Practice Lead – Cloud & Data

Role Overview

The Practice Lead for Cloud & Data is responsible for shaping, expanding, and governing the organization’s cloud and data capabilities. This role leads initiatives in cloud adoption, data platform transformation, and advanced analytics to deliver secure, scalable, and insight-driven solutions that support business growth and digital innovation.

Key Responsibilities

Practice Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the Cloud & Data strategy, including roadmap and operating model, aligned with organizational and client priorities.
• Position cloud and data platforms as core enablers for digital transformation, AI initiatives, and product innovation.
• Promote cloud-first and data-driven approaches across applications, integration, and analytics.
• Provide thought leadership in cloud technologies, data engineering, analytics, and platform optimization.

Offering & Capability Development

• Design and enhance service offerings across areas such as:
• Cloud strategy, migration, and modernization
• Cloud-native platforms and infrastructure-as-code
• Data platforms, engineering, and system integration
• Analytics, business intelligence, and data science enablement
• Establish reference architectures, reusable frameworks, and standardized assets.
• Define and implement best practices for data governance, security, and MLOps.

Delivery Excellence & Governance

• Ensure consistent, secure, and high-quality delivery of cloud and data initiatives across projects and internal platforms.
• Set governance frameworks, KPIs, and quality benchmarks covering cost, performance, availability, and data integrity.
• Drive financial accountability (FinOps), platform reliability, and regulatory compliance in cloud environments.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex or high-risk initiatives.

Talent & Capability Building

• Build and lead cross-functional teams including cloud architects, platform engineers, data engineers, and analytics specialists.
• Define role structures, competency frameworks, learning pathways, and certification strategies.
• Foster communities of practice to strengthen knowledge-sharing and capability development.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with senior technology stakeholders to define cloud and data transformation strategies.
• Lead assessments, workshops, and planning sessions related to cloud adoption and data platform modernization.
• Translate business and regulatory requirements into scalable and secure technology solutions.

Commercial Growth & Partnerships

• Support business development through solution design, proposals, cost estimation, and executive presentations.
• Contribute to revenue growth by expanding service offerings and strengthening client engagements.
• Establish and manage partnerships with cloud providers, data platform vendors, and technology partners.

Qualifications

Required

• Minimum of 12 years of experience in cloud, data, or platform engineering, including at least 5 years in a leadership or practice-building role.
• Strong practical knowledge of major cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and modern data architectures.
• Proven track record in leading large-scale cloud migrations, data platform implementations, or analytics transformation programs.
• Strong stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Experience working within enterprise-scale or regulated environments.

Preferred

• Experience in data governance, master data management, and advanced analytics or AI initiatives.
• Background in consulting, digital transformation, or technology services environments.
• Relevant certifications in cloud platforms, data engineering, or architecture frameworks.
• Familiarity with FinOps and cloud cost optimization strategies.

Success Measures

• Adoption and maturity of cloud and data platforms
• Improvements in system reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Growth in cloud and data-related service revenue
• Client satisfaction and long-term engagement success
• Strength and sustainability of the cloud and data talent pipeline