director, engineering – Data Governance & AI Experience

Now Brewing – director, engineering (Data Governance & AI Experience)

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company - one that celebrates connection and innovation. We’re looking for a Director of Engineering to lead the next generation of enterprise data platforms and AI-ready systems, shaping how data is governed, discovered, and activated across the company.

This role will define and scale critical capabilities across data governance, catalog, semantic layer, metadata, and AI data readiness, powering intuitive, self-serve experiences such as natural language to SQL and data exploration.

You’ll lead a multi-layered engineering organization (engineering managers, data engineers, ML engineers, and contractors) to deliver high-impact, scalable platforms that unify data, AI, and user experience.

As a director, engineering, you will…

Governance & Architecture Leadership

Own the vision, architecture, and execution of enterprise data platform capabilities, including:

Data governance & stewardship frameworks

Enterprise data catalog & discovery

Semantic layer and context modeling

Metadata management & lineage systems

AI-ready data pipelines and feature readiness

Build a cohesive data & AI experience layer enabling self-serve analytics and intelligent applications

Drive development of natural language to SQL and conversational data interfaces

AI & Data Experience Innovation

Enable agent-driven and AI-assisted data interactions, accelerating decision-making across partners and leadership

Partner with data science teams to operationalize ML-ready datasets, feature stores, and experimentation platforms

Modernize data access patterns to support self-service at scale while maintaining governance and trust

Engineering Execution & Scale

Lead multiple engineering managers and distributed teams (onshore/offshore, FTE + contract)

Drive delivery of scalable, reliable platforms supporting enterprise-wide data usage

Establish engineering standards for performance, reliability, observability, and data quality

Governance, Trust & Compliance

Operationalize data governance policies, controls, and standards across all platforms

Ensure alignment with privacy, security, and regulatory requirements

Balance self-service access with enterprise-grade data controls

Cross-Functional Leadership

Partner with data science, product, analytics, and business leaders to translate needs into scalable platform capabilities

Drive alignment across data platform, BI, and AI initiatives to reduce fragmentation

Influence senior leadership with clear articulation of technical strategy and business value

Talent & Organization

Build and scale a high-performing org of engineering managers and senior ICs

Lead globally distributed teams, including onshore/offshore engineering and vendors

Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous improvement

We’d love to hear from leaders who…

Have deep expertise in data platforms, governance, metadata, and semantic modeling

Have built self-service data ecosystems with strong adoption across business users

Understand both AI/ML lifecycle needs and enterprise data architecture

Have delivered platforms enabling natural language querying, data discovery, and analytics democratization

Can integrate fragmented data systems into unified, scalable architectures

Basic Qualifications

12+ years in data/platform/software engineering

5+ years leading engineering managers and large distributed teams

Proven experience building enterprise-scale data platforms (governance, catalog, semantic layer)

Hands-on expertise with modern data stacks (cloud, batch/streaming, metadata systems)

Strong executive communication and stakeholder alignment skills

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with AI-driven data platforms, LLM-powered interfaces, or agent frameworks

Experience delivering natural language to SQL or conversational analytics solutions

Deep understanding of data governance, lineage, and compliance frameworks

Experience in retail, supply chain, or high-scale operational environments

Demonstrated track record of driving enterprise transformation and platform adoption

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at applicantaccommodation@starbucks.com or 1(888) 611-2258.