Head of Data Engineering

Head of Data Engineering

Location: Apopka, FL (Orlando Metro) | 100% Onsite

Why You'll Actually Care

District Partners has been exclusively retained by a thriving, privately held organization entering one of the most transformational periods in its history. After years of sustained growth, executive leadership is making significant investments to modernize enterprise technology, elevate data into a strategic business asset, and build the foundation for advanced analytics, automation, and future AI capabilities. Rather than inheriting a mature organization, you'll have the opportunity to define how enterprise data is managed, governed, and leveraged across the business while helping shape the next chapter of the company's evolution.

The Basics

Our client is a well-established, privately held market leader recognized for innovation, operational excellence, and long-standing customer partnerships. With more than $100 million in annual revenue, global operations, and a diverse portfolio of approximately 20,000 active products, the company continues to experience strong, sustainable growth while investing heavily in its future.

Technology is viewed as a strategic differentiator across the organization, not simply a support function. Leadership is making significant investments to modernize enterprise platforms, strengthen data governance, improve operational visibility, and create a scalable data ecosystem that will support advanced analytics, automation, and AI for years to come. This is a rare opportunity to join a financially strong organization that combines the stability of an established business with the influence, visibility, and opportunity to help shape its next phase of growth.

Why Top Leaders Join

Opportunities like this don't come along often. Most senior data leaders inherit mature organizations where the focus is maintaining existing systems and driving incremental improvements. This role is different.

You'll have executive sponsorship, the autonomy to build thoughtfully, and the opportunity to define the enterprise data strategy from the ground up. From modernizing core platforms and leading a significant ERP transformation to building a world-class data organization, your work will directly influence how the business operates, makes decisions, and scales for years to come.

What You'll Be Owning

• Define and execute the enterprise data strategy, establishing the architecture, governance framework, and long-term roadmap that supports continued business growth.
• Lead enterprise platform modernization initiatives, including ERP evaluation, implementation, integration, and enterprise data transformation efforts.
• Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing data organization while recruiting and developing additional talent as the function grows.
• Establish enterprise standards for data governance, taxonomy, master data management, reporting, and data quality across the business.
• Partner directly with executive leadership to improve operational visibility, analytics, and business decision making while creating the data foundation necessary for future AI and automation initiatives.
• Develop scalable integration strategies that connect enterprise business systems, cloud platforms, APIs, and operational data into a modern enterprise ecosystem.

The Environment

You'll inherit a collaborative team consisting of a Data Manager, a Technical Data Specialist focused on SQL, APIs, and integrations, and a Business Data Specialist, with plans to continue expanding the organization over time.

The company currently operates on SAP Business One and is evaluating Microsoft Business Central and Acumatica as part of a broader ERP modernization initiative. Supporting a global business with more than 20,000 active SKUs, you'll play a key role in modernizing enterprise architecture, strengthening governance, and building the scalable data foundation needed to support continued growth. This is a true builder opportunity where you'll work directly with executive leadership and have the visibility, influence, and autonomy to shape both technology strategy and organizational direction.

What You Bring To The Table

• Proven experience building or significantly scaling enterprise data engineering or enterprise data organizations.
• Expertise designing modern enterprise data architecture, governance, taxonomy, and master data management strategies.
• Experience leading ERP implementations, migrations, or large-scale enterprise platform modernization initiatives.
• Strong technical foundation across SQL, cloud data platforms, APIs, integrations, ETL/ELT, and modern data engineering best practices.
• Demonstrated success hiring, mentoring, and developing technical teams while influencing executive stakeholders.
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on technical guidance in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments.
• Experience supporting complex operational organizations within manufacturing, consumer products, retail, distribution, supply chain, or similarly sophisticated business environments is highly desirable.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

• Compensation: Target base salary of approximately $225,000, with flexibility based on expertise and overall experience alignment, plus bonus and comprehensive benefits.
• Location: Apopka, Florida (Orlando metropolitan area).
• Work Model: 100% onsite. This role partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional business teams.
• Relocation: Relocation assistance may be considered for exceptional candidates willing to relocate.
• Engagement Type: Retained executive search conducted exclusively by District Partners.