VP, Data Platform Engineering

AXS•San Francisco, CA

10h•$366,000 - $400,000•Hybrid

About The Position

AXS is a global leader in live event ticketing and e-commerce, processing more than $4B in annual transactions. Each year, we connect millions of fans with the artists, teams, and experiences they love, powering ticket sales for concerts, festivals, sporting events, and theater at some of the world's most iconic venues. At the forefront of transforming live entertainment through technology, AXS has continuously advanced the industry since our founding in 2011, making it easier than ever to discover events, secure the perfect seats, and enjoy unforgettable live experiences. We are passionate about delivering transformative experiences for our customers. As we accelerate our vision to create a seamless journey around the entire lifecycle of a live event — from discovery and planning to participation and lasting memories — we are seeking a proven data engineering leader to help build the platforms and pipelines that power that future. This is a unique opportunity to shape the data foundation of live entertainment alongside some of the brightest minds in technology and the industry. The Role The Vice President of Data Engineering will lead AXS' global data engineering organization, owning the strategy, architecture, and operation of the data platforms, pipelines, and infrastructure that power personalization, analytics, fraud prevention, pricing, and reporting across the business. This includes our data lake and warehouse, streaming and batch pipelines, data quality and governance practices, and the systems that make trusted, real-time data available to Product, Data Science, Marketing, Finance, and Operations. This leader will define the vision, strategy, and roadmap for AXS' data platform, ensuring it scales reliably with transaction volume while remaining secure, compliant, and cost-effective. They will drive engineering excellence, strengthening execution to deliver high-quality data infrastructure at scale. Success in this role requires close partnership with the SVP of Software Engineering, CTO, Data Science, Product, and business stakeholders, as well as the ability to inspire, grow, and scale a world-class data engineering team. As a visible and influential leader, the VP will foster innovation and technical rigor, ensuring AXS' data infrastructure continues to be a competitive advantage.

Requirements

Proven Leadership: 13+ years in high-growth technology, including 7+ years leading data engineering or data platform teams at scale.
Data at Scale: Experience building and operating high-volume data platforms supporting consumer-facing, e-commerce, or transactional systems.
Strategic Execution: Demonstrated success defining and delivering data platform roadmaps, managing multiple initiatives end-to-end, and scaling data engineering organizations.
Technical Depth: Strong background with modern data stacks — data warehousing (Snowflake, Redshift, or BigQuery), orchestration (Airflow, dbt), streaming/event-driven systems (Kafka, Kinesis), and scalable cloud platforms (preferably AWS).
Data Infrastructure & Reliability: Expertise in data pipeline architecture, data quality frameworks, observability, CI/CD, and SRE practices to ensure high reliability and data trust.
Databases & Storage: Skilled with enterprise and NoSQL databases (Oracle, DynamoDB, Snowflake, etc.) and designing systems for personalization, analytics, and real-time decisioning.
Governance & Compliance: Experience implementing data governance, lineage, and security practices, including compliance with data privacy and payment card standards.
Agile & Operational Excellence: Deep knowledge of Scrum/Kanban with a proven ability to optimize processes, define KPIs, and improve delivery at scale.
Global Team Leadership: Success leading distributed, diverse teams worldwide, building collaborative, innovative, and high-performance cultures.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to partner with Data Science, Product, Engineering, and Business Operations to align data infrastructure with company priorities.
Vendor & Outsourcing Management: Experience managing third-party vendors and outsourcing partnerships, ensuring quality, accountability, and alignment with strategic goals.

Responsibilities

Partner with the CTO and senior engineering leadership to define and advance AXS' data engineering strategy and architecture.
Own the roadmap for data platforms, pipelines, and infrastructure, balancing long-term vision with near-term priorities across analytics, personalization, fraud, and reporting needs.
Oversee the design, build, and operation of scalable data pipelines (batch and real-time) that ingest, transform, and serve data reliably across the business.
Lead the evolution of AXS' data lake/warehouse architecture, ensuring performance, cost efficiency, and reliability at high transaction volume.
Establish and enforce data governance, quality, lineage, and security standards, ensuring compliance with relevant data privacy and payment regulations.
Build and empower a high-performing global data engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Collaborate with Data Science, Product, Ticketing Strategy, Marketing, Finance, AEG, and other partners to ensure the data platform meets evolving analytical and operational needs.
Drive operational effectiveness through best practices, disciplined execution, and process improvements that increase pipeline reliability and reduce data downtime.
Translate business goals into actionable data engineering initiatives, ensuring technical direction supports personalization, growth, and decision-making across the company.
Provide clear communication and progress updates to the CTO and senior leadership.
Manage operating budgets and resources effectively, ensuring financial accountability and sustainable growth.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time
Company-paid basic life insurance + voluntary life options
Parental leave
401(k) plan
Flexible spending and health savings accounts
Wellness offerings
Opportunities for learning and leveling up through training and education reimbursement.
A range of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that foster connection, inclusion, and professional growth.
Access to meaningful volunteer opportunities and community engagement programs to make a positive impact beyond the workplace.