Technical Director - Data/AI (Remote, US)

This is a remote permanent position for those based in the US.

About Nearform

Nearform is an independent team of engineers, designers, data experts and strategists who build intelligent digital solutions and capability at pace. We create software solutions that enhance digital experiences, empower developers, and deliver measurable results. In these ways, we partner with ambitious enterprises to deliver enduring impact.

Our deep expertise in solving the world’s most complex digital problems, along with our collaborative, people-first approach, enables enterprises to build breakthrough products and modernise legacy systems, with confidence.

Today, our team of 500 experts in 20+ countries is trusted by leading enterprises including Lululemon, Puma, Sun Life, Starbucks, Travelex, Virgin Media 02, and Walmart.

Overview

The Technical Director at Nearform is a senior leadership role that requires deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and hands-on problem-solving skills. We are looking for a seasoned professional with strong technical skills in Data Engineering & AI who has already been in a similar role, understands what it takes to lead high-performing teams, drive technical excellence, and deliver innovative solutions—without requiring hand-holding.

This person will serve as a trusted advisor to clients, helping shape their technical vision and strategy, while also guiding Nearform teams to deliver outstanding solutions. Rather than focusing only on direct line management, this role is centered on leading by example, influencing technical direction, and ensuring the successful execution of projects.

We’re looking for someone who has already been a Technical Director and excelled in the role.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and communicate a clear technical vision for projects that align with business goals.
• Provide technical leadership on architecture, software development best practices, and cutting-edge technologies.
• Be part of the account leadership teams, driving strategic growth and long-term partnerships.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients, collaborating with CIOs, CTOs, and other senior leaders.
• Ensure projects are staffed with the right talent, working with resourcing and talent acquisition teams.
• Provide technical leadership and foster a culture of excellence and innovation across teams.
• Partner with clients to understand their business objectives and translate them into technical strategies.
• Lead client discovery workshops, ensuring alignment between business needs and technical solutions.
• Collaborate with internal teams to develop tailored solution proposals that are technically sound and commercially viable.
• Define project scope, deliverables, and timelines in collaboration with clients and project teams.
• Serve as the final technical authority on Data & AI in critical design and delivery discussions.
• Oversee technical execution, ensuring quality, scalability, and maintainability of solutions.
• Monitor project health, proactively identifying risks and ensuring successful outcomes.
• Participate in technical stack reviews, architectural decisions, and design phases.
• Ensure effective financial oversight, managing project burn-down and revenue opportunities.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, staying ahead of industry trends and best practices.
• Act as a thought leader in the industry through speaking engagements, blog writing, and mentorship.
• Champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and sustainability initiatives within Nearform.
• Engage in technical community building, contributing to open-source projects or internal knowledge sharing.

Essential Skills & Experience

We’re looking for someone who has already been a Technical Director and excelled in the role.

We Are Looking For

• 15+ years of technical leadership experience, ideally within consulting, SaaS, or large-scale digital transformation projects.
• Hands-on experience with data engineering, cloud technologies, databases, distributed systems, and modern software engineering best practices.
• A strong track record of guiding technical decisions on complex, high-impact projects, particularly within the Data Engineering space
• Experience leading pre-sales, discovery, and solution design discussions.
• Strong ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Deep expertise in software architecture and developing for operational concerns (such as monitoring, performance testing, security considerations, accessibility, and GDPR)
• A consultative mindset, able to align business needs with technical strategies.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills to influence at all levels
• Experience leading and mentoring senior data engineering teams
• A passion for continuous learning, innovation, and professional excellence.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in building AI / Machine Learning applications/platforms
• Previous experience working in a fully remote, globally distributed environment.
• Background in financial oversight of technology projects.
• Experience contributing to open-source projects or technical thought leadership.

Benefits & Perks

• Annual Company Bonus - We all help Nearform to hit company goals so we all receive a share of the profits on an annual basis in line with company performance.
• Work Remotely and Flexibly - We have a genuine dedication to work/life balance. Our flexible working culture allows you to work around what matters - school run, no problem!
• Flexible Time Off Package - We offer a flexible annual leave policy plus public holidays. We also offer sick leave, marriage leave and many more.
• Remote Working Allowance - Every 2 years, you will have a budget of up to €1250 (equivalent in USD) to help you set up a comfortable and productive workspace in addition to your essential equipment provided by Nearform when you join.
• Training and Development Allowance - We understand the importance of continuously learning so we offer an allowance of up to €1000 (equivalent in USD) you can use to upskill yourself.
• Healthcare - It’s important to always take care of your health, so we offer additional private healthcare here at Nearform. If you wish to learn more about the plan offered feel free to reach out to our team.
• 401k - We offer a 401k plan and match up to 4%, with no minimum entry requirements and immediate vesting of employers’ contributions.

Inclusion

Inclusion is one of our core values. We don’t discriminate by race, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the country where employed. We are not offering working visa sponsorship at this time.