Engineering Manager, Data

Commonsku Inc.; Toronto; Remote; CAD 212,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-first culture

Healthcare spending account

RRSP/TFSA contributions

Company-wide summits

HQ in Canada

Job summary

commonsku is seeking an Engineering Manager, Data to lead a talented data team and shape the future of our analytics platform. You will own the data roadmap, drive cross-functional initiatives with Product, Design, and Customer Success, and mentor engineers and analysts to grow their careers while delivering reliable pipelines and actionable insights.

You'll champion data quality, privacy, and observability, explore AI-enabled tooling, and communicate trade-offs clearly with technical and

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data engineering or analytics.
• 2+ years leading engineering teams.
• Strong SQL and data modeling skills.
• Experience building data pipelines and reporting.
• Roadmap planning and cross-functional collaboration.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Own the Data team's roadmap and set priorities with Product and business partners.
• Break down complex projects into milestones for 12-18 month platform needs.
• Mentor and support data engineers and analysts through regular 1:1s and career growth.
• Establish data quality, reliability, and observability standards across pipelines and reporting.
• Act as a technical thought partner, review designs, and ensure data privacy and security.
• Champion agile practices and explore AI tooling within the team for pipelines, analysis, and documentation.
• Communicate progress, risks, and trade-offs to stakeholders in plain language.

Skills

Data engineering/analytics

Team leadership

SQL

Data modeling

Data pipelines

Reporting tools

Roadmap planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Independent work

AI in data workflows

Tools

Snowflake

AI tools

Job description

Ready to help reshape a $26B industry and build the future of branded merch? commonsku is revolutionizing the promotional products industry. Our platform empowers branded merch distributors to work smarter — managing projects, building quotes, placing orders, and collaborating with clients and suppliers seamlessly through the power of the Connected Workflow. We're a remote-first, community-driven team obsessed with elevating our customers, their clients, and the broader industry. Our values – Community First, Ten Steps Ahead, Fast Forward, and Delightful Work – guide us. We believe you can innovate, push forward, and do more, while also sharing a laugh, supporting your colleagues, and having a life outside of work. We're also proud to be officially recognized as a Certified Great Place to Work® in Canada. If you're energized by ambitious work, creative collaboration, and helping to build something great, you'll want to keep reading.

About the Role: Engineering Manager, Data

We're growing — and we're hiring an Engineering Manager, Data to join our Engineering team! In this role, you'll help us build reliable data pipelines, deliver actionable reporting and analytics, and guide the people and technical strategy of our Data team. You'll collaborate closely with teammates across Product Management, Design, Customer Success, and broader engineering teams, contribute to a high-trust environment, and play a direct role in shaping the future of the industry

About You

• A community mindset — You see customers as partners and coworkers as collaborators. You lift others up, always follow through on your commitments, and thrive in a team that does the same. (Community First)
• Momentum and ownership — You act with optimism, take initiative, and turn ideas into results. You move fast and bring others with you. (Fast Forward)
• Vision and boldness — You don't just react — you anticipate. You think big, challenge the status quo, and push the work (and the industry) forward. (Ten Steps Ahead)
• Joy in the craft — You care deeply about what you build and how it makes people feel. You bring thoughtfulness, transparency, and a sparkling sense of humour to the table. (Delightful Work)

What You'll Do

• Own the Data team's roadmap by collaborating with Product Management and business partners to set priorities, clarify requirements, and deliver long-term initiatives.
• Scope and stage complex, cross-functional projects into clear milestones to keep delivery predictable and align with 12-18 month platform needs.
• Lead, mentor, and support a team of data engineers and analysts through regular 1:1s, actionable feedback, and structured career growth.
• Establish standards for data quality, reliability, documentation, and observability across pipelines and reporting to ensure business-wide trust in data.
• Act as a technical thought partner, reviewing designs, applying sound engineering judgment, and setting clear guardrails for data privacy, accuracy, and security.
• Champion agile practices and explore the thoughtful adoption of AI tools within the team for building pipelines, analysis, reporting, and documentation.
• Communicate technical trade-offs, progress, and risks in plain language to technical and non-technical stakeholders across the company.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of hands-on experience in data engineering or analytics, alongside 2+ years of experience leading engineering teams, managing performance, and supporting career growth.
• Solid technical foundation in SQL, data modeling, data pipelines, and reporting tools to effectively review solutions and guide technical direction.
• Demonstrated capability in roadmap planning, project scoping, and cross-functional stakeholder management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of translating complex technical concepts for non-technical partners.
• Comfort working independently and asynchronously, while also prioritizing collaboration and connection with people
• Experience (or excitement for) working with AI and applying AI tools safely and effectively to data workflows
• Bonus: Familiarity with SaaS data architectures, Snowflake, or the promotional products industry

Compensation & Perks

We believe in fair, transparent compensation. Starting salary for this role is $150,000–$170,000, depending on previous experience and skillset, plus a 5% annual bonus opportunity based on company performance. New hires are expected to come in at the midpoint of this range. However, if this role sounds perfect for you and your expectations are outside of this range, we encourage you to apply and let us know in your application about your ideal package. If we agree that it's a good fit, we will have open discussion around what's possible.

• Remote-first culture (with plenty of excellent in-person experiences sprinkled in)
• Company-wide closure between December 25th and January 1st
• Health and dental benefits, including a $1,000 healthcare spending account
• RRSP/TFSA contributions up to $3,000 a year (no employee contribution required!)
• Twice-yearly company wide summits (we call it HQ and you'll love it)
• A delightful team of smart people who are good at what they do

Location

This role is open to candidates eligible to work in Canada, with the exception of Quebec (we're not set up to operate there yet — désolé!). We're remote-first, but if you're based in Toronto, even better. That's where we were founded and where we maintain our HQ today!

A Bit More About Us

commonsku supports hundreds of promotional products distributors and suppliers with technology that drive efficiency, growth, and connection. Our skummunity (commonsku + community = skummunity, get it?) is powered by events, education, and shared knowledge and is core to who we are. We've grown by being "for promo by promo" and now, we're scaling our impact to elevating an entire industry. We'd love your help doing it.

A Note About AI

We use AI every day at commonsku to be faster and better. If you use AI tools to help you draft your resume or cover letter, that's totally fine — just make sure what you submit reflects you. We want to hear your authentic voice, not ChatGPT's.

commonsku is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We're committed to building a diverse team that reflects the skummunity we serve. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities.