Data Operation Lead

Original Post

**WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands.** **We unite cutting\-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world\-class creativity, next\-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth.** **We have been building the world's most valuable brands for 50 years and have global reach across 100\+ markets, with deep local expertise.** **Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.** **For more information, visit** **WPP.com.** **Why we're hiring:** WPP Media is embarking on a transformative data journey through **Databridge**—our internal comprehensive data strategy and framework designed to unify our fragmented global data landscape. We are moving from isolated, market\-specific implementations to a standardized, scalable, cloud\-agnostic, and AI\-ready data platform built on a modern tech stack: **dbt, Databricks, Python (dlthub), and GitHub Actions**. As **Data Operations Lead**, you will establish and head our new **Data Integration \& Operations** team in Chennai. This is a **build\-and\-run role**: you'll define how the team operates while leading day\-to\-day delivery of operational excellence across global data products. You will be the **custodian of production**—owning the operational layer including CI/CD automation, deployment pipelines, monitoring, data quality enforcement, incident management, and support. This role requires deep technical knowledge of Databricks and modern data platforms, alongside the ability to lead, mentor, and scale a growing team. **What you'll be doing:** **Technical Ownership \& Execution** * Lead the team responsible for data integration, orchestration, and platform operations across Azure and GCP environments * Build and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines using **GitHub Actions** and **Databricks Asset Bundles** for data workflows * Design platform\-wide monitoring, logging, and alerting covering pipeline execution, data quality, SLA compliance, and cost * Manage production deployments and own centralized job orchestration via **Databricks Jobs/Workflows** (scheduling, dependencies, retries, notifications) * Implement comprehensive data quality testing and validation using **dbt's** testing framework and custom checks **Operational Standardization** * Create and roll out standard operating procedures, runbooks, onboarding guides, and automation patterns * Establish reusable deployment frameworks and project templates for consistent implementation across markets * Build and maintain the **Central Data Solution Repository** with reusable assets (dlthub pipelines, dbt models, tests, macros) * Define repeatable deployment patterns ensuring standards and best practices are followed globally **Platform Support \& Governance** * Set up and manage SLAs, incident workflows, and escalation models * Proactively identify and resolve operational risks in cloud\-based data platforms * Partner with DevOps to leverage **Databricks Unity Catalog** for governance, access control, and lineage * Enforce data quality standards and governance policies embedded within pipeline code **Team Leadership** * Lead and mentor the Data Integration \& Operations team in Chennai * Shape the team's operating model, priorities, and capabilities * Act as subject matter expert and escalation point for technical operations * Facilitate regular retrospectives to drive continuous improvement and optimize processes * Collaborate with Data Engineering, DevOps, and Product teams globally **What you'll need:** **Experience** * **7\+ years** in data operations, platform engineering, or data engineering with hands\-on production experience * **3\+ years** in technical leadership or team lead capacity, with proven ability to build and scale teams * Demonstrated experience establishing DataOps practices and operational frameworks from the ground up **Technical Expertise** * **Deep, hands\-on experience with Databricks platform**, specifically: * Databricks SQL Warehouses, Unity Catalog, Jobs/Workflows * Databricks Asset Bundles for Infrastructure as Code * Delta Lake performance optimization * **Strong proficiency with dbt (Core)**: project structure, macros, tests, documentation, CI/CD integration, production troubleshooting * **Expert\-level cloud platform knowledge (Azure and/or GCP)**: * Object storage (ADLS/GCS), secret management (Key Vault/Secret Manager) * Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) * **CI/CD mastery with GitHub Actions**: workflow design, secrets management, automated testing and deployment * **Proficient in Python** for automation and scripting (experience with **dlthub** is a major plus) * **Strong SQL skills** for data validation, quality testing, and troubleshooting **Operational \& Leadership Skills** * Proven ability to design operational frameworks: monitoring, alerting, incident management, SLA tracking * Experience managing production data platforms with high uptime requirements * Excellent communication skills with ability to articulate technical concepts to diverse audiences * Strong documentation skills and commitment to knowledge sharing * **Preferred Skills** + Experience working in multi\-cloud environments (Azure \+ GCP) + Familiarity with Power BI or similar BI platforms + Understanding of FinOps practices for cloud cost optimization **Who Should Apply** This role is ideal for candidates with: * **Real, hands\-on project experience** building and running production data platforms at scale * **Proven leadership** in establishing DataOps practices and growing high\-performing teams * **Deep technical expertise** in the Databricks ecosystem and modern data stack * **Entrepreneurial mindset**—comfortable with ambiguity and building systems from the ground up This role is **not a fit** if your experience is primarily theoretical, course\-based, or lacks production\-grade exposure to the core technologies outlined above. **Who you are:** **You're open*****:***We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open\-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working. **You're optimistic*****:*** We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected. **You're extraordinary:** we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day. **What we'll give you:** **Passionate, inspired people** – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work. **Scale and opportunity** – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry. **Challenging and stimulating work** – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge? **We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we've adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.** **WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.** #### **Please read our Privacy Notice (****https://www.wpp.com/en/careers/wpp\-privacy\-policy\-for\-recruitment****) for more information on how we process the information you provide.**