Data Engineering Manager

Summary

Join Niche as a Manager, Data Engineering and lead a team of data engineers in building and scaling our modern data platform. You will drive execution of the data product roadmap, mentor engineers, and foster a strong engineering culture. This leadership role demands both technical expertise and the ability to empower others. You'll report to the Head of Data Engineering and be responsible for overseeing the design, development, and maintenance of data pipelines and warehouse layers. The role involves collaboration with cross-functional partners and ensuring operational excellence. You will also participate in hiring and onboarding new team members.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in data engineering, with 1–2 years of team leadership experience
• Proven experience in managing and mentoring data engineers
• Deep knowledge of modern data platforms (Snowflake, DBT, Airflow, Airbyte, RudderStack, Kafka, etc.)
• Strong skills in Python, SQL, and data modeling (3NF, dimensional, data vault)
• Experience delivering robust, observable, secure, and scalable data pipelines
• Familiarity with Agile product delivery and cross-functional collaboration
• Strong communication skills and a bias for clarity and action

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of 3-5 data/software engineers to execute on the data product roadmap
• Oversee the design, development, and maintenance of scalable, secure, and observable data pipelines and warehouse layers using Python, SQL, Snowflake, DBT, Airflow, and Kafka to support content delivery, analytics, reporting, and operational systems
• Drive a strong execution culture by managing sprint planning, work estimation, standups, and retrospectives
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners in Analytics, Product, and Engineering to understand data requirements and deliver solutions aligned with business priorities
• Ensure operational excellence by guiding the team on monitoring, troubleshooting, and resolving production issues
• Implement and uphold engineering best practices including testing, CI/CD, code reviews, and documentation
• Coach and mentor team members on technical execution, communication, and career development
• Identify and remove process bottlenecks to improve development velocity, delivery quality, system performance, and overall cost efficiency across the data platform
• Participate in hiring efforts and help onboard new team members
• Lead team rituals (standups, planning, retros) with consistency and clarity
• Oversee day-to-day execution of data platform and pipeline projects
• Partner with stakeholders across Analytics, Product, and Engineering to align priorities
• Begin coaching team members on execution, communication, and growth areas
• Drive accountability and delivery for key roadmap initiatives
• Identify and resolve process bottlenecks; promote technical best practices
• Guide the team on data quality, pipeline reliability, and operational excellence
• Participate in hiring and onboarding new engineers
• Demonstrate measurable impact on platform scalability, data availability, and team performance
• Evolve team structure, goals, and operating model to meet growing business needs
• Serve as a strategic partner across Niche to improve how data is acquired, transformed, governed, and delivered

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience of the ingestion and processing of third-party data sources (e.g., CRMs, Google Analytics, ad platforms, social media), lead delivery pipelines, marketing attribution, customer segmentation, and personalized user experiences
• Exposure to data monetization / licensing, or external data product delivery
• Background in working with external datasets or geospatial data
• Demonstrated success in fostering a high-performing, inclusive team culture

Benefits

• Full time, salaried position with competitive compensation in a fast-growing company
• Best-in-class 100% paid employee health plan, including vision and dental and supplemental coverage
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Stipend that allows you to build your work from home office in a style and function that suits your personal preferences
• Parental leave for all employees (12 weeks fully paid) in addition to short term disability for birthing parents
• Meaningful 401(k) with employer match
• We are a fully flexible workforce empowering our employees to choose to work remotely, in our Pittsburgh office or whatever combination suits you