Director, Enterprise Data and AI Architecture
nVent · Saint Louis Park · $172,900–$257,000 (stated in the posting)
We’re looking for people who put their innovation to work to advance our success – and their own. Join an organization that ensures a more secure world through connecting and protecting our customers with inventive electrical solutions.
WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE IN THIS POSITION:
As Director of Enterprise Data and AI Architecture at nVent, you will define the technical direction for how data and AI create value across the organization. You will shape our multi-year architecture strategy, enable enterprise reference architectures, and partner with executives to align technology investment with business priorities, while staying engaged in the technology to make sound, hands-on design decisions. This role demands architectural vision, deep technical expertise across the modern data, analytics, and AI stack, and the business acumen to translate complex data challenges into solutions that deliver lasting value.
You are a change agent with an enterprise architecture focus who will engage leadership stakeholders on our highest priority initiatives and business transformation programs. You will define the blueprint for how governed data flows to power decision-making and AI solutions across the organization, and you will set the architecture standards, principles, and governance that keep that blueprint coherent as our company scales and grows.
Key Responsibilities:
Enterprise Architecture & Strategic Technical Leadership:
Own the enterprise data and AI reference architecture and the multi-year technology roadmap to deliver it, keeping near-term delivery aligned with long-term strategic direction
Set the technical strategy and architectural principles for the modern data stack and AI, translating enterprise business strategy into the capabilities required to support it
Lead architecture governance, defining the standards, patterns, and decision authority that keep solutions coherent across domains, platforms, and acquired entities
Advise executive leadership on build versus buy, platform strategies, and technology investment decisions, framing the options, tradeoffs, and the nature of the value each path can unlock
Shape the data and AI operating model in partnership with leadership, defining how architecture, engineering, governance, and data capabilities deliver enterprise outcomes
Solution Architecture & Design:
Lead end-to-end architecture design for enterprise data solutions spanning ingestion, integration, storage, modeling, and consumption layers, designed to scale from MVP to enterprise value
Architect master data management (MDM) solutions covering critical data domains with a focus on data quality, matching, survivorship, and golden record management
Define and maintain architecture decision records and ensure designs adhere to enterprise standards for security, regulatory compliance, and performance, embedding data governance from the start
Own vendor relationships and technical roadmaps across the data platform ecosystem, partnering to evaluate emerging capabilities and plan platform investments
Project Leadership:
Lead complex data projects from discovery through production delivery, managing scope, dependencies, risks, and timelines
Engage in M&A integration projects, designing data integration strategies, harmonization approaches, and migration plans that enable rapid time-to-value from acquisitions
Manage multiple concurrent initiatives with competing priorities, maintaining quality and architectural integrity under delivery pressure
Data Integration:
Design and implement data integration patterns across batch, near-real-time, and streaming workloads connecting ERPs, SaaS platforms, operational systems, and the enterprise data platform
Establish standards for ETL/ELT pipeline design using tools such as dbt, Matillion, Informatica, and Snowflake native capabilities, and define data modeling standards for analytical and operational workloads
AI & Advanced Analytics Architecture:
Define our architecture for AI and machine learning, spanning data pipelines, feature management, model serving, and the patterns for generative AI such as retrieval-augmented generation, vector stores, and agentic workflows
Ensure adherence to standards for responsible and governed AI by design, embedding the controls of a recognized framework such as the NIST AI Risk Management Framework into solution architecture from the start
Architect the analytics and semantic layer that delivers trusted, consistent metrics to business intelligence, self-service analytics, and AI consumers across the enterprise
Partner with AI governance, security, privacy, and legal stakeholders to ensure AI solutions are scalable, compliant, and production grade
Evaluate emerging AI and data capabilities, separating durable value from vendor marketing, and fold the relevant advances into the enterprise roadmap
Stakeholder Engagement:
Build trusted relationships with executive stakeholders, business leaders, and technology partners, serving as a credible bridge between business needs and technical solutions
Lead workshops and architecture reviews with cross-functional teams including Finance, Supply Chain, Sales, HR, and IT to uncover data requirements and translate them into actionable architectural approaches
People Leadership:
Lead and develop a technical team, setting clear expectations, providing ongoing coaching, and supporting career growth within the data organization
Drive technical hiring decisions and team capacity planning in partnership with leadership, helping to shape the skills and structure needed to support a growing organization
Foster a high-performance team culture grounded in accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning; model the technical and professional standards across the data organization, and partner with data leaders to build organization-wide capability
YOU HAVE:
Education:
Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or related technical field.
