Practice Lead - Data & AI (Microsoft Fabric)

Location: Hybrid in Mississauga, Ontario / Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Company

hirify.global is building a Microsoft-focused Data & AI consulting practice within its Business Applications department.

What you will do

• Define and execute the Data & AI practice strategy, service portfolio, capability roadmap, hiring plan, and commercial targets.
• Serve as the senior technical authority across Microsoft Fabric, Azure data services, data science, AI engineering, architecture, security, governance, and operations.
• Lead production implementations using OneLake, Lakehouse, Warehouse, pipelines, notebooks, semantic models, Power BI, and enterprise integrations.
• Guide predictive analytics and AI engineering, including forecasting, anomaly detection, machine learning, generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation, search, and agent workflows.
• Lead executive discovery, technical workshops, proposals, estimates, statements of work, solution selling, and client relationship expansion.
• Own delivery quality, technical risk, resource allocation, mentoring, hiring, capability development, and reusable accelerators across the practice.

Requirements

• Typically 10+ years in data, analytics, or related engineering roles, including technical team leadership and enterprise client engagements.
• Demonstrated success building or leading a consulting practice, delivery team, or comparable Data & AI function.
• Deep, hands-on Microsoft Fabric expertise with production delivery experience.
• Strong technical foundation in SQL, Python, PySpark, data modelling, and modern data architectures.
• Practical data science experience covering model development, validation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Strong AI engineering experience with LLMs, retrieval, embeddings, APIs, and production evaluation.
• Experience designing secure enterprise solutions using Microsoft Azure and related identity and governance services.
• Experience scoping engagements, developing estimates, supporting sales, managing delivery economics, and holding teams accountable for outcomes.
• Strong executive communication skills and the ability to connect technical decisions to business value.

Nice to have

• Experience integrating Microsoft data and AI solutions with Dynamics 365.
• Experience in distribution, supply chain, manufacturing, or other operationally complex industries.
• Experience with Azure Machine Learning, MLflow, Azure AI Search, Microsoft Purview, and real-time analytics.
• Familiarity with Microsoft partner programs, co-sell motions, solution designations, and specialization requirements.
• Relevant Microsoft certifications across Fabric, Azure architecture, AI engineering, or data science, including DP-700, DP-600, AI-103, or AI-300.
• Experience developing packaged services, reusable accelerators, or managed service offerings.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time hybrid role based in Mississauga, Ontario / the Greater Toronto Area.
• Hands-on leadership with responsibility for engineering discipline, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Opportunity to build a practice, develop team capabilities, and establish certification plans.
• Success is measured through practice direction, commercial performance, client delivery, technical capability, team development, and Microsoft alignment.

Hiring process

• During the first 90 days, assess the team, delivery portfolio, technical assets, and capability gaps.
• Establish the practice operating plan, scorecard, service priorities, resource requirements, and baseline standards for architecture reviews, estimating, delivery quality, and production readiness.
• Take technical ownership of priority opportunities and active engagements, and build an executive-ready demonstration connecting Microsoft Fabric, predictive analytics, and AI to a relevant business scenario.