Data Capability Leader

We are the leading provider of professional services to the middle market globally, our purpose is to instill confidence in a world of change, empowering our clients and people to realize their full potential. Our exceptional people are the key to our unrivaled, culture and talent experience and our ability to be compelling to our clients. You’ll find an environment that inspires and empowers you to thrive both personally and professionally. There’s no one like you and that’s why there’s nowhere like RSM.

Data Capability Leader

The Data Capability Leader is a strategic and operational leader responsible for architecting and driving data capability within the Digital Solutions group. The Data Capability Leader will lead and evolve the data team within the firm’s Digital Solutions organization, ensuring a team strategy that proactively aligns with business objectives and 18-month rolling roadmaps.   This leader will ensure the data function delivers high-quality, innovative, and standard-driven solutions that support business objectives in an Agile SAFe environment.  This leader will create an environment where data professionals thrive – combining technical excellence with a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation. The Data leader will be responsible for planning and defining the information structure of the enterprise in collaboration with the Data Strategy team.  This includes collaborating on and leading the creation of the living data architecture, practice standards, processes and governance.  They will lead the team to design the data master blueprints to meet the technical and business needs within the context of all enterprise architecture and the connections with information systems, technologies and business solutions.   They are responsible for defining and implementing an enterprise and business aligned data architecture strategy and delivering data design to meet those needs based on business and IT requirements.  The ideal candidate will have deep experience building high-performing data teams, managing both complex enterprise engineering and low-code/no-code solutions, and fostering a culture of technical excellence, agility and innovation. The role requires balancing hands-on technical credibility with strong leadership and developing people's skills. The role demands visionary leadership, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement, while building robust processes and accountability mechanisms that enable predictable, efficient, and high-quality delivery across all digital initiatives. The Data Capability Leader is accountable for achieving success metrics, setting discipline expectations, and holding the team to the highest standards of quality and delivery.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Organizational and People Leadership

• Create and execute a comprehensive talent strategy for the data discipline, ensuring optimal skill mix, clear roles, and progressive career paths to support enterprise delivery needs and proactively align with 18-month rolling roadmaps.
• Provide significant technical expertise, experience and authority over firm Data, Information Architecture and data flow in all firm technology, including but not exclusive to SQL Databases, Microsoft, Mobile and Cloud Platforms.
• Support planning processes to understand business goals and align future development goals and strategies
• Recruit, build, and inspire a diverse and high-performing team of developers with the right capability mix for the firm’s evolving portfolio.  This includes fostering career growth through mentoring and continuous learning
• Build and maintain a balanced mix of skills across full-stack, integration, cloud, and low-code platforms
• Build and maintain development competency frameworks and targeted training programs that drive excellence in Agile delivery and provide accelerated growth for early-career and mid-level developers
• Cultivate a collaborative, learning-oriented culture that values efficiency, innovation, and quality.
• Mentor and empower high-performing teams

Process and Standards Management

• Define and execute the development strategy aligned with the firm’s Digital Solutions vision and SAFe framework
• Ensure standardized Agile and SAFe practices across all developments, ensuring consistency in ceremonies, tools and performance measures
• Implement governance and quality control mechanisms to uphold high delivery standards across products, projects, and programs.
• Partner with Solution Architecture, QA, BA, and Operations capability leaders to ensure end-to-end delivery efficiency and consistency.

Operational Efficiency and Tooling

• Lead the team to build Enterprise models and demonstrate effective data integration between specific and enterprise applications. 
• Collaborate with business strategy in the design of the enterprise data strategy
• Lead the deployment of the organization of the data architecture practices
• Collaborate with application teams and other technology project teams to help deploy and develop architectural design and identify enterprise impacts
• Lead the definition of architectural principles, patterns, guidelines and standards
• Lead and hold the team accountable for identifying and implementing opportunities to streamline delivery workflows through AI, automation, and modern delivery tools.
• Oversee data activities across multiple Agile teams, ensuring predictable delivery and adherence to SAFe principles
• Evaluate and deploy emerging technologies that enhance productivity, accuracy, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Implement metrics and maturity models to assess and continually improve the capabilities' effectiveness

