Principal Engineer, Data Operations

SiriusXM; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 180,800 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

SiriusXM is looking for a Director of Data Operations based in Oakland, California. You will lead a high-performing team of Technical and DataOps Analysts, enabling data-driven decisions and maintaining robust data pipelines.

Your responsibilities include aligning technical execution with product goals, managing large-scale data volumes, and fostering a collaborative team culture. The position requires strong leadership skills and extensive experience in data engineering.

The salary range for this role is between $180,800 and $210,000, depending on your skills and experience.

Qualifications

• 10+ years relevant experience in data operations, data engineering or systems architecture.
• 5+ years of people leadership experience.
• Deep understanding of dimensional modelling and semantic architecture design.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of data operations analysts.
• Oversee implementation and scaling of the semantic layer platform.
• Prioritize team workload across projects.

Skills

Data Operations

Data Engineering

Leadership

Snowflake

DBT

Git

Looker

Tableau

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

DBT

Snowflake

Git

Job description

Who We Are SiriusXM and its brands (Pandora, SiriusXM Media, AdsWizz, Simplecast, and SiriusXM Connect) are leading a new era of audio entertainment and services by delivering the most compelling subscription and ad‑supported audio entertainment experience for listeners – in the car, at home, and anywhere on the go with connected devices. Our vision is to shape the future of audio, where everyone can be effortlessly connected to the voices, stories and music they love wherever they are.

SiriusXM Media is the gateway for marketers to the largest digital audio advertising ecosystem in North America. As the combined advertising revenue organization of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SiriusXM Media spans across leading owned and operated audio platforms Pandora and SiriusXM; innovative ad tech solutions powered by AdsWizz; sonic creative consultancy Studio Resonate; and an extended content network featuring exclusive monetization agreements with Audiochuck, NBCUniversal, SoundCloud, and many more. Reaching more than 150 million listeners each month, SiriusXM Media delivers audiences the tailored brand experiences they crave while putting creators first, making it easy for every marketer to produce, plan, buy and measure across its entire audio universe.

How You’ll Make An Impact

As the Director of Data Operations, you will lead a high‑performing team of Technical Analysts and DataOps Analysts responsible for enabling data‑driven decisions, maintaining robust data pipelines, and aligning technology with business strategy. Your team will be responsible for delivering clean, governed, and performant data models and semantic layers on Snowflake that support business and product KPIs. Your work will directly influence how the organization measures success and drives outcomes.

What You’ll Do

• Manage a team of senior and mid‑level data operations analysts, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and performance management.
• Contribute to talent growth and team development, recruiting and mentoring future data operations and analytics professionals.
• Align technical execution with the product roadmap and vision, ensuring KPI metrics and requirements are well‑defined and actionable.
• Work across a wide range of enterprise data tools and platforms, leveraging transformation technologies like DBT and visualization tools such as Looker and Tableau.
• Oversee implementation and scaling of the semantic layer platform, working cross‑functionally to deliver trusted and accessible data assets.
• Partner with data engineering, product, and analytic teams to ensure solution designs meet evolving business needs and technical scalability.
• Prioritize team workload across projects, balancing tactical delivery with long‑term systems and data platform evolution.
• Establish and enforce technical best practices around dbt, testing frameworks, CI/CD, and Git workflows.
• Review and guide the development of data pipeline requirement documentation, process models, and architectural recommendations.
• Manage and analyze large‑scale data volumes (1+ PB) across complex ecosystems that power streaming, podcasting, satellite, publisher, and advertiser use cases.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop high‑performing teams to foster career growth and professional development.
• Provide constructive feedback, conduct performance reviews, and guide team members in setting and achieving goals.
• Build and maintain an inclusive, collaborative team culture that encourages innovation and accountability.

What You’ll Need

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• 10+ years relevant experience in data operations, data engineering or systems architecture.
• 5+ years of people leadership, with a track record of building, coaching, and scaling high‑performing teams in data or platform environments.
• Strong command of the modern data stack, including Snowflake, dbt, Git, orchestration tools, and semantic layer platforms.
• Proven leadership experience managing cross‑functional analytics teams in an enterprise environment.
• Deep understanding of dimensional modelling, metric standardisation, and semantic architecture design.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a passion for making data accessible and actionable.
• Must have legal right to work in the U.S.

At SiriusXM, we carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including your background and experience. These considerations can cause your compensation to vary. We expect the base salary for this position to be in the range of $180,800 to $210,000 and will depend on your skills, qualifications, and experience. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary short‑term and long‑term incentives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

Our goal at SiriusXM is to provide and maintain a work environment that fosters mutual respect, professionalism and cooperation. SiriusXM is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, age, disability or handicap, sex, gender identity, marital status, familial status, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

The requirements and duties described above may be modified or waived by the Company in its sole discretion without notice.