Director, Data Engineering & AI

Aramark

Philadelphia, PA(remote)

JOB DETAILS
SALARY
$150,000–$160,000
SKILLS
Apache Spark, Architectural Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Code Reviews, Compensation Analysis, Computer Programming, Computer Science, Continuous Deployment/Delivery, Continuous Integration, Cross-Functional, Customer Relations, Data Management, Data Modeling, Data Science, Debugging Skills, Demand Forecasting/Planning, Design Patterns Programming Methodologies, Emerging Technology, Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Facilities Management, Financial Analysis, Internet of Things, Leadership, Machine Learning, Machine Tool, Make-Versus-Buy Analysis, Microsoft Windows Azure, Operational Support, Product Support, Production Systems, Prototyping, Python Programming/Scripting Language, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Requirements, Reporting Dashboards, SQL (Structured Query Language), Snowflake Schema, Software Engineering, Strategic Planning, Team Lead/Manager, Technical Leadership, Technical Strategy, Technical/Engineering Design, Test Automation, Twitter, Use Cases, Writing Skills
LOCATION
Philadelphia, PA
POSTED
3 days ago

Job Description

The Director, Data Engineering & AI Enablement is the senior-most technical leader and active builder for the data engineering and artificial intelligence capability supporting the Facilities Management line of business. This is explicitly not a role defined by supervision alone ? the person in this seat is expected to personally design, build, and ship production systems (pipelines, models, and AI applications) while also setting the technical strategy and leading the team that scales that work.

The Director operates at two altitudes at once: deciding where the AI/ML roadmap and data architecture should go, and getting directly into the work ? writing code, prototyping, and solving the hardest, highest-ambiguity problems personally ? especially in the early stages of a new initiative, before it's handed off to the broader team. The data surface this role owns spans the full breadth of the business ? financial data, labor and workforce data, IoT and smart building sensor data, employee work and activity data, and client/operational data ? not any single domain. The role also carries overarching technical oversight of enterprise data architecture standards and governance, ensuring all engineering and AI solutions align with enterprise data principles. The Director manages a cross-functional team of data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists, data architects, and BI developers.

Compensation Data

COMPENSATION: The hourly rate or salary range for this position is $150,000 to $160,000. If both numbers are the same, that is the amount that Aramark expects to offer.  This is Aramark?s good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for this position as of the time of posting.  ?

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BENEFITS: Aramark offers comprehensive benefit programs and services for eligible employees including medical, dental, vision, and work/life resources.   Additional benefits may include retirement savings plans like 401(k) and paid days off such as parental leave and disability coverage.  Benefits vary by location and are subject to any legal requirements or limitations, employee eligibility status, and where the employee lives and/or works.  For more information about Aramark benefits, click here Aramark Careers - Benefits & Compensation.   ?

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There is no predetermined application window for this position, the position will close once a qualified candidate is selected. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including, but not limited to, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act, and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance to the extent that those laws apply to the opportunity.?

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Job Responsibilities

Build

  • Architect and build production-grade data pipelines (batch and streaming) for the highest-priority or highest-ambiguity initiatives ? spanning financial, labor/workforce, and smart building sensor, employee work, and client/operational data ? setting the technical pattern the team scales from.
  • Write code, design model architectures, and personally develop and deploy machine learning models and generative AI applications (including LLM-based solutions), particularly for new or unproven use cases before delegating to the team.
  • Stay hands-on in production: debug critical-path issues, review production-critical code and model logic, and remain a credible technical authority by virtue of doing the work, not just overseeing it.

Set the strategic direction

  • Define and execute the AI/ML roadmap for the line of business, identifying high-value use cases across the full data landscape ? predictive maintenance, demand forecasting, workforce and labor optimization, financial and margin analytics, smart building performance, and intelligent client reporting.
  • Provide overarching oversight and governance of enterprise data architecture standards, design patterns, and data modeling principles ? ensuring all engineering solutions, vendor integrations, and AI workloads conform to the established framework.
  • Review and approve solution designs across engineering, AI, and vendor deliverables for alignment with data architecture standards; serve as the senior technical authority for data design decisions.
  • Evaluate emerging AI technologies and vendors; build-versus-buy analysis with a bias toward owned, scalable capabilities.

Operationalize and govern

  • Stand up and mature MLOps practices: CI/CD for data and models, automated testing, model monitoring, drift detection, and retraining pipelines.
  • Engineer real-time and near-real-time data products supporting operational dashboards, alerting, and client-facing analytics across data domains ? personally, where the problem is novel enough to require it.
  • Establish responsible AI practices, including model governance, bias evaluation, explainability standards, and compliance with emerging AI regulations.
  • Optimize cloud data and AI infrastructure for performance, reliability, and cost, partnering with enterprise platform teams.

