Locations: Chicago or Newark

We are seeking a highly skilled and visionary Director of Data Platforms and Architecture to lead the design, development, and governance of our enterprise-wide Snacking data platform ecosystem. This individual will be responsible for driving platform strategy, fostering innovation, and ensuring robust data architecture that empower multiple products and capabilities to power business decisions, scalability, and operational excellence.

As a strategic leader, the Director of Data Platforms and Architecture will be accountable for the implementation, optimization, and sustainment of cutting-edge and durable data technologies & solutions, establish best practices in data platforms and governance, and provide technical leadership to multidisciplinary teams. You will work closely with stakeholders across business, IT, and analytics teams to align data architecture with organizational goals, enabling seamless data acquisition and advanced analytics capabilities.

What will be your key responsibilities?

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and drive both the near and long-term vision for enterprise data platforms and architecture, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.
• Collaborate with C-level executives and business leaders to identify opportunities for leveraging data as a strategic asset.

Data Platform Accountability:

• Accountable for the design, implementation, and maintenance of modern data platforms, including cloud-native solutions, data lakes, data warehouses, and real-time processing systems.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and high availability of the data ecosystem to support growing business needs.

Architecture Design:

• Define and implement enterprise data architecture standards, including data modeling, integration, and API frameworks.
• Optimize workflows and pipelines to ensure efficient and secure data ingestion, processing, storage, and access.
• Foster a data-driven culture by ensuring architecture supports self-service analytics and business intelligence tools.

Data Governance & Security:

• Establish and enforce robust data quality and governance practices, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and company policies.
• Partner with IT security teams to implement secure-by-design data architectures that protect sensitive information and mitigate risks.

Team Management:

• Lead and mentor a team of data architects, platform engineers, and data governance professionals.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the team.

Emerging Technologies:

• Stay abreast of emerging technologies, tools, and industry trends in data platforms, AI/ML, and big data.
• Proactively evaluate and recommend new technologies that enhance data capabilities and drive business innovation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with IT, analytics, and business teams to identify data needs and translate them into actionable platform solutions.
• Advocate for data democratization by enabling access to clean, high-quality data for decision-making.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 10 years of experience in data engineering, architecture, or platform management roles, with 5 years in leadership positions.
• Expertise in modern data platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, Google Cloud) and big data technologies (e.g., Spark, Kafka, Hadoop).
• Strong knowledge of data governance frameworks, regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA), and data security best practices.
• Proven experience in enterprise-level architecture design and implementation.
• Hands-on knowledge of database systems (SQL/NoSQL), ETL/ELT processes, and data modeling techniques.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work in fast-paced, agile environments and balance long-term strategy with short-term execution.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications in cloud platforms (AWS Certified Data Analytics, Azure Data Engineer, etc.).
• Experience with AI/ML technologies and data science platforms.
• Familiarity with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code (IaC).

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, if eligible, including variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Eligibility for these additional elements depend on the position offered and the employee’s work schedule (i.e., part-time schedule, store associate). Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

$190,608 - $230,000 20% bonus

#TBDDT