Engineering Manager - Data Platform

Spotify; United States; Hybrid; USD 161,000 - 228,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible/hybrid work options

Job summary

Spotify is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a team of six engineers across Europe, setting technical direction for our event delivery and privacy infrastructure while investing deeply in engineers’ growth.

You will own delivery, partner with product, and drive architecture for data systems at scale, fostering ownership and psychological safety while hiring and onboarding new teammates.

Qualifications

• Experience managing teams of senior engineers and understanding people leadership as the primary craft.
• Track record of meaningful development conversations to grow engineers into new roles.
• Comfort with distributed data systems and event-driven architectures at scale.
• Strong communication and accountability for outcomes across time zones.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of six engineers with a focus on coaching and career development.
• Own delivery with clear priorities, healthy execution, and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with product to shape the roadmap for event delivery and privacy infrastructure.
• Set technical strategy and architecture for systems at scale and across the company.
• Foster ownership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across Data Platform and wider engineering to align goals and dependencies.
• Oversee on-call health, reliability, and operations; participate in hiring and onboarding.

Skills

Team leadership

People development

Mentoring engineers

Stakeholder collaboration

Distributed data systems

Job description

Within the Data Platform studio, we own two critical pillars: our event delivery platform that collects trillions of events per day from producers to consumers, and another, which handles the pseudonymisation of data so the company can use data responsibly and in compliance with privacy regulations. These systems sit at the heart of the company's data collection and are used by hundreds of teams across the company.

We're looking for an Engineering Manager to lead a team of six experienced engineers distributed across Europe. You'll set the technical direction, ensure the team delivers high-impact work, and - just as importantly - invest deeply in the growth and careers of your engineers. If you're energised by both the technical challenges of large-scale data systems and the human side of building a high-performing team, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and develop a team of six experienced engineers, with a strong focus on coaching, career development, and creating an environment where people do the best work of their careers.
• Take accountability for the team's delivery, ensuring clear priorities, healthy execution, and measurable outcomes.
• Partner with product and stakeholders to shape the roadmap for event delivery and privacy infrastructure.
• Drive technical strategy and architectural decisions for systems operating at the company scale.
• Build a culture of ownership, psychological safety, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across Data Platform and the wider engineering organisation to align on shared goals and dependencies.
• Manage on-call health, operational excellence, and reliability for the team's services.
• Actively participate in hiring, onboarding, and growing the team's capabilities.

Who You Are

• You have experience managing teams of senior/experienced engineers and understand that people leadership is your primary craft, not a side responsibility.
• You have a track record of investing in engineers' careers - running meaningful development conversations, helping people grow into new roles, and creating clarity around expectations and progression.
• You're comfortable with distributed data systems, event-driven architectures, or data infrastructure at scale - you don't need to write the code, but you can engage credibly in technical discussions and unblock your team.
• You hold yourself and your team accountable for outcomes, not just activity.
• You communicate clearly and build trust across functions and time zones.
• You've worked with distributed teams and understand how to create cohesion and inclusion when people aren't in the same room.
• You're excited about the potential of AI and LLMs to transform how engineering teams work - whether that's accelerating development workflows, rethinking how data infrastructure is built and operated, or helping your team adopt AI-assisted tooling effectively.

Where You’ll Be

• This role is based in London.
• We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! There will be some in person meetings, but still allows for flexibility to work from home.

CompensationAdditional Informationthe company is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at the company for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.

At the company, we are passionate about inclusivity and making sure our entire recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We have ways to request reasonable accommodations during the interview process and help assist in what you need. If you need accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know - we’re here to support you in any way we can.