Lead the team

  • Recruit, lead, and develop a cross-functional team of data engineers, ML engineers, data scientists, and data architects ? building a delivery-focused, AI-first engineering culture where the Director is seen as the strongest technical contributor in the room.
  • Partner with product and operations leaders to embed AI capabilities into frontline applications, IoT platforms, and client dashboards.

Qualifications

  • Expert-level, current proficiency in modern data engineering: Python, SQL, Spark, streaming frameworks (e.g., Kafka), orchestration tooling, and cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Azure) ? able to write and review production code personally, not only at a conceptual level.
  • Proven, personal experience developing and deploying machine learning models and generative AI/LLM applications into production ? this should reflect direct authorship, not solely direction of others' work.
  • Hands-on experience with MLOps tooling, CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and model monitoring frameworks.
  • Experience working across diverse, often messy enterprise data domains (financial, labor/workforce, IoT/sensor, employee activity, client/operational) preferred over deep specialization in any single domain.
  • Demonstrated track record of delivering AI products that generated measurable business outcomes.
  • Strong engineering leadership skills with experience building and scaling delivery-oriented technical teams ? paired with a clear, recent record as a top individual technical contributor, not a manager who has drifted away from the technical work.
  • Comfortable moving fluidly between hands-on building (coding, prototyping, debugging production issues) and strategic work (roadmaps, architecture decisions, executive communication).

Education & Experience

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field; advanced degree in a quantitative discipline preferred.
  • 7+ years of data and software engineering experience, including 4+ years building AI/ML solutions and 2+ years in engineering leadership roles.
  • Experience should reflect both strategic ownership (roadmap, architecture, team leadership) and sustained, recent hands-on technical contribution ? candidates who have moved fully into management with no recent shipping experience are not a fit for this role.

About Aramark

Our Mission

Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet.

At Aramark, we believe that every employee should enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free to participate in all aspects of the company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by applicable law.

About Aramark

The people of Aramark proudly serve millions of guests every day through food and facilities in 15 countries around the world. Rooted in service and united by our purpose, we strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and our planet. We believe a career should develop your talents, fuel your passions, and empower your professional growth. So, no matter what you're pursuing - a new challenge, a sense of belonging, or just a great place to work - our focus is helping you reach your full potential. Learn more about working here at http://www.aramarkcareers.com or connect with us on FacebookInstagram and Twitter.

 

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About the Company

A

Aramark

We focus on enriching and nourishing the lives of millions all over the world, providing a wide range of services—food, facilities and uniforms—to a diverse group of clients in 19 countries. We serve world champion sports teams, Fortune 500 companies, state-of-the-art healthcare providers and the world’s leading educational institutions. And every day, we dream of ways to do it better through our commitment to innovation and our passion for excellent customer service.

Innovation inspired by you
The better we know the people we serve, the greater the experiences we can develop. Whether it’s food service, facilities or uniforms, our proprietary programs allow us to understand the wants and needs of our audiences.

Armed with that knowledge, our Service Stars spring into action, combining insights and ingenuity to deliver moments that make a difference. These innovations could be game-changing campus transformations. Or a simpler, quicker way for you to access condiments at the ballpark. In any case, our innovations help create experiences that make an impact.

Beyond great service
Another key part of what makes us different is something we call service excellence.

To us, service excellence isn’t just about providing great customer service. It also means using time-tested practices and proven processes to get it right every day, everywhere, in everything that we do. And it's also about striking the perfect balance between doing something well over and over again and being responsive enough to the changing needs of clients and customers. It’s being open to the continuing cycle of innovation. Excellent, but never satisfied. Process-driven, but never locked in place.

We never stop thinking of new, better ways to get it right when our people impact the lives of clients and consumers every day.

Our people make all the difference—we make sure of it
Our commitment to hiring, training and rewarding the right people ensures that our employees are more than just hard workers. They’re Service Stars, and that means they can be counted on to go above and beyond, every single day.

We understand that many times our people are literally the face of your business. That’s why all 270,000 Service Stars receive continual access to professional development and proprietary skills training.

The bottom line is this: when you work with Aramark, you can be confident you’ll be collaborating with the right people with the right skills and the right attitude. That’s true whether it’s for strategic expertise, operational excellence or just serving a morning coffee. That’s our commitment as trusted partners and Service Stars. That’s the Aramark way.

COMPANY SIZE
10,000 employees or more
INDUSTRY
Food and Beverage Production
FOUNDED
1936
WEBSITE
https://www.aramark.com/