Group Manager-Data Ops and Data Governance

Job Description:

Group Manager – Data Ops and Data Governance

*Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.; Sponsorship is not available for this position.

At Milwaukee Tool we firmly believe that our People and our Culture are the secrets to our success -- so we give you unlimited access to everything you need to provide support to your business unit.

Behind our doors you'll be empowered every day to own it, drive it, and do what it takes to support the biggest breakthroughs in the industry. Meanwhile, you'll have the support and resources of the fastest-growing brand in the construction industry to make it happen.

Your Role on Our Team:

As the Group Manager for Data Operations and Data Governance, you will be a hands-on leader responsible for running a team of 11–15 engineers and analysts who keep our Databricks lakehouse platform operating at the highest level. You will own the reliability, performance, and governance of our data platform — from L1/L2/L3 support operations to enterprise data governance frameworks to FinOps and cost management. This is not a delegating-from-a-distance role. You will be expected to understand what your team is building, hold them accountable to delivering it, and step in when things need to move faster. You will report to the VP of Data & AI and partner closely with engineering, commercial, and operations leaders across the business.

You will lead with Extreme Ownership. When something breaks, you own the response. When a process is not working, you fix it. When your team needs direction, you provide it. This role requires a leader who moves with speed and urgency, makes decisions with the information available, and continuously raises the bar for their team and their platform.

You’ll be DISRUPTIVE through these duties and responsibilities:

Data Operations:

· Own the end-to-end reliability of L1/L2/L3 support operations for the Databricks lakehouse platform, including on-call escalation processes, incident response, and root cause analysis

· Build and continuously improve operational processes, runbooks, and escalation frameworks so that the team can respond to issues independently and effectively

· Hold direct reports accountable to their work, their priorities, and the outcomes they are responsible for delivering

· Drive FinOps discipline — establish cost visibility, governance, and optimization across all Databricks workspaces and compute resources

· Monitor platform performance and proactively identify and resolve bottlenecks before they become incidents

· Manage contractor and vendor relationships with a focus on outcomes and accountability

Data Governance:

· Establish and maintain an enterprise-wide data governance framework using Databricks Unity Catalog, including data classification, access controls, lineage, and quality standards

· Define and enforce policies for data ownership, stewardship, and accountability across source systems and data products

· Ensure compliance with data security, privacy, and regulatory requirements

· Partner with business and technology stakeholders to drive adoption of governance standards and build a data-literate, accountable culture

· Maintain a catalog of enterprise data assets with clear ownership and quality metrics

Leadership:

· Lead, develop, and hold accountable a team of 11–15 direct and indirect reports spanning data operations, governance, and platform engineering

· Be present and engaged — available when your team needs you, visible during incidents, and proactive in surfacing and resolving issues

· Communicate clearly and with candor up, down, and across the organization

· Drive PI planning participation and ensure your team's work is aligned to organizational priorities

· Continuously improve team processes, tooling, and ways of working

Performs other duties as assigned.

The TOOLS you’ll bring with you:

· Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related field; Master's preferred

· 5+ years of experience in data engineering, data operations, or platform engineering, with at least 3 years in a leadership role managing teams

· Demonstrated ability to lead with ownership — you have a track record of building accountable teams, not just managing individuals

· Hands-on experience with Databricks, including Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, and workspace administration

· Strong understanding of L1/L2/L3 support operations, on-call processes, incident management, and root cause analysis

· Experience building and enforcing data governance frameworks, including data classification, access controls, an