Director of Data Engineering

Job Description

Packback is an AI-powered learning platform that helps students write, think, and engage more deeply by transforming every assignment into an active, curiosity-driven learning experience.

Packback is looking for a strategic and hands-on Director of Data Engineering to evolve and maintain the data infrastructure that powers the Packback business. In this role, you will empower teams with the data, systems, and clarity they need. You will own our data ecosystem; from ETL pipelines to the Data Warehouse and Reverse ETL workflows. Success looks like our RevOps, Sales, Marketing, and Product teams operating on a "Single Source of Truth" and fully understanding what the data means through clear, compelling data narratives.

Reporting directly to the VP of Engineering, you will own software development best-practices (CI/CD, testing, observability) in the data domain. You will manage a lean, high-performing team of two, acting as a "player-coach" who can both guide a multi-year architecture strategy and provide meaningful feedback on code review.

What you'll do

• Architecture & Technical Strategy
• Infrastructure Ownership: Architect and maintain the company's data infrastructure. Define the strategy for storing unstructured data (logs, events) and structured business data. Oversee the design of robust, scalable ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Stack Evolution: Manage the modern data stack (i.e., dbt, Airflow, BigQuery). Balance "build vs. buy" decisions to maximize team efficiency.
• Data Trust: Uphold Data Observability tools and SLAs. Be accountable for the reliability of our pipelines and data, and communicate proactively with stakeholders regarding data freshness and quality.
• Operational Analytics: Define and own a "Reverse ETL" strategy to push enriched data back into operational tools (Salesforce, HubSpot, Gong), empowering frontline teams with actionable insights.
• Team Leadership & Management
• Player-Coach Mentorship: Manage, mentor, and foster the career growth of a Data Engineer (focused on infrastructure/ingestion) and an Analytics Engineer (focused on modeling/semantics).
• Code Excellence: Set standards for code quality. Conduct code reviews for Python (pipelines) and SQL (models). Enforce the use of version control, automated testing, and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform).
• Roadmap and Project Management: Own sprint planning, roadmap planning, and delivery predictability for the data team. Ensure projects are scoped, estimated, resourced, and executed with clear timelines, milestones, and stakeholder communication.
• Stakeholder Partnership
• Data Storytelling: Translate complex metrics and model outputs into clear narratives and visuals that help executives and go-to-market teams quickly understand performance, root causes, and recommended actions.
• Strategic Alignment: Partner closely across the organization to translate business goals (e.g., "Increase Net Revenue Retention") into technical data requirements and deliver narratives that frame the ‘why’ behind revenue trends.
• Data Democratization: Drive internal enablement by developing customized training programs (e.g., Talent LMS courses, virtual workshops) and hosting regular office hours to upskill business teams on data self-service and best practices.

Qualifications

Technical Competencies

• Engineering Background: 7+ years of experience in Data Engineering or Software Engineering, with at least 2+ years in a technical leadership role (Lead, Manager).
• Pipeline Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of Python and SQL. Deep experience with workflow orchestration tools.
• Modern Data Stack: Proven experience designing and managing cloud data warehouses and transformation layers. Our tech stack is Stitch, dbt, Airflow, BigQuery, and Lightdash, but we care more about relevant experience than specific tools.
• RevOps Fluency: Familiarity with the schemas and data quirks of major SaaS platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Gong, Stripe, etc.) Understanding of revenue metrics (ARR, ACV, churn).

Leadership & Soft Skills

• High Agency: Ability to operate with autonomy. You identify architectural gaps and fix them without waiting for permission.
• Translator: Ability to explain complex technical trade-offs (e.g., "Eventual Consistency") to non-technical business stakeholders.
• Pragmatism: You know when to build a "Gold Standard" pipeline and when a "Minimum Viable Product" is sufficient. You prioritize business value over over-engineering.

Additional Information:

• Sponsorship: Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S without the need for sponsorship. Packback does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.
• Location: Currently we are only able to hire from these states: AL, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KY, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, RI, SC, TX, VA, WA, and WI
• Salary: $175,000–$195,000, based on experience, with an annual bonus target of 20%

Who we are

Packback team members are passionate, mission-driven lifelong learners. Many of us spent time as educators in classrooms and have experienced first hand just how draining the day to day of educating can be. We have seen the gap between the most and least prepared students grow wider every year. The pressure to close that gap has once rested directly on our shoulders, and we understand the enormous cost of addressing that gap, and also not addressing that gap.

Some of us were intrinsically motivated students, the “teacher’s pets” who never want to stop learning. Some of us were the distracted or unmotivated students who wished their instructors would have adopted the pedagogy behind Packback. But all of us share a passionate commitment to our purpose.

Why work at Packback?

Build a meaningful career while building the future of education as a part of a company culture that fosters the growth, safety, and creativity of its employees.

Intentional Culture

Packback knows that the single most important part of any company is its people. We take building and maintaining a conscious and intentional culture of open communication, curiosity, and leadership extremely seriously. We collectively commit to make Packback a safe environment where people can focus on doing great work instead of dealing with drama.

Career Development

Packback’s career development paths present a unique balance between clarity and guidance around defined paths, and room for our team to create their own path. Each team has its own career development tracks with support and training, and still allow for customization of these paths to create a role where a team member’s full passions and abilities are put to use!

Thoughtful Benefits

• 12 weeks of paid leave for welcoming new children
• Multiple Health and Welfare Benefit Options (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• 401k plan (with employer matching)
• Flexible + Remote Work Opportunities
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Employer Assistance Program (EAP)
• Calm and DoorDash subscriptions