Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of Apache Cassandra clusters
Own overall data platform strategy, scalability, and performance
Define best practices for data modeling, schema design, and query optimization
Oversee cluster operations: upgrades, repairs, backups, and disaster recovery
Drive performance tuning across JVM, compaction, and application access patterns
Lead capacity planning and long-term scaling strategy
Establish monitoring, alerting, and operational standards
Ensure security, compliance, and data governance best practices
Mentor and guide Cassandra admins and developers
Review and approve schema changes and production deployments
Act as escalation point for critical production issues
Collaborate with application, DevOps, and cloud teams
Automate infrastructure and operational workflows
Evaluate new Cassandra features and ecosystem tools
Document architecture, standards, and runbooks
Leadership & Ownership Expectations
Provide technical direction and architectural decisions
Balance performance, cost, and reliability trade-offs
Influence cross-team design decisions
Ensure SLA/SLO adherence
Drive continuous improvement and operational excellence