Director, Analytics, Data Engineering

Rise is an award-winning
, full-service Media Agency of Record that is backed by data and powered by people. We create omnichannel experiences using our proprietary tech stack and advanced analytics capabilities to help solve the unique struggles brands face today. This approach, with transparency at its core
, specializes in omnichannel media, commerce and retail media, advanced in-home media, as well as content and creator marketing.

We offer "Risers" the opportunity to work in an ever-evolving industry that will foster learning and development, provide an innovative work environment with diverse projects and clients, career advancement paths a collaborative team environment, corporate social responsibility initiatives, an inclusive and diverse culture, plus association with a reputable media agency. We're looking for talent like you who can continue to elevate our work and culture.

General Purpose of Job:

The Director, Data Engineering – Architect is responsible for defining and governing the enterprise data architecture strategy that powers the Quad/Rise Data Stack. This role provides architectural leadership across data ingestion, transformation, storage, governance, security, and activation platforms to ensure scalability, reliability, and long-term sustainability of the organization’s data ecosystem.

This individual serves as the senior technical authority for data platform design, establishing standards, patterns, and frameworks that enable advanced analytics, modeling, business intelligence, and client delivery. The Director ensures that all data systems are architected for performance, interoperability, compliance, and cost efficiency while anticipating future growth and technological evolution.

The role partners closely with Analytics, Information Security, Software Development, Product developers, and executive leadership to align architectural decisions with enterprise strategy and client needs.

Location: 4 days in office, Chicago or Sussex

Key Responsibilities:

Enterprise Data Architecture Strategy

Define and maintain the long-term architectural vision for the Quad/Rise Data Stack, including cloud data platforms, pipeline frameworks, governance layers, and integration strategies. Establish scalable, modular, and secure architecture patterns.

Platform & Infrastructure Design

Design and oversee implementation of:

• Enterprise data warehouse architecture
• Distributed processing frameworks
• Real-time and batch data ingestion pipelines
• API and data-sharing architectures
• Metadata management and lineage systems

Ensure architectural consistency across environments (development, staging, production).

Standards & Engineering Governance

Establish enterprise standards for:

• Data modeling and schema design
• Pipeline orchestration
• Code quality and version control
• Documentation and lineage
• Observability and monitoring

Drive adoption of best practices across engineering teams.

Scalability & Performance Optimization

Ensure systems are designed for high availability, resilience, and performance d capacity planning, workload optimization, and cost management initiatives across cloud infrastructure.

Data Governance & Compliance Alignment

Partner with Information Security and Compliance teams to embed governance, access controls, encryption standards, and auditability into architectural frameworks. Ensure designs support regulatory requirements and enterprise risk management policies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with:

• Data Science and Analytics teams to enable advanced modeling and experimentation
• Software Engineering teams to integrate analytics platforms into client-facing solutions
• Product teams to translate business requirements into scalable technical designs

Act as the architectural liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams.

Technology Evaluation & Innovation

Continuously evaluate emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to enhance platform capabilities. Lead proof-of-concept initiatives and guide build-versus-buy decisions.

Organizational Leadership

Mentor senior engineers and managers. Develop architectural talent within the Data Engineering function. Influence technical direction without direct…