Chief, Data Engineering

Job Description and Duties

Under the general direction of the Chief Technology Innovation Officer, the Information Technology Manager I (ITM I) serves as the Chief of the Data Engineering branch, leading the planning, coordination, execution, and delivery of data engineering initiatives that power both public-facing and internal data services. The ITM I will be involved in process improvement, data architecture, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), APIs, and agentic automation and is responsible for driving the vision, strategy, and execution of the Data Engineering function. The ITM I strives to ensure that the Department enables sustainable business growth, capabilities, and internal efficiencies through improved data structures, metadata management (MDM), data insights, efficient data governance, and enhanced processes enabled by emerging technologies. The ITM I must demonstrate strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels. The role requires managing competing business priorities, implementing agile problem-solving approaches, ensuring transparency, and delivering outcomes effectively with a can-do attitude.

Effective July 1, 2025, State employees are subject to a salary reduction of three percent in exchange for five hours per month of the Personal Leave.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Open-spaced partitioned offices. Prolonged periods on a computer. May require on-call support, off-hours for emergency projects or deployments, as well as weekend support. Occasional travel for overnight or day trips throughout California and/or vendor locations.

Under Government Code 14200, this position is a hybrid, in-office/telework position, and may be subject to change. Incumbent can be required to report to the office, or any designated location at any time. Telework agreements can be modified and/or cancelled at any time. All commute expenses to the reporting location will be the responsibility of the selected candidate.

Pursuant to California Government Code requirements, candidates must be residents of the State of California at the time of appointment.

This position requires lawful authorization to work in the United States. The Department does not sponsor employment visas for this position.

Special Requirements

The Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be numbered in the same order as the following areas, typed in 12-point Arial font, single spaced, and be no more than three pages in length. Applicants who fail to answer the questions or submit an SOQ may not be considered.

1. Describe your experience leading enterprise data engineering, data architecture, or analytics teams as a manager or supervisor. Include the scope of your leadership responsibilities, the size and structure of the teams you managed, number of years you have managed the data teams, and specific outcomes achieved under your leadership.

2. Discuss a major data modernization or data platform migration initiative you led. Explain the business drivers, your role, the technologies involved, challenges encountered (e.g., data quality, legacy systems, stakeholder alignment), and the measurable results.

3. Explain your approach to establishing and maintaining an enterprise data governance framework. Include examples of policies, data standards, or processes you developed to improve data quality, stewardship, metadata management, and compliance.

4. Provide an example of how you collaborated with executive leadership and cross-functional business units to advance a data-driven culture. Describe how you influenced decision-making or addressed resistance to change.

5. The position requires strong hands-on software development and database experience. Describe your experience with Python, AI/ML, data warehousing, AWS, Snowflake, and Agentic AI development and implementation. Describe a mission-critical project you have delivered using these technologies. Describe your role and experience overseeing the lifecycle of enterprise data products, including how you prioritize resources, manage risk, ensure security and privacy, and measure the value of data solutions for the organization.

If you are using list eligibility from an on-line exam to qualify for this position, you MUST include with your application any documentation (i.e., copy of transcript, degree, license, etc.) to verify meeting the MQ’s or you may not be considered for the position.

The MQs will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If it is determined that an applicant does not meet the MQs of the classification, the applicant may not be considered and withheld from the eligible list.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Knowledge of : Federal, State, or local government operations; strategic technology planning and execution, policy development for data standards, and best practices; professional training and experience in legal and regulatory areas; software development Python and AWS; business acumen and interpersonal skills; leading complex, multidisciplinary talent teams in new endeavors and delivering solutions; AWS Data Architecture, GenAI, and Data Warehousing; software development, database management, computer science, or related fields is desired.

Ability to : Analyze and solve problems; present technical knowledge in simplified business use cases, data sources, metadata, and management concepts; leading data science, software development, data engineering, or technical teams in a mid-to-large data organization; present concepts and technologies to business leaders and business concepts to technologists; work across business lines at senior levels to influence and effect change to achieve common goals.

Benefits

As a state employee working for the Department of Developmental Services, you and your family will have access to excellent medical, dental and vision insurance benefits in addition to retirement benefits.

Benefit eligibility may be based on job classification, bargaining unit, time base and length of appointment. Additional benefits may also be outlined for specific bargaining units in employee collective bargaining contracts. For more information, please visit the links below:

Benefit information can be found on the website and the website.

Additional Information

Electronic application submission is highly encouraged.

Multiple positions may be filled from this recruitment. This recruitment may be utilized to fill future vacancies that may occur during the life of the certification list.

Possession of Minimum Qualifications will be verified prior to interview and/or appointment. If you are meeting Minimum Qualifications with education, you must include your unofficial transcripts/diploma for verification. Official transcripts may be required upon appointment. If it is determined an applicant does not meet the Minimum Qualifications, the candidate may be withheld from the eligibility list, rendering them inactive and ineligible to be hired for the position. Candidates who have been withheld may file an appeal with the California Department of Human Resources.

All appointments are subject to State Restriction of Appointment (SROA), Departmental Restriction of Appointment (DROA), Re-employment List procedures, pre-employment physical and fingerprint clearances. Further information on the definition of the above may be found on the California Department of Human Resources' website at:

If you have not taken the Information Technology Manager I exam/assessment you may find the exam for this classification at the link below. You must take and pass the exam/assessment to obtain eligibility for hire. Click to gain list eligibility.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is required and is a narrative discussion of how the candidate's education, training, experience, and skills meet the minimum and desirable qualifications and qualify them for the position. The SOQ serves as a documentation of each candidate's ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing. SEE “SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS” ABOVE FOR INSTRUCTIONS.