Associate Director/Director

Job Title: Associate Director / Director – Data Analytics and AI Practice Location: Pune About QKS Group QKS Group is a global research and advisory firm known for its SPARK Matrix™, a globally recognized framework for vendor evaluation and competitive intelligence. We work with leading technology providers and enterprise buyers to deliver deep insights, technology research, and strategic advisory support. Our products and services, including SPARK Plus, SPARK Matrix™, and tailored analyst advisory engagements, help vendors accelerate go-to-market success, improve positioning, and strengthen customer perception through trusted analyst validation. About the Role We are hiring a core technology leader to drive and lead QKS research practices across Data Management & Governance, Analytics, and AI platforms. The ideal candidate comes from data engineering, analytics, AI platform, product management, or solution architecture backgrounds- not traditional BI/reporting roles. This role requires deep technical understanding, the ability to evaluate enterprise platforms, and the capability to convert insights into structured research and executive advisory. What You Will Work On (Key Responsibilities) Practice Leadership - Own practice strategy for Data, Analytics & AI, with adjacent scope in BPM and EA. - Build market landscapes, segmentations, trend reports, and research frameworks. - Define SPARK Matrix evaluation criteria and lead vendor assessments. Technology Evaluation - Analyze vendor architectures across: - Data platforms (lakehouse, warehouse, ingestion, pipelines) - AI/ML & LLMOps platforms - Metadata, governance, quality, lineage tools - Process mining & low-code automation ecosystems - Enterprise architecture platforms - Assess product capabilities, roadmap maturity, and competitive differentiation. Advisory & Insights - Conduct advisory sessions with CIO, CDO, CAIO, Heads of Data/AI, Enterprise Architects. - Provide guidance on platform choices, modernization, AI adoption, and automation roadmaps. Content & Thought Leadership - Publish whitepapers, architecture deep dives, trend predictions, and benchmarking studies. - Present key insights through webinars, videos, and community interactions. Cross-functional Collaboration - Work closely with SPARK Plus team to produce persona-focused insights. - Mentor junior analysts and scale a small research team over time. What We Are Looking For Core Technical Experience Must have deep hands-on OR architecture-level experience in: Data Management - Data lakes, lakehouse, data warehouses - Data ingestion, ETL/ELT, pipelines, orchestration - Metadata, lineage, cataloging, MDM, data governance - Tools like: Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery, Redshift, Atlan, Collibra, Informatica Analytics & AI Platforms - AI/ML platform architecture - MLOps, LLMOps, feature stores, vector databases - Model lifecycle, AI governance - Tools like: SageMaker, Azure ML, Vertex AI, DataRobot, H2O.Ai, Dataiku BPM & Automation (Awareness Required) - Process mining fundamentals - Automation ecosystems (RPA + workflow + low-code) Enterprise Architecture - Exposure to capability mapping, portfolio rationalization - Understanding of TOGAF principles - Experience with tools like LeanIX, Orbus, MEGA, Planview preferred Experience Profile (Who Should Apply) We want people coming from: - Data Architects / AI Architects / Analytics Architects - Principal Data Engineers or Data Platform Leads - Senior Product Managers / Directors for Data or AI Platforms - Solutions Consultants / Pre-sales Architects (Data/AI-heavy) - Consultants from Accenture, Deloitte, EY, PwC, KPMG, McKinsey, BCG (Data/AI practices) 15-20 years total experience Strong preference for candidates who have designed, implemented, or evaluated real enterprise data/AI systems. Why Join Us - Lead global research in a high-growth domain. - Direct visibility with senior industry leaders. - Opportunity to shape QKS’s Data Analytics and AI Technology practice and SPARK Matrix evaluations. - Fast-moving, product-led, analyst-driven environment.