams average fifteen-plus years of experience. We hire people who push each other to do better work. *The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $200,000 USD - $300,000 USD.* *We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including a bonus program, paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.* *An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.  We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.*