Ookla · 1 week ago
Director of Engineering - Data Access, Applications
Memphis, Tennessee
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$175K/yr - $213K/yr
10+ years expOokla is a global leader in connectivity intelligence, offering unparalleled network insights. They are seeking a Director of Engineering to lead their Data Access team, responsible for overseeing backend and data engineers and driving technical strategy for data access and infrastructure.
AnalyticsDatabaseInformation TechnologyIntelligent SystemsInternetLocation Based ServicesTelecommunications
Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 10+ engineers across backend (Go, Node.js) and data engineering disciplines
Define and execute technical strategy for our data access layer, including APIs, data pipelines, and orchestration systems
Drive architectural decisions for high-throughput APIs serving analytical workloads, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance
Partner closely with product management and frontend/web application engineering teams to deliver seamless data experiences for customers
Oversee the operation and evolution of our data orchestration systems (Airflow, Dagster) and analytical databases (SingleStore)
Lead development of geospatial data systems and APIs, supporting location-based analytics and network intelligence features
Build operational excellence through observability, data quality frameworks, and incident management practices
Manage team planning, roadmaps, and delivery across a portfolio of data products and infrastructure initiatives
Foster a culture of technical excellence, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement
Collaborate with platform teams on data architecture evolution (S3, Athena, lakehouse patterns)
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, or Engineering
10+ years of software engineering experience with 4+ years in engineering management roles
Experience leading teams of 10 or more engineers, ideally managing both backend and data engineering functions
Strong technical background in API development and distributed systems architecture
Deep understanding of data pipeline orchestration tools (Airflow, Dagster, etc.) and their operational patterns
Experience designing APIs over analytical data stores, managing schema evolution and versioning at scale
Solid grasp of data engineering fundamentals: streaming systems, data storage formats, query optimization, and data quality
Familiarity with Go and/or Node.js in production environments (hands-on experience preferred)
Understanding of analytical databases and query engines (SingleStore, ClickHouse, Athena, Presto, Snowflake)
Experience with geospatial data systems, spatial indexing, and location-based query optimization (PostGIS, H3, geohashing)
Experience with cloud-native architectures on AWS, including data lake patterns and modern storage layers (S3, Iceberg, Parquet)
Knowledge of observability, monitoring, and reliability engineering practices for data-intensive systems
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
Strong strategic thinking with ability to balance short-term delivery and long-term technical investment
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Life and disability benefits
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
401(k) with company match
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Flexible Time Off
Volunteer Time Off
Paid holidays
Family building and caregiving support
Generous Family Care and Parental leave
Fitness Reimbursement
Access to wellness programs
Employee Resource Groups
Company-sponsored events
Regular opportunities for professional growth through educational support
Mentorship programs
Career development resources
Employee engagement programs
Recognition awards
Company
Ookla
Ookla is the global leader in internet testing, data and analysis.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Bryan Darr
EVP, Smart Communities
Chip Strange
Chief Strategy Officer
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