Fast Facts

Cengage Group is seeking a VP of Data Engineering to lead the development of enterprise data ecosystems, ensuring the delivery of secure, reliable data platforms that drive analytics and AI/ML initiatives. This remote executive position combines technical expertise with strategic leadership to foster a culture of innovation and accountability in data engineering.

Responsibilities: Responsibilities include defining data engineering strategy, overseeing cloud-native data platform operations, ensuring data quality and compliance, and fostering business partnerships to maximize data value.

Skills: Required skills include expertise in data engineering, cloud-native platforms (e.g., Snowflake, AWS/Azure/GCP), and leadership of distributed teams.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have over 15 years in data engineering with 7+ in senior roles, a proven track record in scaling enterprise data platforms, and strong leadership capabilities.

Location: This is a remote position offered in the USA.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $175,000 - $250,000.

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.

Vice President, Data Engineering

Position Summary

The Vice President of Data Engineering is a senior technology executive accountable for building, operating, and evolving the enterprise data ecosystem. This leader ensures that modern data platforms, pipelines, and architectures are delivered securely, reliably, and cost-efficiently — enabling analytics, governance, and AI/ML across the enterprise.

The VP of Data Engineering combines technical fluency with executive leadership, shaping the company’s data strategy while driving excellence in engineering execution. The role balances strategic vision, business partnership, and people development to ensure that data becomes a scalable, trusted, and high-value corporate asset.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Data Engineering & Platform Leadership

• Define and deliver the enterprise data engineering strategy, aligned with business priorities and digital transformation initiatives.
• Oversee design, development, and operation of cloud-native data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, AWS/Azure/GCP, streaming and integration technologies).
• Drive engineering excellence in pipelines, APIs, real-time/streaming, master data integration, and metadata management.
• Ensure platforms are optimized for performance, security, scalability, and cost efficiency, with best-in-class FinOps practices.

Governance, Quality & Enablement

• Partner with governance and stewardship functions to ensure platforms enforce data quality, lineage, and compliance.
• Provide the infrastructure, tools, and frameworks that enable analytics, business intelligence, and AI/ML development.
• Collaborate with business and IT leaders to identify high-impact data opportunities and accelerate time-to-value.

Business Partnership & Value Realization

• Serve as a trusted partner to business executives, ensuring data engineering investments translate into measurable outcomes: efficiency, growth, risk reduction, and innovation.
• Communicate platform value and performance at the executive and board levels, linking engineering delivery to enterprise strategy.
• Champion adoption of enterprise data platforms across R&D, commercial, HR, finance, and customer-facing teams.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and inspire a global team of data engineers, architects, and platform specialists, encouraging a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation.
• Establish career pathways, competencies, and training programs that elevate engineering capability and data stewardship maturity.
• Act as an executive sponsor for talent development, succession planning, and diversity in technology leadership.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership in data engineering, integration, or platform delivery, with 7+ years in senior director or executive roles.
• Proven track record delivering and scaling enterprise data platforms (Snowflake, Databricks, or similar) in global, cloud-native environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in building data pipelines, real-time/streaming architectures, and large-scale integration frameworks.
• Strong grounding in data governance, master/reference data, and regulatory compliance in complex industries.
• Outstanding leadership skills with a history of developing high-performing, distributed engineering teams.
• Ability to influence and collaborate with C-suite leaders, translating technical capabilities into business impact.

Cengage Group is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [email protected] or at +1 (617) 289-7917.

About Cengage Group

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

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