Director - Data, Analytics & AI at Baker Electric in Escondido, CA

At Baker Electric we are energized by truly living our values - Team Builders, Relentless Follow Through, All-In, and Care for Others. When our team members work together with these things in mind, we do great things both individually and as an organization. Being an employee-owned company shows our drive for sustainable, long-term growth while enhancing the lives of our team members.

SUMMARY: The Director, Data, Analytics & AI provides strategic and operational leadership for Baker Electric’s enterprise data, analytics, integration, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

The Director establishes the vision, architecture, governance, talent, platforms, and delivery practices required to make trusted information available across the company and enable responsible, value-focused AI adoption. The role oversees the enterprise data platform, data engineering, integrations, data governance framework, analytics enablement, AI governance, enterprise AI capabilities, and the relevant vendor ecosystem.

This leader initially manages two Data Engineers and one AI Analyst, with anticipated growth as Baker’s data, integration, analytics, and AI capabilities mature.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Data, Analytics, and AI Strategy
• Develop and maintain a multiyear strategy and roadmap for enterprise business applications.
• Ensure application roadmaps align with company goals, operational needs, vendor direction, integration requirements, cybersecurity standards, and data strategy.
• Partner with business application owners to optimize commercial platforms before pursuing customization or new systems.
• Lead application lifecycle planning, rationalization, renewal, replacement, and retirement.
• Monitor vendor product roadmaps, including embedded AI capabilities, and assess their relevance to Baker.

Data Platform and Architecture
• Lead the architecture, evolution, reliability, scalability, and appropriate use of the enterprise data platform.
• Establish data architecture, modeling, ingestion, transformation, storage, lineage, quality, and access standards.
• Oversee Baker’s Microsoft Fabric environment and associated services and partners.
• Ensure architecture decisions support analytics, integrations, AI readiness, security, maintainability, and cost effectiveness.
• Manage the professional services relationship supporting data architecture and delivery.

Integration Strategy and Delivery
• Own enterprise integration strategy, patterns, architecture, engineering, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Lead integration delivery through internal data engineers and external partners.
• Establish standards for APIs, scheduled data movement, error handling, documentation, monitoring, security, and support.
• Partner with the Applications team and business system owners to translate functional requirements into supportable integrations.
• Maintain transparency into integration dependencies, technical debt, risks, and capacity.

Data Governance and Master Data
• Establish and operate Baker’s enterprise data governance framework.
• Define decision rights, standards, stewardship practices, definitions, ownership expectations, issue escalation, and data quality measures.
• Coordinate master data governance across applications and business functions.
• Reinforce that business functions own the meaning and quality of their data, while the Data, Analytics & AI team owns the governance framework, enabling platforms, architecture, and stewardship coordination.
• Partner with application owners and business data stewards to resolve cross-functional data issues.

Analytics and Business Intelligence
• Establish the enterprise approach to analytics, reporting, semantic models, metrics, dashboards, self-service enablement, and data literacy.
• Ensure enterprise metrics have agreed definitions and accountable business owners.
• Support business analysts and distributed analytics contributors with governed data products, standards, training, and reusable capabilities.
• Avoid centralizing all report development within IT.
• Prioritize analytics efforts based on business value, data readiness, reuse, and scalability.

Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Governance
• Lead Baker’s enterprise AI strategy, roadmap, governance model, use-case intake, evaluation standards, and value measurement.
• Oversee enterprise AI capabilities such as Microsoft Copilot, AI agents, AI-enabled analytics, and approved cross-functional AI platforms.
• Partner with Applications on AI features embedded in enterprise applications.
• Partner with IT Operations, Cybersecurity & Compliance, Legal, HR, and business owners to assess privacy, security, regulatory, intellectual property, data, and people impacts.
• Establish responsible AI practices without creating unnecessary barriers to innovation.
• Define pilots with measurable hypotheses, expected outcomes, owners, risk controls, and exit criteria.
• Monitor adoption, business value, usage, risk, and ongoing appropriateness.

Innovation and Emerging Technology
• Maintain awareness of relevant data, AI, automation, and emerging technology trends.
• Develop a disciplined process for identifying, assessing, piloting, scaling, or discontinuing emerging capabilities.
• Collaborate with business technology leaders to identify opportunities within estimating, preconstruction, VDC/BIM, project execution, field operations, finance, human capital, and operational support.
• Distinguish strategic innovation from novelty-driven technology acquisition.

Vendor and Financial Management
• Manage data, analytics, integration, and AI vendors and professional services partners.
• Participate in vendor selection, contracts, renewals, performance management, and escalations.
• Develop and manage budgets, forecasts, licensing plans, partner capacity, and investment recommendations.
• Assess whether capabilities should be delivered internally, through commercial platforms, or with strategic partners.

Cross-Functional Leadership
• Work as a peer with the Director, Business Applications & PMO and Director, IT Operations.
• Ensure data, integration, analytics, and AI initiatives incorporate application ownership, infrastructure, cybersecurity, compliance, support, business process, and adoption requirements.
• Partner with Operational Excellence, Construction Applications, Finance, Human Capital, Construction Applications, Preconstruction, VDC/BIM, field and project execution, and other business technology leaders.
• Help shape enterprise recommendations without positioning the Data, Analytics & AI function above other technology domains.

Team Leadership
• Lead, coach, and develop data engineering and AI team members.
• Establish clear roles, technical standards, delivery practices, career paths, documentation expectations, and succession plans.
• Scale the team thoughtfully through internal development, hiring, business-embedded capabilities, and professional services partners.
• Build a culture that combines technical excellence, business curiosity, responsible innovation, and reliable execution.

EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION:
• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, data science, computer science, engineering, business, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Ten or more years of progressive experience across data, analytics, integration, enterprise architecture, business intelligence, or AI.
• Five or more years of leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience building or operating enterprise data platforms and integration capabilities.
• Experience with analytics governance, data quality, master data, and distributed reporting models.
• Practical experience with enterprise AI strategy, governance, adoption, or implementation.
• Strong vendor, budget, and professional services management experience.
• Microsoft Fabric, Azure, Power BI, and Microsoft AI ecosystem experience strongly preferred.
• Construction or project-based industry experience preferred.

At Baker, we are proud to be an employee-owned company. When you join, you will have the opportunity for a great career and the financial benefits of being an owner. Through our ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), eligible employees can become part owners of the company. Instead of just receiving a paycheck, you will be given shares of the company's stock over time. As the company prospers, the value of these shares can increase, providing you with a potential wealth-building opportunity in addition to a competitive compensation package. The ESOP will enable you to share the company's success and growth. For more information regarding employee ownership at Baker Electric and its significant potential, click here:
Employee Stock Ownership Program | Baker Electric (baker-electric.com)

PAY TRANSPARENCY:
The starting salary for this opportunity range is listed. Other rewards may include annual bonus eligibility based on company and individual performance, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. Baker provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, an employee wellness program, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, an Employee-Owned Program (ESOP), paid holidays, and paid time off (PTO). A candidate’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions. Please note that the compensation information is a good-faith estimate for this position. It assumes a rate based on location and experience.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Baker Electric is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer / Disability / Veteran.

We thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. If you are selected for an interview, a Baker Recruiter will contact you directly from our organization with a @baker-electric.com email.