Manager, Data Platform

Manager, Data Platform, Peachtree City, Georgia

The Manager, Data Platform is a player-coach technical leader within Interfor’s Data & Analytics practice, responsible for leading the team that operates and continuously improves Interfor’s core data capabilities. Leading a team spanning database administration, platform engineering, and data engineering, the Manager sets technical direction, establishes operating standards, develops technical talent, and partners across IT, the business, and key vendors to deliver trusted enterprise data capabilities.

The Role Has Three Primary Objectives

• Ensure the reliability, scalability, and continuous improvement of Interfor’s enterprise data platform.
• Guide the evolution of Interfor’s data platform, including adoption of Microsoft Fabric and modern data platform capabilities.
• Build and develop a high-performing technical team.

In the first year, success includes improved platform reliability, meaningful progress on Microsoft Fabric adoption, a strengthened technical team, and trusted enterprise data that business teams rely on.

The successful candidate remains technically credible through architecture direction, coaching, complex problem-solving, and operational oversight. This is a leadership role that works primarily through a capable technical team, with senior staff leading detailed design and execution.

This role embodies Interfor’s values through a safety-first, fact-based, and proactive approach to decision making; deep respect for people; and a personal commitment to ownership, accountability, and operational excellence.

What We Offer

Interfor offers a competitive salary based on experience, skills, and qualifications, along with a comprehensive total rewards package. We’re committed to creating careers where employees can contribute, grow, and thrive. In addition to base pay, you’ll enjoy:

• Short-Term Incentive Bonus
• 3 weeks vacation to start
• 401(k) matching
• Employee Share Purchase Program matching
• Extended Health & Dental

What You’ll Do

• Database Leadership & Operational SQL
• Lead, coach, and develop the DBA team, setting priorities and operating standards in partnership with senior technical staff.
• Ensure SQL platform reliability across performance, security, patching, backup/recovery, HA/DR, release management, and on-call/incident response.
• Lead SQL modernization planning, including evaluating and adopting Azure SQL and Azure SQL Managed Instance where appropriate.
• Platform & Data Engineering
• Provide technical leadership for the evolution of Interfor’s data platform, including Microsoft Fabric adoption, platform operations, and modern data engineering practices.
• Establish reusable standards for DevOps, automation, security, integration, testing, data quality, and platform operations.
• Coach data engineers in delivering trusted data products while supporting the evolution of Interfor’s enterprise data warehouse and lakehouse architecture.
• Data & Platform Management
• Ensure platform services are governed, secured, and operated across business domains with clear ownership and strong access controls.
• Manage platform cost, capacity, licensing, lifecycle, and technical debt across Azure, SQL Server, Power BI, and related services.
• Analytics & AI Enablement
• Enable BI teams, data scientists, and citizen developers through governed data models, curated data products, and trusted single-source-of-truth reporting.
• Support responsible AI adoption by helping ensure data foundations are secure, governed, well-documented, and AI-ready.
• People Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
• Hire, onboard, coach, and develop a distributed technical team, setting clear expectations, supporting growth, and building strong team practices.
• Lead key data platform initiatives, managing priorities, risks, dependencies, stakeholder alignment, and technical debt.
• Partner across IT, business, vendors, and architecture to align roadmaps and delivery, with occasional U.S. and Canada travel to sites and vendors.
  

What You Offer

• Post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Data & Analytics, or a closely related technical discipline is required.
• Master's degree in a relevant technical, analytics, or business discipline is preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive experience across database administration, data engineering, data platform management, cloud data platforms, or related enterprise technology roles.
• 3+ years leading, supervising, or formally mentoring technical staff responsible for enterprise-scale data platforms, analytics platforms, or critical business systems; direct people-management experience preferred.
• Strong Microsoft SQL Server expertise, including administration, tuning, security, patching, backup/recovery, HA/DR, and production support.
• Experience with modern data platform practices, including Azure, cloud modernization, DevOps/CI/CD, automation, secure integration, monitoring, and cost management.
• Experience with enterprise data warehouse and lakehouse architecture, dimensional modeling, semantic models, data quality, and governed self-service reporting.
• Experience implementing Microsoft Fabric or comparable modern cloud data platforms (e.g., Azure Synapse, Databricks, Snowflake) is preferred.
• Relevant Microsoft, data engineering, architecture, governance, or project management certifications are assets.
• Experience in forestry, manufacturing, supply chain, or related asset-intensive industries is an asset.
• Technical leadership across platform strategy, standards, troubleshooting, and coaching, with sound judgment on when to lead through the team and when to engage directly.
• Strong SQL Server and data platform judgment, with a focus on reliability, performance, security, modernization, HA/DR, and business continuity.
• Strong working knowledge of modern Microsoft data platforms, cloud technologies, DevOps practices, automation, monitoring, and data engineering principles.
• Strong people leadership, with the ability to hire, coach, develop, retain, and hold technical talent accountable.
• Ability to translate business needs into platform priorities and clearly communicate trade-offs, risks, roadmaps, and service expectations.
• Manages the data platform as a product, balancing reliability, cost, adoption, and business value.

Who We Are

Interfor is one of the world's largest forest products companies, building value in everything we do, every day. Our Data & Analytics team is helping lead a company-wide modernization by building a trusted Microsoft data platform for reporting, analytics, automation, and AI. This is a rare opportunity to shape a modern platform with real ownership and impact. Start Here. Go Far.

We appreciate the interest of all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. All applicants offered a position must successfully complete a pre-employment drug test and background check. Interfor is an Equal Opportunity Employer building a capable, committed, diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual identity, gender, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.