Director, Data Services

Samba TV • San Francisco, CA

172d • $220,000 - $240,000

About The Position

The Director of Data Services will be a pivotal business and product leader responsible for the entire data lakehouse layer of Samba TV's platform, establishing it as the central, unified data foundation for all product offerings. This role is crucial for integrating and standardizing all Samba data and data policies, ensuring best-in-class data quality, accessibility, and implementation of governance. The Director will also spearhead the incorporation and strategic utilization of new data types, particularly embeddings, to unlock advanced analytics, enhance audience intelligence, and drive innovation across the Plan, Activate, Measure (PAM) framework. This leader will ensure Samba TV maintains its position as a leading data provider, empowering superior outcomes for internal teams and external customers.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data platform management, data architecture, or a related leadership role.
• Deep expertise in data lakehouse architectures, data catalogs, and data orchestration tools.
• Proven experience with AI/ML-driven data initiatives, particularly with embeddings and vector databases.
• Strong understanding of data governance, quality frameworks, and privacy compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional initiatives.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience with identity resolution methodologies and cross-screen data integration is highly desirable.
• Ability to balance strategic long-term vision with immediate operational needs.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the strategic vision, development, and evolution of Samba's unified data lake/lakehouse architecture.
• Drive the consolidation and normalization of diverse data sources to ensure a single, growing dataset.
• Implement an abstract interface for data access, enabling a unified view of all data assets.
• Align data architectures across existing disparate systems and cloud providers.
• Collaborate closely with product and engineering leaders to meet their specific data needs.
• Drive the vectorization of all collected data to create a high-quality embedding space.
• Define strategies for potential externalization of embedding capabilities as a service to partners.
• Partner with VP Data Strategy and Application Product Managers to prioritize new data integrations.
• Establish and enforce company-wide data quality standards and implement automated validation processes.
• Lead the adoption of Unity Catalog as the centralized policy store and data discovery platform.
• Ensure data reliability, accuracy, and completeness by improving data ingestion and management processes.
• Streamline internal data processes to eliminate data silos and inconsistencies.
• Collaborate with the Governance team to ensure all data policies are implemented.
• Continuously optimize server costs and capacity for data storage and processing.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• Wellness offerings
• Life and disability insurance
• Retirement savings plan
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Broadcasting and Content Providers
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees