Data Operations Lead
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 work with the world's most valuable brands 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 believein 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.