Director of Data, AI, and Integration – Atlanta, GA Full Time NEW

As our firm continues its rapid growth through strategic acquisitions and technological modernization, we are seeking a visionary Director of Data, AI, and Integration. Reporting directly to the CIO, this leader will serve as a bridge between our technical infrastructure and our business practices (Audit, Tax, and Advisory). You will be responsible for orchestrating the seamless integration of newly acquired firms, building a unified and secure data architecture, and leading the strategic rollout of Artificial Intelligence across the enterprise. You will not just manage projects; you will shape how our professionals leverage data and AI to become more effective, trusted advisors to our clients.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technology and data integration strategy for all firm acquisitions, ensuring smooth transitions from legacy environments to our enterprise stack with minimal disruption to billable hours.
• Oversee a portfolio of complex, cross-functional integration projects, applying advanced program management principles to manage risks, timelines, and resources.
• Own the enterprise integration strategy for both data and applications. Standardize API- driven pipelines and leverage modern integration tools to integrate information across core systems (Practice Management, CRM, ERP, Zendesk) and eliminate data silos.

Artificial Intelligence Strategy Enablement

• Work closely with the CIO to set the strategic direction of AI tools and governance.
• Develop and operationalize the firm’s AI strategy to elevate the workforce and gain a competitive advantage. Champion the safe adoption of AI (LLMs, Gemini, custom tools) to replace routine tasks with AI assistance, empowering professionals with more time for high-value client advising across Audit, Tax, and Advisory.
• Partner with Practice Leaders to identify and execute high-value use cases where AI and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can reduce manual workloads, drive measurable cost savings or revenue generation, and enhance client advisory services.
• Partner tightly with Information Security, Risk, and Compliance teams to establish robust AI and Data governance policies. Ensure all enterprise platforms and integrations strictly adhere to data privacy standards, client confidentiality, and highly regulated industry audit requirements.

Data Architecture & Governance

• Define, communicate, and execute a multi-year enterprise data and AI roadmap. Design scalable architecture (e.g., medallion architecture, modern data modeling) to support both Business Intelligence (Domo) and AI readiness, utilizing modern enterprise data platforms (Snowflake).
• Develop a robust data governance and Master Data Management (MDM) strategy. Establish domain modeling, golden record design, data lineage, and access controls to ensure clean, trustworthy data during M&A post-combination harmonization and daily operations.
• Build and lead a high-performing team of data engineers, integration specialists, and AI analysts.

Team Leadership & Operations

• Translate complex technical concepts (like Large Language Models and data lakes) into clear business value for Partners and executive leadership.
• Serve as a primary advisor to the CIO on emerging technology trends, vendor selection, and build-vs-buy decisions.
• Develop a structured intake process in cooperation with the Program Manager that creates leadership visibility around project requests while ensuring the team maintains agility for incident response. Facilitate Agile practices (e.g., stand-ups, sprint retrospectives) to balance long-term strategic goals with short-term execution.

Required Qualifications

• Experience: 12+ years of progressive experience in IT leadership, Data Architecture, or complex integration, with at least 6 years in a leadership/people-management role.
• Industry Experience: At least 4 years prior experience working within a CPA firm, Professional Services, or highly regulated financial environment.
• Integration Expertise: Proven track record of leading technical integrations during Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) or enterprise-scale software consolidations.
• Data & AI Literacy: Deep understanding of modern data pipelines (ETL/ELT), enterprise data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, Databricks), integration tools (e.g., Boomi, Workato), and a strong foundational grasp of AI-ready architectures, Generative AI integration, and responsible AI security frameworks.
• Program Management: Exceptional ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams, budgets, and cross-functional teams using Agile or hybrid methodologies.
• Communication: Executive-level presentation skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at the Partner and C-suite levels.
• Documentation: Excellent Diagraming, visual, and documentation skills required as well as leading your team to do the same.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certifications: Relevant cloud/data architecture certifications.
• Familiarity with our Stack: Experience with accounting-specific software (e.g., CCH Axcess) or enterprise platforms like Zendesk, M365, and Domo.

Training

In addition to on-the-job training, all employees will have multiple continuing education opportunities throughout the year. Depending on work assignments, you will attend industry- specific training internally and/or externally. We also provide ample opportunities to learn new and innovative skills to become a thought leader within the industry.

Salary: Competitive

Benefits

At M&J, we do not ask you to give up your personal life for your career; we encourage a healthy work/life balance by providing you with the tools, compensation, and benefits to achieve a high quality of life. To learn more about the benefits we provide, visit mjcpa.com/careers.

Mauldin And Jenkins Culture

Your goals and ideas matter at Mauldin & Jenkins – you are an integral part of our team, working with other like-minded professionals in a technologically advanced, dynamic and friendly environment. Our dynamic environment provides opportunities for our employees to succeed. Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; religion; national origin; sex; pregnancy; sexual orientation; gender identity and/or expression; age; disability; genetic information, citizenship status; military service obligations or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.