Strategy Consultant / Data Strategy

About This Role

This role involves leading data strategy and transformation projects from initial assessment to implementation. It combines strong technical understanding in data architecture, governance, and analytics with leadership in stakeholder management. The consultant will translate business objectives and technical insights into actionable decisions and prioritized initiatives for both short-term and long-term data programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead business and technical discovery workshops to understand priorities, challenges, capabilities, risks, dependencies, and modernization objectives
• Assess the end-to-end data landscape, including sources, integration patterns, data stores, lakehouse or warehouse structures, governance, models, semantic layers, reporting, and operating models
• Coordinate assessments across architecture, governance, engineering, modeling, and BI, ensuring findings are supported by inventories, metadata, lineage, usage, quality results, and operational metrics
• Define target-state principles, operating models, domain accountability, governance direction, data-product concepts, and modernization options
• Evaluate options based on business value, data risk, technical feasibility, readiness, dependencies, cost, and time to value
• Develop phased roadmaps covering governance, legacy migration, data quality, platform modernization, BI rationalization, and semantic alignment
• Convert recommendations into implementation work packages with scope, dependencies, owners, skills, milestones, acceptance criteria, and measurable outcomes
• Maintain traceability from findings to recommendations, roadmap initiatives, delivery backlogs, and expected benefits
• Facilitate decision forums, resolve cross-workstream conflicts, and communicate complex topics through clear executive and technical materials
• Support future data engagements through delivery mobilization, architecture reviews, prioritization, implementation governance, and roadmap refresh

Requirements

• 12-16 years overall experience
• 7+ years leading enterprise data strategy, modernization, or transformation engagements
• Enterprise data strategy, transformation, and multi-workstream consulting leadership
• Modern data architecture covering lakehouse, cloud platforms, enterprise data warehouses, integration, and semantic layers
• Working knowledge of Databricks, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Azure data services, and Power BI
• Understanding of batch, CDC, streaming, APIs, dimensional modeling, medallion patterns, and data products
• Data governance knowledge across ownership, stewardship, metadata, lineage, quality, privacy, security, retention, and lifecycle
• Legacy modernization and migration planning, including dependencies, reconciliation, cutover, rollback, and retirement
• Roadmap planning, value assessment, delivery sequencing, KPI definition, and executive stakeholder management

Nice to have:

• Manufacturing, supply chain, or enterprise operations data experience
• Experience with Microsoft Purview, Collibra, Alation, or similar tools
• DAMA/CDMP, TOGAF, Azure, Databricks, or related certification
• Experience with federated governance, data products, DataOps, observability, and cloud cost optimization

About the Company

Ascendion is a leading provider of AI-Native software engineering services, specializing in applied AI, software engineering, cloud, data, experience design, and talent transformation. The company accelerates innovation for Global 2000 clients and is headquartered in New Jersey, with a presence in 12 countries and over 40 global offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Ascendion is committed to building technology powered by Generative AI with an inclusive workforce, community service, and a vibrant culture.