Relevant certifications, such as Snowflake SnowPro Core/Advanced, AWS Solutions Architect, or CDMP/TOGAF are a plus
Experience:
12+ years of experience across data engineering, data architecture, analytics, and enterprise or solution architecture roles
5+ years in an enterprise or solution architecture leadership role with demonstrated ownership of enterprise-scale data, analytics, and AI solutions
Proven track record of delivering production-grade solutions across the modern data stack
Demonstrated experience setting technical strategy and multi-year architecture roadmaps, and influencing executive technology investment decisions
Hands-on experience architecting AI and machine learning solutions, including modern generative AI patterns, in production environments
Experience in M&A data integration and major platform consolidations is strongly preferred
Experience working with executive stakeholders and leading cross-functional programs in a matrixed organization
Demonstrated experience directly managing technical professionals, including hiring, coaching, performance management, and career development of data engineers, architects, or related roles
Soft Skills:
Executive presence and communication skills: able to present architecture options and tradeoffs to executive audiences with equal clarity as to an engineering team
Strong facilitation skills, comfortable leading workshops, architecture reviews, and cross-functional working sessions
Comfortable with ambiguity; able to shape structure from complex, evolving business requirements and organizational constraints
Collaborative, curious, and committed to continuous learning in a fast-moving data and AI landscape
WE HAVE:
A dynamic global reach with diverse operations around the world that will stretch your abilities, provide plentiful career opportunities, and allow you to make an impact every day
nVent is a leading global provider of electrical connection and protection solutions. We believe our inventive electrical solutions enable safer systems and ensure a more secure world. We design, manufacture, market, install and service high performance products and solutions that connect and protect some of the world's most sensitive equipment, buildings and critical processes. We offer a comprehensive range of systems protection and electrical connections solutions across industry-leading brands that are recognized globally for quality, reliability and innovation.
Our principal office is in London and our management office in the United States is in Minneapolis. Our robust portfolio of leading electrical product brands dates back more than 100 years and includes nVent CADDY, ERICO, HOFFMAN, ILSCO, SCHROFF and TRACHTE. Learn more at www.nvent.com.
Commitment to strengthen communities where our employees live and work
We encourage and support the philanthropic activities of our employees worldwide
Through our nVent in Action matching program, we provide funds to nonprofit and educational organizations where our employees volunteer or donate money
Core values that shape our culture and drive us to deliver the best for our employees and our customers. We’re known for being:
Innovative & adaptable
Dedicated to absolute integrity
Focused on the customer first
Respectful and team oriented
Optimistic and energizing
Accountable for performance
Benefits to support the lives of our employees
Pay Transparency
nVent’s pay scale is based on the expected range of base pay for this job and the employee’s work location. Employee pay within this range will be based on a combination of factors including knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, education, and performance. Where federal, state, or local minimum wage requirements exist, employee pay will comply.
Compensation Range:
Depending on the position offered, employee may be eligible for other forms of compensation, such as annual incentives.
Benefit Overview
At nVent, we value our people and their health and well-being. We provide a broad benefits package with meaningful programs for eligible full-time employees that includes:
Medical, dental, and vision plans along with flexible spending accounts, short-term and long-term disability benefits, critical illness, accident insurance and life insurance.
A 401(k) retirement plan and an employee stock purchase plan — both include a company match.
Other supplemental benefits may include tuition reimbursement, caregiver, personal and parental leave, back-up care services, paid time off including volunteer time, a well-being program, and/or legal & identity theft protection.
At nVent, we connect and protect our customers with inventive electrical solutions. People are our most valuable asset. Inclusion and diversity means that we celebrate and encourage each other’s authenticity because we understand that uniqueness sparks growth.
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