Senior Director, Software Engineering - Data Streaming Platforms & Operational DBs

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Pahokee (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Nike is seeking a senior engineering leader to set strategy, engineering, and operations for data streaming, data integration, and operational database platforms that support critical business experiences across commerce, supply chain, marketing, corporate function, and product innovation.

The leader will partner across Platform Engineering, Global Technology, Product, Architecture, Security, Data & AI, and domain teams to build secure, resilient, and cost-effective platforms that accelerate the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• 12+ years in software, platform or data infrastructure engineering.
• 5+ years leading engineering organisations in global/matrixed environments.
• Experience with distributed systems and real-time data platforms.
• Knowledge of streaming architectures and data contracts.
• Experience delivering cloud-native platforms with automation and security.
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the data streaming, data integration, and operational database platforms strategy.
• Define multi-year roadmaps and modernise platforms for availability and resilience.
• Establish standards for event-driven architecture, data contracts, and security.
• Reduce complexity by consolidating capabilities and retiring legacy solutions.
• Drive self-service, automation, and developer productivity across teams.
• Own reliability, risk reduction, vendor strategy, and total cost of ownership.
• Build and develop a diverse engineering leadership organization across geographies.
• Communicate strategy, risks, and business impact to executives.

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, or related field

12+ years of experience in software, platform, or data infrastructure engineering

5+ years leading engineering organisations in global/matrixed environments

Strong knowledge of streaming and messaging architectures (Kafka)

Relational and NoSQL databases, multi-region design

Cloud-native platforms, automation, IaC, security and resilience

Executive communication and stakeholder management

Tools

Kafka

Cloud platforms

Streaming/data integration

Job description

About the Role

The role sets the strategy, engineering, and operations for Nike's data streaming, data integration, and operational database platforms, which support critical business experiences across commerce, supply chain, marketing, corporate function, and product innovation. The leader will lead through leaders, influence across Nike, and build secure, resilient, and cost-effective platforms that accelerate the business. The role partners across Platform Engineering, Global Technology, Product, Architecture, Security, Data and AI, and business-domain engineering teams, including engineering and SRE, product and programme leaders, domain teams, governance and security functions, and strategic technology vendors.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead through leaders, influence across Nike, and build secure, resilient, and cost-effective platforms that accelerate the business.
• Define the multi-year strategy and roadmap for data streaming, data integration, and operational database platforms.
• Modernise platforms toward highly available, multi-region, resilient, and operationally excellent services.
• Establish standards for event-driven architecture, streaming, schema and data contracts, replication, performance, security, and disaster recovery.
• Simplify the technology landscape by consolidating foundational capabilities and retiring legacy solutions.
• Drive self-service experiences, automation, developer productivity, and adoption across Nike engineering teams.
• Own reliability, operational readiness, risk reduction, vendor strategy, and total cost of ownership.
• Build and develop a diverse, high-performing organisation of engineering leaders and teams across geographies.
• Communicate strategy, trade-offs, risks, and business impact to senior executives and stakeholders.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, or a related field; will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
• 12+ years of experience in software, platform, or data infrastructure engineering.
• 5+ years leading engineering organisations through managers and senior leaders in global or matrixed environments.
• Deep experience operating distributed systems, real-time data platforms, and high-volume transaction-processing environments.
• Strong knowledge of streaming and messaging architectures, Kafka-based platforms, stream processing, schema management, data contracts, and replication.
• Strong knowledge of Relational and NoSQL databases, including scaling, performance, partitioning, backup, recovery, and multi-region design.
• Experience delivering cloud-native platforms with automation, infrastructure-as-code, security, and resilience practices.
• Demonstrated ability to define strategy, make architecture trade-offs, drive modernisation, and connect technology decisions to business outcomes.
• Experience with enterprise security, privacy, risk management, vendor relationships, and financial stewardship.
• Excellent executive communication, facilitation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strategic leadership and a track record of delivering results at enterprise scale.
• Builder-operator mindset with strong technical judgment.
• Ability to lead through leaders, build organisational capability, and establish accountability.
• Ability to influence across organisational boundaries and drive collective decisions.
• Strong business acumen, executive presence, and change leadership.

Preferred Skills

• Advanced degree in computer science, software engineering, or information systems.

The Application Process

Accommodations are available to complete the interview process, including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. Candidates who need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability during the application process can complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.