Director, Data Engineering

Company Description

VERSANT is a leading force in news, sports and entertainment - home to iconic and trusted brands that inspire, inform, and delight audiences. Our unique combination of content, technology and services enriches the cultural fabric, igniting passions, sparking conversations, and connecting people to what they love most.

As an independent, publicly traded company, VERSANT brings together powerhouse cable networks - including USA Network, CNBC, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Golf Channel - with dynamic digital and direct-to-consumer brands such as Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass, and SportsEngine. Together, these businesses reflect our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences across every screen and service.

VERSANT is an industry-changing media company fueled by innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit. With a strong foundation and a forward-looking vision, VERSANT empowers creativity, embraces change, and drives connection in an ever-evolving world.

Job Description

As a Director of Data Engineering, you will be play a pivotal role in the design, development, and implementation of robust data architecture and pipelines that support critical business decisions, analytics, and product development. This role is crucial in creating a connected data ecosystem that unleashes the power of our first party, third party and zero party data to drive innovation and growth. This data ecosystem is at the core of making intelligent customer and business decisions. This role is ideal for a hands-on technical leader who thrives in a fast-paced, media-rich environment and is passionate about driving innovation through data.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead high-performing data engineering squads, setting clear objectives, fostering a collaborative environment, and driving team growth.
• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of scalable data pipelines and architectures across internal, third-party, and cloud-based sources.
• Ensure data accuracy, completeness, and consistency across various sources.
• Collaborate with data scientists and business teams to improve data models that feed business intelligence tools, increasing data accessibility and fostering data-driven decision-making across the organization.
• Implement best practices for data engineering, including performance tuning, monitoring, and documentation.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to improve data engineering capabilities.
• Foster the growth of your team members through coaching, mentorship, and opportunities for technical development.
• Contribute to strategic planning and execution of data initiatives aligned with business goals. Support the VP of Data Engineering in executing the broader data strategy and roadmap.

Qualifications

• The Person Proven experience (6+ years) in data engineering, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Experience with media-specific data platforms, including content management systems, ad tech, and digital media analytics tools.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala for data processing tasks.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure) and cloud data warehouses (e.g., Redshift, Snowflake, Databricks.) Expertise in SQL/ NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB, BigQuery, or similar), and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, etc.).
• Strong background in designing and building complex, high-performance data systems, including data lakes, data warehouses, and real-time data pipelines.
• Proven ability to manage and scale a growing team of data engineers, providing both technical guidance and career development.
• Excellent communication skills to collaborate with other teams and stakeholders. Familiarity with data visualization tools like Tableau or Looker.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization. Experience with machine learning and data science workflows.
• Familiarity with media industry standards and analytics platforms (e.g., Nielsen, comScore, etc.).
• Strong decision-making skills and adaptability to changing circumstances.
• Exposure to agile development practices and project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence)

Additional Informational Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week. Subject to change based on Manager discussion or business need. This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other benefits and perks. Salary range: $165,000 - $210,000 (bonus - long term incentive eligible) Versant Media Sizzle Reel (2025)