Position Information
$81,120 - $133,380
The base salary range represents a good faith salary range for this position. This position is eligible for annual incentive pay and has the opportunity for continued salary growth. If you are hired at American Water your base salary compensation will be determined based on factors such as market, geography, skills, education and/or experience. At American Water, we are committed to pay equity.
In addition to compensation, you will be offered a comprehensive benefits package including 401(k),Defined Contribution Plan, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, medical, prescription, dental and vision coverage, plus disability, paid time off, life insurance, voluntary benefits, health and wellness programs and much more!
American Water is also proud to offer employees learning opportunities and work experiences to grow professionally!
Primary Role
As part of the AW2030 program, the Data Operations Lead is accountable for supporting the design, build, and operations of the enterprise data platform ecosystem that underpins American Water’s evolving data strategy. This role oversees the availability, reliability, scalability, and security of foundational data platforms (e.g., data pipelines, data lake, data warehouse, data quality management, analytics environments, integration platforms, and associated tools). The Data Operations Lead works closely with IT, business stakeholders, and data governance teams to establish platform standards, modernize legacy environments, migrate legacy data, and enable consistent access to high-quality, trusted data across the enterprise.
Development Commitment
- This role for the AW2030 Program will be full time, and you will be committed to this program for a minimum of one year. We are invested in your development and supporting your career with American Water.
- The career band/level designated for this role has been intentionally designed with flexibility. Candidates whose combination of experience and/or qualifications that are not a match to the designated level may be considered, provided they meet the qualifications and expectations of the role. In unique or exceptional cases, deviations beyond this two-level range may be evaluated individually.
Key Accountabilities
- Oversee the design and implementation of enterprise data platforms, including pipelines, storage, integration, quality, and analytics environments, as defined by the AW2030 roadmap
- Define data platform strategy, standards, and roadmap aligned with AW2030 program objectives.
- Ensure data platforms support scalability, performance, security, and cost-effectiveness.
- Support data platform administration, monitoring, incident management, and disaster recovery practices.
- Collaborate with data governance and security teams to integrate governance policies and controls into platform operations.
- Partner with business and IT teams to ensure platforms meet data consumption needs across reporting, analytics, and regulatory use cases.
- Evaluate emerging technologies to evolve platform capabilities.
- Establish best practices for data engineering, integration, and platform management.
- Support migration of legacy systems and data to new platforms.
- Help define roles, processes, and operating models related to platform management.
- Identify and implement process enhancements to reduce data errors, improve automation, and increase operational efficiency.
Knowledge/Skills
- Strategic thinking.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to translate complex technical concepts into business language.
- Innovation mindset with a continuous learning approach.
- Highest personal and professional integrity and strong work ethic.
- Resilience and adaptability in a fast-changing environment.
- Ability to articulate and champion a vision for data platform modernization as part of the AW2030 transformation.
- Effectiveness in building trust, respect, and cooperation among teams.
Knowledge:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to execute each duty with accuracy and consistency. The requirements below represent the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed:
Skills - Role Specific:
- Strong understanding of modern data platform architectures, including cloud and hybrid solutions.
- Expertise in data integration, data migration, pipeline development, and storage technologies (e.g., ETL/ELT tools, APIs, data lakes, warehouses).
- Working knowledge of data governance, data quality, and metadata management practices and tools.
- Working knowledge of enterprise systems used in utilities (e.g., SAP, GIS) and their related data structures.
- Understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements relevant to the water utility sector.
- Proficiency with SQL, Python, or comparable data engineering languages and tools.
- Experience with platform monitoring, observability, and performance tuning.
Self-Management:
- Strategic thinker able to balance near-term operational needs with long-term platform vision.
- Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills.
- Ability to prioritize tasks in a dynamic environment.
- Collaborative and able to build trust with both technical and business stakeholders.
- Continuous learner with an interest in evolving data practices and technologies.
Experience/Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.
- Additional certification in Data Platforms (e.g., AWS / Azure) or Data Management (e.g., Certified Data Management Professional – CDMP) preferred.
- Minimum 5-10 years of progressively responsible experience in data engineering, data management, IT or a related field.
- Demonstrated success designing and operating enterprise-scale data platforms.
- Experience with platform modernization, including data migration from legacy systems.
- Experience collaborating across business and technical teams to resolve issues.
- Exposure to multi-domain environments and cross-functional projects.
- Preference: Familiarity with data platforms in a regulated industry such as utilities, energy, or infrastructure.
Travel Requirements
- As necessary
Certifications & Licenses
- Certifications in Data Platforms (e.g., AWS / Azure) or Data Management (e.g., Certified Data Management Professional – CDMP) preferred.
Work Environment
- Primarily in an office environment
- This role can be based at any office or remotely within the American Water footprint - CA, GA, HI, IA, IN, IL, KY, MO, MD, NJ, PA, TN, VA & WV
Competencies
Other
This role for the AW2030 Program will be full time, and you will be committed to this program for a minimum of one year. The career band/level designated for this role has been intentionally designed with flexibility. Candidates whose current career band/level is up to two levels above or below the designated level may be considered, provided they meet the qualifications and expectations of the role. In unique or exceptional cases, deviations beyond this two-level range may be evaluated individually and must be approved by a senior leadership member. *We are invested in your development and supporting your career with American Water. At the program’s completion, we expect your placement in a role at a similar or higher level than your current role.
This role can be based anywhere within the AW-regulated footprint.