Head of Data Engineering

Go Cadre • San Diego, CA

8h • Onsite

About The Position

The Head of Data Engineering will build and lead Cadre AI’s Data Engineering
practice from the ground up. This is a senior, hands-on leadership role
responsible for architecting and scaling multi-tenant Snowflake data warehouse
solutions—both for our internal operations and as a core service offering for
our clients.
You are the technical authority on all things data infrastructure. You work
directly with clients to design cloud-native data platforms, build modern
ELT/ETL pipelines, and establish data governance frameworks. As the practice
grows, you will recruit and mentor a team of data engineers, evolving this
function into a standalone revenue-generating practice within Cadre AI.
You can whiteboard a Snowflake architecture in the morning, pair with engineers
on dbt models in the afternoon, and present a data strategy roadmap to a
client’s leadership team by end of day. That range is the job.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in data engineering, data architecture, or a closely related technical role
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Snowflake as a primary data platform, including advanced features: Snowpark, Snowpipe, Tasks, Streams, and Dynamic Tables
• 3+ years in a client-facing consulting, professional services, or agency environment—you know how to earn trust and deliver under pressure
• Deep expertise in SQL, Python, and modern data transformation tools (dbt strongly preferred)
• Strong experience with cloud platforms—AWS preferred; Azure and GCP also valued—including infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform
• Proven experience designing multi-tenant data architectures with robust access control, data isolation, and cost allocation
• Experience with data pipeline orchestration tools such as Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or Databricks Workflows
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and grow a practice or function from early stage
• Exceptional communication skills—you can present to a C-suite executive and pair with a junior engineer in the same day
• Strong understanding of data governance, data quality frameworks, and regulatory compliance including SOC 2, GDPR, and CCPA

Nice To Haves

• Snowflake SnowPro Advanced certifications (Architect or Data Engineer)
• Experience with Snowflake Cortex AI, Streamlit in Snowflake, and AI/ML data preparation workflows
• Familiarity with complementary platforms: Databricks, Microsoft Fabric, Redshift, or BigQuery
• Experience building data products or analytics-as-a-service offerings for external customers
• Domain experience in mortgage/financial services, IoT, SaaS, or professional services—industries where the data complexity is real
• Experience with real-time data pipelines using Kafka or Kinesis and streaming architectures
• Track record of contributing to the data community through speaking, open-source contributions, or published content
• Experience managing P&L responsibility or practice-level financial metrics in a consulting environment

Responsibilities

• ARCHITECT AND BUILD DATA INFRASTRUCTURE
• LEAD CLIENT DELIVERY AND CONSULTING
• BUILD AND SCALE THE PRACTICE
• DRIVE THOUGHT LEADERSHIP AND ECOSYSTEM PRESENCE

Benefits

• Ground-floor ownership. You build the Data Engineering practice from scratch—the service offering, the team, the methodology. This is yours to define.
• Direct access to leadership. You work alongside the co-founders and have a real seat at the table in shaping company strategy.
• High-impact client work. Diverse engagements across industries with real AI transformation problems. You won’t be maintaining someone else’s legacy stack.
• AI-native culture. We don’t just build AI for clients. We use it to run our own operations. You’ll work with people who are as obsessed with the tools as you are.
• Upside. Competitive compensation with performance-based upside as the practice scales. Early team members share in the success they help create.
• No bureaucracy. Small pods. Clear accountability. The best idea wins, regardless of who says it.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed