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Empower · 16 hours ago

Director of Data Engineering (Data Streaming & Platforms)

United States

Full-time

Remote

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$138K/yr - $200K/yr

10+ years exp

Empower is a company focused on transforming financial lives by providing a flexible work environment and celebrating internal mobility. The Director of Data Engineering will lead the Data Streaming Engineering team, overseeing the strategy, delivery, and reliability of the enterprise data engineering platform, while ensuring integration with various data solutions and collaborating with cross-functional partners.

Employee BenefitsNon ProfitSocial

No H1B

Responsibilities

Lead and scale the Data Streaming Engineering organization, including Senior and Lead Data Streaming Engineers

Own the technical vision and roadmap for real-time and CDC pipelines using Kafka and Striim

Define standards for streaming architecture, schema evolution, replayability, observability, and operational readiness

Ensure streaming solutions integrate reliably with Oracle, PostgreSQL, Amazon Redshift, and Snowflake

Partner with Enterprise and Data Architects to influence event-driven and hybrid (batch + streaming) platform designs

Establish approved patterns for: CDC ingestion, Event modeling and contracts, Topic design and retention, Downstream consumption (analytics, APIs, operational systems)

Guide technology selection and evolution across streaming, orchestration, and cloud-native services

Hire, develop, and manage high-performing data streaming and data engineering teams (including distributed and offshore teams where applicable)

Set clear expectations for delivery, quality, reliability, and on-call ownership

Translate business priorities into executable engineering plans and delivery milestones

Provide escalation leadership for complex production incidents related to streaming latency, data correctness, or pipeline failures

Ensure data streaming SLAs/SLOs are defined and met (freshness, latency, completeness)

Oversee integration of testing, monitoring, and alerting into CI/CD and runtime operations

Drive continuous improvement in resiliency, scalability, and cost efficiency of streaming platforms

Collaborate with Analytics, Data Science, Product, and Business stakeholders to align streaming capabilities with business outcomes

Partner with Security, Governance, and Risk teams to ensure data protection, auditability, and compliance

Communicate clearly with senior leadership on roadmap progress, risks, and trade-offs

Qualification

Data Streaming LeadershipKafkaCDC ArchitecturesData Engineering ManagementStriimOracle IntegrationPostgreSQL IntegrationAWS ServicesPythonSQLAgile EnvironmentCommunication SkillsTeam Management

Required

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience

10+ years of post-degree professional experience in data engineering or software engineering

5+ years in engineering leadership roles, including managing senior engineers and technical leads

Proven experience building and operating data streaming platforms at scale

Strong experience with Kafka and/or Striim, including CDC and event-driven architectures

Experience integrating streaming pipelines with Oracle, PostgreSQL, Redshift, and Snowflake

Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts: ordering, fault tolerance, backpressure, and replay

Hands-on familiarity with cloud-based streaming and data services, especially on AWS

Strong Python and SQL skills; ability to review and guide complex code and pipeline designs

Experience with orchestration tools such as Airflow or Argo

Experience with API-based data integrations and vendor data exchange

Knowledge of analytics enablement for BI and downstream consumers

Understanding of core data stewardship processes and data contracts

Demonstrated success hiring, mentoring, and retaining high-performing engineering teams

Strong communication skills to influence architecture and delivery across technical and non-technical stakeholders

Experience operating in fast-paced, Agile delivery environments

Preferred

Prior ownership of a Data Streaming or Event Platform

Experience in financial services or other regulated industries

Experience operating globally distributed engineering teams

Track record of improving platform reliability, observability, and incident response maturity

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision and life insurance

Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup

Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year

Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans

Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year

Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year

Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)

Business Resource Groups (BRGs) – BRGs facilitate inclusion and collaboration across our business internally and throughout the communities where we live, work and play. BRGs are open to all.