Director to VP/Executive Director roles in cloud platform, SRE, or database/data-platform engineering, owning real budget and 30-150+ engineers. Cloud (Azure/AWS) plus a data platform (Snowflake, Databricks, SQL Server, Oracle). Financial services strength, open to other industries; no early-stage startups. Open to remote, hybrid, onsite, or relocation. Targeting $240K-$280K total comp."
Looking for a job
Marc Kirby
@marckirby
Cloud & data platform executive, 25+ years, $16M+ budgets, 100+ engineers. Built RGA's Snowflake/Databricks platform; cut spend 25%.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I'm a cloud and data platform engineering executive with over 25 years of experience leading infrastructure, database, and DevOps organizations, almost entirely within financial services and reinsurance. I've owned budgets of $16 million or more and led teams of 100 or more engineers, most recently as an Executive Director building and modernizing analytics and AI platform organizations.
At Reinsurance Group of America, I led the Analytics Platforms organization, where my team owned two large-scale platforms side by side: Snowflake, serving our community and business analytics needs, and Databricks, serving our Data Science and AI community. I operationalized Databricks as a production-grade platform with proper governance, secure data access, and CI/CD-driven workspace provisioning, and applied Terraform and Python-based Infrastructure as Code across Snowflake, Vertica, and Databricks. I built an enterprise SRE framework grounded in SLIs, SLOs, and error budgets, directed my team's implementation of Datadog for observability, and cut Snowflake spend 25 percent through workload optimization and rightsizing.
Before that, I spent 16 years at Wells Fargo, rising from Senior Vice President/Sr. Manager to Senior Vice President/Executive Director. I was the database leader responsible for moving Wells Fargo's database estate to Azure, delivering the bank's first public-cloud database service and shepherding the organization from manual, ClickOps-style administration to a Terraform-based, database-as-code operating model. I also owned enterprise database management supporting ATM, debit, credit authorization, and online and mobile banking, cutting production incidents 72 percent over two years and reducing compliance violations 92 percent, from 11,500 to 903, while holding 100 percent SLA compliance.
Most recently, I took on Director-level ownership of Pacific Life's Grafana-based observability platform team. In my first week, I led the response to a PII exposure discovered in staging, then designed and sold a new operating model that consolidated four separate build, apply, and support functions into two accountable teams.
My approach to leadership is to take underdeveloped or narrowly scoped teams and build them into disciplined, process-driven organizations: clear operating models, PI planning, skills-matrix-driven staffing, and direct mentoring of engineers and engineering managers. I'm looking for my next Director, VP, or Executive Director role leading cloud, platform, or database engineering, ideally somewhere with an existing platform to modernize rather than build from zero.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Took on Director-level ownership of Pacific Life's Grafana-based observability platform team. Led response to a PII data exposure in week one, building data classification and capture-and-quarantine controls. Designed and sold a new operating model consolidating four build/apply/support functions into two accountable teams, and PI planning in ADO.
Led transformation of RGA's Analytics Platforms org, owning two platforms: Snowflake for community/business analytics and Databricks for Data Science/AI. Modernized both with Terraform and Python-based IaC, built an enterprise SRE framework (SLIs/SLOs/error budgets), directed Datadog observability, and cut Snowflake spend 25%.
Database leader who moved Wells Fargo's database estate to Azure, delivering Azure SQL Managed Instance, MongoDB Atlas, Postgres Flexible Server, and Azure Data Factory. Shifted the org from manual ClickOps administration to Terraform-based database-as-code. Owned a $16M+ budget and 100+ engineers, cutting incidents 72% and compliance violations 92%.
WS
Vice President / Enterprise Architect
Wachovia Securities & A.G. Edwards & Sons
Nov 2006 - Dec 2008 (2 years 1 month)
Lead architect for scalability and performance on the Wachovia/A.G. Edwards merger, the largest retail brokerage merger in history at the time. Owned capacity planning and performance testing across 1,400+ branches and all technology tiers. Ran the 24x7 merger response team. Promoted from Senior Technology Architect, Data/Information domain.
Provided architecture support across Oracle Consulting's demand and delivery organizations. Led migration of a 200TB DB2 mainframe database to Oracle 10g on Sun Solaris, managed a three-database Oracle conversion for a major HR services provider, and conducted architecture assessments for financial services and pharmaceutical clients.
AS
Senior Technology Engineer
A.G. Edwards & Sons
Feb 2005 - Apr 2006 (1 year 2 months)
Led the DBA team supporting ClientOne, A.G. Edwards' Online Data Store serving 10,000-plus financial consultants across 738 branches. Designed near-real-time, trigger-based replication and EMC SRDF/BCV-based architecture for a 400GB database with a 30-minute backup window, and led the Online Data Store consolidation architecture.
Hired with no DBA experience, promoted through senior DBA, manager, and senior data consultant in about four years. Managed a multi-country DBA team (Belgium, Australia, US) supporting MasterCard's transaction authorization platform. Scaled the data warehouse from 5TB to 20TB and consolidated 40 database instances.
UNIX Systems Administrator with IBM Global Services, supporting Boeing Aerospace's environment of 200-plus UNIX servers, 4,000 workstations, and 10,000 printers. Served as backup lead for Change Control, helping manage infrastructure changes across a large, mission-critical aerospace manufacturing environment.
Hired via Manpower Technical Services as a UNIX Systems Administrator supporting MasterCard's infrastructure, converting to full-time employee after 60 days. Administered UNIX servers underpinning MasterCard's transaction processing environment, an early step in a 25-plus year career in enterprise systems and database administration.
AG
Computer Service Engineer
Aerotek Data Services Group
Sep 1995 - Mar 1996 (6 months)
Provided field service and support across IBM, Acer, Gateway, Compaq, and Dell enterprise hardware.
Middle Eastern Cryptologic Linguist
United States Air Force, NSA
Dec 1989 - Aug 1995 (5 years 8 months)
Served as team chief and senior training evaluator on a joint assignment to the National Security Agency, supervising two training evaluators and ten trainers and writing linguist performance evaluations. Awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal and promoted to Staff Sergeant two years ahead of schedule.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
UF
United States Air Force
Military Training, Cryptologic Linguistics
1990 - 1995
Served as a cryptologic linguist and team chief, supporting a joint assignment to the NSA and supervising training evaluators and trainers.
Strayer University
Diploma, Management Information Systems
1993 - 1994
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Looking for a job
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Salary expectations
240k-280k USD
Social media
Job categories
Interested in hiring Marc?
You can contact Marc and 90k+ other talented remote workers on Himalayas.
Message MarcGet matched with your dream remote job
Sign up now and join over 250,000+ remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!
