Head of Data Engineering & Platform

Mercury•Portland, OR

3h•$289,700 - $362,100

About The Position

In the early 1970s, Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie built Unix around a deceptively simple idea: create small, composable tools that work well together. That philosophy went on to shape modern operating systems, developer tooling, cloud infrastructure, and much of the software we rely on today—not because any individual tool was revolutionary, but because the platform made everyone else more productive. We're looking for a Head of Data Engineering & Platform who can build the data platform that gives Mercury that same leverage—creating a foundation where trusted data is easy for both people and AI systems to discover, understand, and work with. In this role, you'll lead and grow a high-performing team of data engineers responsible for Mercury's core data infrastructure. You'll shape the architecture, tooling, and engineering practices that enable reliable analytics, accelerate product development, and enable the next generation of AI-powered products and internal tools. Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

Requirements

10+ years of relevant experience, including 5+ years leading data or engineering teams
Architected modern data platforms at scale, building the data foundations, semantic layers, metadata, and platform capabilities that power analytics, AI, machine learning, and operational systems
Technical judgment and organizational influence to evolve data architecture through periods of rapid growth, balancing long-term, well-governed platform investments with near-term product needs
Deep expertise in modern data infrastructure, including data modeling, orchestration, streaming, storage systems, metadata, and governance
Experience partnering with Security, Legal, Compliance, and Privacy teams to ensure data platforms meet the privacy, security, and regulatory standards expected of a regulated financial institution

Responsibilities

Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team of senior data and analytics engineers responsible for Mercury's core data infrastructure, setting a high technical bar and cultivating a strong engineering culture
Define and execute Mercury's long-term data platform strategy, building the architecture, tooling, and reusable data products that power analytics, AI, operational systems, and self-service across the company
Build a platform that makes Mercury's data easy for both people and AI systems to discover, understand, and use, investing in semantic models, metadata, and developer tooling that make trusted data reusable across the company
Establish the foundations for a trusted, resilient data platform by driving best practices for reliability, observability, data quality, governance, privacy, security, and regulatory compliance
Partner closely with Engineering, Product, Data Science, Security, and Infrastructure leaders to ensure Mercury's data platform accelerates product development, business operations, and decision-making