Director of Engineering - Data Platform / Lakehouse (Hybrid)

We’re partnered with a high-growth, AI-first technology company building a next-generation data platform powering complex, real-world applications at scale.

This is a senior leadership hire with genuine ownership of a core platform that underpins everything the business does. You’ll lead a mission-critical data platform team (8 engineers) responsible for architecting and evolving a modern lakehouse / data infrastructure layer.

This isn’t a pure management role, it’s a player-coach position where you’ll:

• Shape platform architecture and long-term technical strategy
• Build and evolve a high-performing engineering team
• Drive delivery across complex data infrastructure challenges
• Stay hands-on through internal tooling, prototyping, and technical leadership

The platform itself sits at the intersection of:

• Distributed data systems
• AI/ML enablement
• Cloud-native infrastructure

Your Background:

• Deep experience with modern data platforms / lakehouse architectures (e.g. Spark, Databricks, Iceberg/Delta or similar)
• Strong background in distributed systems and cloud-native engineering
• Proven leadership experience managing and scaling engineering teams (ideally 5-10 )
• Track record of building and operating production-grade data infrastructure
• Ability to operate across strategy, execution, and team development

You’ll likely come from:

• Top-tier tech or data infrastructure companies
• Or deep domain experience building data platforms at scale

What Success Looks Like:

• Leading team operations (~50% of your time): hiring, leveling up engineering practices, scaling delivery
• Driving forward-looking platform strategy (~25%) across a 12–24 month horizon
• Supporting architecture, tooling, and key technical decisions (~25%)

You won’t be shipping production code day-to-day, but you will:

• Build internal tools and prototypes
• Drive architectural clarity
• Leverage AI tools to accelerate engineering output

Culture & Environment:

• Strong builder culture. Leaders still create, not just delegate
• AI-first mindset across engineering and product
• High ownership, high standards, and low bureaucracy
• Opportunity to shape how a platform, and team, evolves from here

This is one of those rare roles where you’re not inheriting legacy systems, you’re helping define the future of a cornerstone data platform, with the autonomy to evolve architecture, team structure, and long-term strategy.

If this sounds like your kind of challenge, feel free to reach out directly or apply here.