Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Communication Skills, Continuous Improvement, Cross-Functional, Data Quality, Data Science, Engineering Management, Enterprise Architecture, Integrated Circuits (ICs), Leadership, Metadata, Multiplatform/Cross-Platform, Privacy Controls, Regulatory Requirements, Retail, SQL (Structured Query Language), Software Engineering, State Ordinances, Stewardship, Supply Chain, System Integration (SI), Team Lead/Manager, Technical Strategy, Training Data Sets, User Interface/Experience (UI/UX)
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
Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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.
S
Starbucks
Every day, we go to work hoping to do two things: share great coffee with our friends and help make the world a little better. It was true when the first Starbucks opened in 1971, and it’s just as true today.
Back then, the company was a single store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. From just a narrow storefront, Starbucks offered some of the world’s finest fresh-roasted whole bean coffees. The name, inspired by Moby Dick, evoked the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders.
In 1981, Howard Schultz (Starbucks chairman and chief executive officer) had first walked into a Starbucks store. From his first cup of Sumatra, Howard was drawn into Starbucks and joined a year later.
In 1983, Howard traveled to Italy and became captivated with Italian coffee bars and the romance of the coffee experience. He had a vision to bring the Italian coffeehouse tradition back to the United States. A place for conversation and a sense of community. A third place between work and home. He left Starbucks for a short period of time to start his own Il Giornale coffeehouses and returned in August 1987 to purchase Starbucks with the help of local investors.
From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and the rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection.