Director, Data Platform & Architecture

Data Platform Director – Innovative Food Holdings

Location : Chicago, IL (Hybrid or On-Site Preferred; Remote considered for outstanding candidates)

Employment Type : Full-time

Experience Level : Senior (7+ years)

Industry : Food & Beverage Distribution / Digital Transformation

About Us

Innovative Food Holdings (IVFH) connects chefs, foodservice professionals, and consumers with the finest specialty ingredients. Through our subsidiaries and digital platforms, we're modernizing how premium food products reach customers nationwide.

About the Role

We're seeking a technology leader to elevate our platforms, systems, and data capabilities across the enterprise. The Data Platform Director will shape and execute our technology strategy—driving modernization, integration, and performance improvements that make our systems smarter, faster, and more reliable.

Why This Role Matters

The Data Platform Director builds the backbone of IVFH's digital enterprise—ensuring our technology and data work seamlessly to power decisions, automation, and growth. You'll directly impact :

Data quality, accessibility, and automation readiness

Long-term technology strategy and scalability

Operational efficiency across systems and data environments

What You'll Do

Platform & Systems Modernization

Lead design and implementation of modern cloud-based infrastructure (Azure, AWS, or GCP)

Migrate from legacy SQL to scalable, secure, cloud-native platforms

Streamline system integrations and eliminate redundancies

Data Architecture & Engineering

Build and manage ETL / ELT pipelines across APIs, files, and third-party systems

Architect a unified data lakehouse integrating ERP (Dynamics GP), vendor, and operational data

Enable analytics, automation, and AI workflows

Governance & Quality

Establish data governance frameworks and validation tools

Maintain centralized data catalog and business glossary

Ensure compliance with security and privacy standards

Analytics & AI Enablement

Lead Power BI dashboard and reporting initiatives

Build infrastructure for machine learning and advanced analytics (MLOps)

Partner with business leaders to operationalize AI use cases

Leadership & Collaboration

Build and mentor a high-performing data and technology team

Translate complex technical concepts into actionable strategies

Champion data literacy and continuous improvement across the company

What You'll Bring

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field

7+ years in data architecture, engineering, or technology leadership

Expertise with SQL Server and cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP)

Strong skills in ETL / ELT, SQL, Python or C#, and data modeling

Experience with ERP and supply chain data (Dynamics GP preferred)

Proven success improving system performance and scalability

Bonus Points For

Experience with MLOps or predictive analytics infrastructure

Familiarity with Azure Synapse, Databricks, or Snowflake

Understanding of food distribution or e-commerce data flows

Azure Data Engineering or Architecture certification

Compensation & Benefits

Base Salary : $145,000 – $175,000

Bonus : Up to 5% of base

Benefits : Comprehensive health, dental, and vision

401(k) : With company match

Paid Time Off : Generous PTO and holidays

Our Culture

At IVFH, we're building the future of food distribution—powered by innovation, collaboration, and data-driven thinking. If you're ready to lead transformation at the intersection of technology, systems, and data, we'd love to meet you.

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