Manager, Data Platform Engineering

Strata Decision Technology, LLC in; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 155,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Strata Decision Technology, LLC in Chicago, IL seeks a hands-on Manager of Data Platform Engineering to lead our Snowflake-centric data platform. You will design, automate, operate, and troubleshoot critical components, owning Snowflake architecture and PostgreSQL oversight while mentoring a small team.

You will drive security, governance, access control, and cost efficiency, partnering with Security and Infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Deep Snowflake expertise across administration, security, performance, cost and automation.
• Strong SQL skills and experience troubleshooting complex data workloads.
• Experience implementing least-privilege access, service identities, credentials management and auditing.
• Strong AWS experience and understanding of cloud infrastructure for data platforms.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred), Python or similar automation languages, and Git-based CI/CD.
• Experience working with dbt or similar data-transformation tooling.
• Working knowledge of PostgreSQL or strong relational database fundamentals.
• Experience supporting production systems and incident response.

Responsibilities

• Own Snowflake architecture, roadmap, administration, and engineering standards.
• Configure and operate Snowflake compute, storage, networking, integrations, and platform services.
• Create reusable patterns, automation, and guardrails for safe, efficient delivery.
• Oversee AWS RDS PostgreSQL configuration, security, backup, and recovery for product applications.
• Design and automate least-privilege security and access controls, including RBAC, service identities, credentials, and auditing.
• Improve auditability of platform access, admin activity, and policy compliance.
• Own Snowflake performance and cost management, optimizing warehouse sizing, workloads, concurrency, and configuration.
• Build automation with SQL, Python, and APIs to improve reliability and self-service.
• Maintain Git-based CI/CD practices for platform configuration and deployment.
• Establish standards for dbt and related data-platform technologies.
• Lead a small team of database and platform professionals.

Skills

Snowflake

SQL skills

AWS

Terraform

dbt

Python

Git CI/CD

PostgreSQL

Security governance

Data platforms

Tools

Terraform

Satori

dbt

Git

Python

Job description

As the Manager of Data Platform Engineering, you will lead the platforms that power our data and analytics capabilities, with Snowflake at the center. This is a hands‑on leadership role. You will lead a small team while personally designing, automating, operating, and troubleshooting critical platform components. You will own Snowflake architecture and operations across security, governance, administration, reliability, performance, and cost, while providing operational oversight for PostgreSQL.

Own and Evolve the Data Platform

• Own Snowflake architecture, roadmap, administration, and engineering standards.
• Configure and operate Snowflake compute, storage, networking, integrations, and platform services.
• Create reusable patterns, automation, and guardrails that enable teams to deliver safely and efficiently.
• Oversee AWS RDS PostgreSQL configuration, security, backup, and recovery for product applications.

Strengthen Security, Governance, and Access

• Design and automate least-privilege security and access controls, including RBAC, service identities, credentials, privileged access, and the access lifecycle.
• Improve access-management tools, including Satori and internal solutions.
• Partner with Security and Infrastructure to align Snowflake and PostgreSQL with enterprise requirements.
• Improve auditability of platform access, administrative activity, and policy compliance.

Drive Performance and Cost Efficiency

• Own Snowflake performance and cost management, optimizing warehouse sizing, workloads, concurrency, storage, and configuration.
• Diagnose complex query and workload performance issues with engineering teams.
• Implement monitoring, alerting, resource controls, cost attribution, and platform health metrics.

Build Automation and Engineering Practices

• Use Infrastructure as Code, including Terraform, to make platform configuration repeatable, reviewable, and auditable.
• Build automation with SQL, Python, and APIs to reduce manual administration and improve reliability and self-service.
• Maintain Git-based CI/CD practices for platform configuration and deployment.
• Establish practical standards for dbt and related data-platform technologies.
• Maintain operational tooling, documentation, and runbooks.

Lead While Staying Hands-On

• Lead, mentor, and develop a small team of database and platform professionals.
• Set technical direction and priorities while remaining directly involved in architecture, implementation, and troubleshooting.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex production issues and participate in a shared on-call model.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives through direct ownership and influence.
• Contribute to hiring and team development.

Drive Improvement and Modernization

• Identifyopportunities to improve scalability, efficiency, and cost
• Support adoption of Snowflake, Microsoft Fabric, and modern data tools
• Partner to enable analytics, ML, and AI workloads
• Promote automation and standardization

Whatwe’relooking for:

• Deep hands‑on Snowflake expertise across administration, security, performance, cost optimization, automation, and production architecture.
• Strong SQL skills and demonstrated experience troubleshooting and optimizing complex data workloads.
• Experience implementing least-privilege access, service identities, privileged access, credential management, access lifecycle controls, and auditing.
• Strong AWS experience and an understanding of the cloud infrastructure and security concepts surrounding modern data platforms.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform preferred), Python or similar automation languages, and Git-based CI/CD.
• Experience working with dbt or similar modern data-transformation tooling.
• Working knowledge of PostgreSQL or strong relational database fundamentals.
• Experience supporting production systems and participating in incident response and operational troubleshooting.
• Ability to set technical direction, implement solutions, and lead technical professionals.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and influence across engineering teams.
• Sound judgment balancing security, reliability, performance, cost, and productivity.

You’d really wow us if you have:

• Experience with Satori or similar data access-management and security platforms.
• Experience with legacy SQL Server environments.
• Experience supporting data platforms used for analytics, machine learning, or AI workloads.
• Experience moving manually administered infrastructure toward automated self-service.

Estimated Salary Range: $155,000 - $175,000

Actual salary will be determined based on factors including, but not limited to, skill set and level of experience. This salary range is a good faith estimate of base pay. Strata also provides discretionary variable pay programs based on role. In addition, Strata provides a comprehensive benefits package including retirement benefits, health and welfare benefits, paid time off, parental leave, life and accident insurance, and other voluntary and well‑being benefits.

Find out more about Strata benefits here .

How we work:
Our preferred location for open roles is Chicago, IL. We value in‑person connection and regularly host on‑campus events to create meaningful opportunities for our team to build relationships and collaborate

Here @ Strata…
Our culture is driven by our people solving problems together. We embrace learning, collaboration, and continuous career growth. Together, we lift our customers, our products, our company, and our community.

We believe that each of our team member’s unique perspectives and experiences is what drives innovation and positive change. Our individual differences are what make us a more forward-thinking organization. We foster a culture of inclusion, equity and belonging, regardless of race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.
Our Core Values:
While we celebrate what makes each member of our team unique, our core values are what connect us. They set clear expectations for how we approach our work and how each of us can positively influence the experience of our team and our customers.

• We connect with positive intent.
• We are helpful.
• We own it.
• We are humble.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Strata Decision Technology’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A “disabled veteran” is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A “recently separated veteran” means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An “active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran” means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An “Armed forces service medal veteran” means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.