Remote Lead Data Engineer Jobs in Houston, TX (NOW HIRING)

At Kraton, we make a +Difference, and we are looking for individuals who are also looking to make a difference in their jobs, for our customers and to the world.  We are looking to hire a key member of our IT team at our Global Headquarters located in The Woodlands, Texas.

The IT Program Lead - Data & Analytics Platform is responsible for defining, delivering, and governing the enterprise data and analytics strategy across the organization. This role serves as the technology leader for enterprise reporting, business intelligence, data engineering, data governance, and analytics platforms, ensuring business data is transformed into trusted, governed, and actionable insights.

We believe in making a +Difference, as a global manufacturer of sustainable specialty polymers and biobased pine chemicals, delivering innovative, high-performance solutions.  
We're proud to offer benefits that meaningfully support you-at work, at home, and everywhere in between. 

Some of the benefits offered are:

• Medical Insurance, including TeleDoc - multiple plans available with Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account options
• Dental & Vision Insurance  
• Health Advocate - free support to help you understand your coverage and answer questions
• Life Insurance - base coverage paid for by Kraton with option for additional coverage
• 401k - Kraton provides matching contributions based on enrollment level 
• Employee Assistance Program - provided at no cost to employees 
•  Accident, Disability, and Critical Illness Insurance  

The position will lead the design, implementation, and operation of a modern enterprise data platform centered on Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Azure, SAP technologies, and enterprise application integrations. This includes establishing scalable architectures that enable analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), predictive analytics, executive reporting, self-service analytics, and enterprise data products.

The role is accountable for the secure integration of data from SAP ECC, SAP BW, SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, Microsoft platforms, manufacturing systems, CRM applications, commercial systems, and third-party applications into a centralized and governed analytics ecosystem. The position will also establish enterprise standards for data security, segregation, governance, and controlled access to ensure sensitive and confidential information is only available to authorized users and business functions.

The key responsibilities of this role include but are not limited to the following:
Enterprise Data & Analytics Strategy
   Define and execute the enterprise data, analytics, and AI strategy aligned with business objectives.
   Establish standards, roadmaps, and governance for enterprise reporting, analytics, business intelligence, and data management.
   Partner with business and executive leaders to identify opportunities for analytics-driven decision making and operational improvement.
Data Platform Leadership
   Lead the design, implementation, and support of the enterprise data and analytics platform utilizing Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Azure, SAP technologies, and related enterprise platforms.
   Establish scalable, secure, and cost-effective architectures supporting reporting, self-service analytics, AI, and predictive analytics.
   Drive platform performance, reliability, adoption, and continuous improvement.
Enterprise Data Integration
   Define and govern the integration of SAP and non-SAP data sources into a centralized analytics ecosystem.
   Establish standards for data ingestion, transformation, replication, and orchestration across enterprise applications, cloud platforms, and third-party systems.
   Ensure enterprise data assets are accurate, consistent, and accessible for analytics and business operations.
Data Governance & Security
   Establish enterprise governance frameworks for data ownership, quality, security, lineage, and compliance.
   Define data classification and access standards protecting confidential, financial, HR, operational, and strategic information.
   Implement security models that provide controlled and role-based access to data, reports, and analytical assets.
Analytics, Reporting & AI Enablement
   Govern enterprise reporting, KPI definitions, semantic models, and self-service analytics capabilities.
   Enable advanced analytics, predictive modeling, AI, and machine learning initiatives through trusted and governed data products.
   Support executive, operational, and functional reporting requirements across all business areas.

Enterprise Data Platforms
   Microsoft Fabric, Power BI, Azure Data Services, OneLake, Data Warehouses, Lakehouses, and modern cloud analytics platforms.
   Data engineering, ETL/ELT, data modeling, semantic modeling, and enterprise reporting architectures.
SAP & Enterprise Application Integration
   SAP ECC 6.0, SAP BW, SAP BPC, SAP Datasphere, SAP Analytics Cloud, SAP HANA, and SAP data integration methodologies.
   Experience exposing SAP and enterprise application data to cloud analytics platforms and modern data architectures.
Data Governance & Security
   Data governance, metadata management, data quality, master data management, and information lifecycle management.
   Role-based access controls, row-level security, data segregation, privacy controls, compliance, and audit requirements.
Analytics & AI
   Enterprise reporting, business intelligence, predictive analytics, machine learning, AI enablement, and data-driven decision support.
   Experience implementing enterprise AI, data governance, and modern data platform initiatives.

   Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Business Analytics, or related discipline. 
   Master's degree preferred.
   Microsoft Fabric, Azure, Power BI, or SAP Analytics certifications.

The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this classification.  Statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for this position.

Kraton's internal talent acquisition team manages our recruiting efforts and from time to time works with pre-selected/pre-approved external staffing agencies. We do NOT accept unsolicited resumes or candidate referrals from recruiters and/or agencies who are not pre-selected/pre-approved.

Kraton is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.