Engineering Manager - Data Platform & Analytics (Databricks)

Fluent, LLC

16h • $160,000 - $225,000 • Remote

About The Position

Fluent is building the next-generation advertising network, Partner Monetize & Advertiser Acquisition. Our vision is to build an ML/AI-first network of advertisers and publishers to achieve a common objective — elevating relevancy in E-commerce for everyday shoppers.
As our Engineering Manager - Data Platform & Analytics, you will lead the teams responsible for Fluent's data infrastructure and business intelligence capabilities. You will own the full data lifecycle from ingestion through reporting — managing our Data Engineering team that builds and maintains pipelines, and our Analytics/BI team that transforms data into actionable business insights.
This role combines deep technical platform expertise with business acumen, requiring you to drive our Databricks platform strategy while ensuring the organization has reliable, high-quality data and reporting to make informed decisions.
This role is fully remote in the United States or Canada (Ontario), with occasional travel to NYC.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in Data Engineering or Analytics, with at least 2 years managing or leading teams.
• Deep Databricks expertise: Workflows, Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, and platform administration.
• Strong Spark experience: PySpark, Spark SQL, and understanding of distributed processing internals.
• Business intelligence expertise: dashboard development, KPI frameworks, and analytics tooling (Tableau, Looker, Power BI, or similar).
• Experience with streaming architectures: Kafka, event-driven processing, and real-time pipelines.
• Proven people management skills: hiring, mentoring, performance management, and team development.
• AWS experience: S3, IAM, and cloud infrastructure fundamentals.
• Strong communication skills for partnering with technical and business stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Ad tech or marketing tech data platform experience.
• Experience managing offshore or distributed engineering teams.
• Data governance and cataloging experience.
• Cost optimization experience for cloud data platforms.
• Client-facing analytics and reporting experience.
• Experience with medallion architecture (Bronze/Silver/Gold) patterns.

Responsibilities

• Own Databricks platform strategy: architecture decisions, Unity Catalog migration, cost optimization, and operational excellence.
• Drive data pipeline development: real-time and batch pipelines using PySpark, Spark Structured Streaming, and Delta Lake.
• Establish data quality standards: validation frameworks, monitoring, alerting, and SLA management.
• Partner with Data Architects to translate Enterprise Data Models into performant physical implementations.
• Integrate streaming infrastructure: Kafka-based event-driven ingestion and processing.
• Build reporting capabilities: dashboards, KPIs, and self-service analytics for internal and client-facing use.
• Drive data storytelling: executive presentations, client reporting, and strategic business insights.
• Develop metrics frameworks: campaign performance, audience quality, and platform health KPIs.
• Support ad-hoc analysis for campaign optimization and business questions.
• Lead and grow DE and Analytics teams: hiring, mentoring, performance management, and career development.
• Coordinate with offshore partners to extend team capacity and manage distributed development workflows.
• Partner cross-functionally with Data Science, Product, and Client Success to align data capabilities with business needs.
• Champion engineering best practices: code reviews, CI/CD, testing, documentation, and observability.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Ample career and professional growth opportunities
• New Headquarters with an open floor plan to drive collaboration
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Pre-tax savings plans and transit/parking programs
• 401K with competitive employer match
• Volunteer and philanthropic activities throughout the year
• Educational and social events
• The amazing opportunity to work for a high-flying performance marketing company!

What This Job Offers

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