Director of Data Engineering

World Market is a retail company that has been curating a unique marketplace for over 60 years. They are seeking a Director of Data Engineering to build and lead their data engineering function, focusing on architecting a modern cloud data platform and ensuring data governance and integrity.

Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the cloud data platform strategy (Snowflake, Azure Fabric, BigQuery); build an enterprise data lake with standardized zones; migrate from legacy batch to modern API event-driven integrations
• Set up data ownership, quality, security, and compliance frameworks; implement cataloging, lineage, access controls, and work with Legal and Security on privacy and regulations
• Lead offshore engineering, design data pipelines for varied platforms, enforce best practices (CI/CD, testing, observability), and standardize tools like dbt, Airflow, and Fivetran
• Manage integration strategy, shift from batch files to APIs and event-driven patterns, partner with teams, set standards, and oversee vendors
• Define SLAs, create runbooks and incident response plans, monitor systems, optimize costs, and ensure disaster recovery
• Build analytics infrastructure, deliver ready-to-use models and semantic layers, unify sources, set standards, and establish MLOps foundations

Requirements:

• 10+ years in data engineering, data architecture, or related technical roles
• 5+ years leading data engineering or platform teams; Omni-channel Retail Experience
• Strong background implementing EDW and operations lifecycle on a cloud data platform
• Prior experience in enterprise integration architecture and API design
• Experience in retail, e-commerce, or similarly complex omni-channel businesses
• Track record of establishing data governance and operational centers of excellence
• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Proven ability to manage budgets, optimize cloud costs, and forecast spending
• Strategic thinker, able to balance long-term vision with pragmatic execution
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and building organizational capabilities from scratch
• Strong people leader who can motivate and coach direct-reports and offshore teams
• Excellent communication skills, bilingual in both Technical and Business speak
• Collaborative partner who builds trust with IT peers, business stakeholders, and vendors
• Work Location: The ideal candidate will be based in or near the CA Bay Area
• Expert understanding of data architecture, data modeling, and dimensional design
• Hands-on proficiency with pipeline engineering tools (dbt, Airflow, Fivetran,)
• Deep knowledge of cloud operations with hyperscaler platforms (Azure preferred)
• Strong SQL and Python skills and understanding of database optimization
• Experience with both batch and real-time/streaming data integration patterns
• Understanding of API design, microservices, and event-driven architectures
• Familiarity with Analytics Engineering, evolving AI strategies, and MLOps principles