Director Data Engineering

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company, is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.

Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

The Director Data Engineering is responsible for leading and managing technical resources and teams to design, build, and maintain scalable data infrastructure, pipelines, and quality measures across the enterprise. This includes building strong working relationships with business leadership and business intelligence leaders. This role aims to drive technical strategy, optimize data architecture, and ensure the alignment of data engineering initiatives with business goals to enable data to create a competitive edge for our company.

Additionally, the role involves being knowledgeable of the latest data engineering technologies and building teams that are proficient in the technologies in place and in the marketplace.

This position will work a hybrid schedule from our office location in either Leawood, KS or Burlington MA strongly preferred. Remote work within the United States may be considered.

• Data Engineering Team Development and Management: Build, mentor, and oversee specialized team(s) of data engineering professionals, including data engineers, specialized senior data engineers, and data architects. Define clear roles, establish performance metrics, and promote ongoing learning to cultivate a team that is proficient in state-of-the-art data engineering technologies and methodologies.
• Technical Research and Technological Advancement: Maintain cutting-edge knowledge of data engineering trends and advancements, leading the exploration and integration of new technologies and practices. Evaluate their potential benefits and risks to the organization and drive the adoption of transformative data solutions that can revolutionize platform and infrastructure capabilities.
• Data Engineering Project Direction and Implementation: Manage the end-to-end execution of data engineering projects, ensuring they adhere to high standards of quality, meet established timelines, and stay within budget. Oversee project life cycles, from conception through to deployment, while continuously monitoring progress and making strategic adjustments as necessary.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration and Data Advocacy: Encourage cross-departmental collaboration and serve as the data engineering advocate within the organization. Communicate complex technical concepts and insights to stakeholders at all levels, ensuring a cohesive understanding and integration of data capabilities across various business units to drive informed decision-making and policy development. This involves identifying data-driven opportunities, setting objectives, and creating a roadmap for implementation to ensure the organization capitalizes on data…