Agile Delivery Enablement

• Champion continuous improvement across Agile ceremonies, backlog refinement, and quality gates
• Proactively remove systemic impediments that hinder efficiency or slow delivery cycles
• Quality and Continuous Improvement
• Provide innovative leadership with evolving data management trends and data models, developing and maintaining data management standards, roadmaps, strategies and governance based on industry trends.
• Establish and track KPIs and metrics to measure discipline performance, including throughput, quality, and automation adoption
• Foster a culture of built-in quality and technical excellence, ensuring solutions meet current and future business needs.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Serve as a key liaison between capability leaders and portfolio teams to ensure alignment of delivery objectives with organizational strategy
• Communicate progress, risks, and opportunities with clarity and transparency, enabling informed decision-making at all levels

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION 

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field 

TECHNICAL SKILLS 

• Deep expertise in cloud platforms such as Azure, API management frameworks and data architecture.
• Experience in Microsoft SQL, Enterprise Data and Information Architecture, Data Warehousing, and Big Data
• Understanding of Agile and SAFe concepts, including solution intent, enablers, system architect roles and architectural runway
• Strong technical foundation in enterprise architecture, integration, and modern development stacks
• Strong experience with enterprise platforms, integrations, data, complex custom build and buy and extend solutions
• Experience with low-code platforms 
• Strong grasp of cybersecurity, compliance, and governance requirements for enterprise systems

 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIC TO JOB 

• Strategic thinker able to align delivery capability with measurable business outcomes
• Collaborative mindset with a commitment to continuous learning, lean thinking and incremental improvement
• Proven success in reducing bottlenecks
• Demonstrated maturity of an organization’s data capabilities through metrics, governance, and outcomes

EXPERIENCE    

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience leading enterprise data teams and enterprise data strategies including enterprise-class on-premises, cloud and hybrid solutions
• Minimum of 5 years working with data modeling, big data, data analytics required
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience developing and maintaining policies, procedures, standards and guidelines required
• Proven success implementing or operating within a Scaled Agile or lean portfolio management environment 
• Expert at stakeholder management

MANAGEMENT 

• 10 years of demonstrated leadership experience leading high performing teams
• Strong people leader with a track record of energizing and developing talent and creating scalable, high-performing teams
• Ability to influence without authority
• Excellent communication, coaching, and change-management skills

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS 

• Master’s degree in computer science, data certifications, information systems or another related field

At RSM, we offer a competitive benefits and compensation package for all our people. We offer flexibility in your schedule, empowering you to balance life’s demands, while also maintaining your ability to serve clients. Learn more about our total rewards at https://rsmus.com/careers/working-at-rsm/benefits.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment as RSM does not tolerate discrimination and/or harassment based on race; color; creed; sincerely held religious beliefs, practices or observances; sex (including pregnancy or disabilities related to nursing); gender; sexual orientation; HIV Status; national origin; ancestry; familial or marital status; age; physical or mental disability; citizenship; political affiliation; medical condition (including family and medical leave); domestic violence victim status; past, current or prospective service in the US uniformed service; US Military/Veteran status; pre-disposing genetic characteristics or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law. 

Accommodation for applicants with disabilities is available upon request in connection with the recruitment process and/or employment/partnership. RSM is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete an application, interview, or otherwise participate in the recruiting process, please call us at 800-274-3978 or send us an email at [email protected].

RSM does not intend to hire entry level candidates who will require sponsorship now OR in the future (i.e. F-1 visa holders). If you are a recent U.S. college / university graduate possessing 1-2 years of progressive and relevant work experience in a same or similar role to the one for which you are applying, excluding internships, you may be eligible for hire as an experienced associate.

RSM will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records. For those living in California or applying to a position in California, please click here for additional information.

At RSM, an employee’s pay at any point in their career is intended to reflect their experiences, performance, and skills for their current role. The salary range (or starting rate for interns and associates) for this role represents numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to, education, skills, work experience, certifications, location, etc. As such, pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range.

Compensation Range: $147,000 - $260,700