Director, Software Engineering, Self-service Operational Analytics and Reporting - ITC

WHO WE ARE:

The Self-Service Operational Analytics and Reporting team plays a key role in the overall Nike Technology organization, specifically the AI, Platform Engineering and Development Experience Team. This team is tasked with delivering self-service analytics to the business end user. Databricks provides the foundation layer, the semantic layer is PowerBI with Analytics being provided by multiple technologies.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

The candidate needs to have an excellent background in Data and Software Engineering coupled with strong leadership and people management skills. The foundation layer is built in Databricks and the Director to expected to lead the enterprise data and analytics strategy. The candidate will oversee scalable data architecture, governance, and advanced self-service analytics initiatives. Success requires hands-on exposure to the Databricks environment (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, Workspace, Spark and Genie Code) to drive machine learning, pipeline optimization, and cross-functional cloud-native data solutions to ultimately deliver business end users the ability to self-generate, appropriate analytics.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

The Director will manage multiple squads working in an Agile and Lean Software Engineering environment with a significant emphasis on Excellence in Engineering. They will manage multiple squads and report to the Senior Director. They will work with their respective squads and across multiple partners within the Technology organization, as required, to ensure solutions are both functionally and non-functionally, best in class. Finally, they will manage support engineers for L1/L2 incident management.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

• 15+ years leading engineering teams, including 3+ years at Director level managing managers or senior ICs.
• Proven experience building and scaling engineering teams, including hiring and retaining senior talent.
• Proven ability to translate multi-year strategy into squad-level roadmaps with measurable OKRs and clear dependency management across the stack.
• Strong experience co-owning global platforms with distributed teams, driving alignment on priorities, architectural decisions, and operating model without escalation dependency.
• Experience in Agile/DevOps environments with CI/CD and SLO-driven operations
• Deliver Business Outcomes: Own the delivery of product, analytics, reporting, or service
• outcomes - not just the activity. Partner with the Technical Product Management group, set clear goals, manage dependencies, and make trade-offs that optimize for Nike’s business value.
• Build and Grow Talent: Hire, develop, coach, and retain high-performing engineers and
• managers. Run calibration, feedback, performance management, and succession planning
• with rigor and care.
• Set a high technical bar: Be accountable for engineering excellence, quality,
• reliability, security, and cost of what your team ships. Directors are expected to
• be technically credible - not hands-on-keyboard in the same way as Individual Contributors, but deep enough to ask the right questions and protect the bar.
• Champion Operational and Engineering Excellence: Ensure services have SLOs, incident management discipline, and a durable improvement cycle.
• Align With Strategy: Translate Nike Technology strategy into team goals, measurable
• roadmaps, and resourcing plans. Keep the team connected to the business “why,” not just the engineering “how.”
• Communication and Influence: Written and verbal - crisp in 1:1s, effective in all-
• hands, credible in executive forums.
• AI Fluency: Confident, responsible leadership around AI-assisted engineering and AI-
• based products.
• Further the candidate will be expected to have some or all of below:
• Data Management: Proven experience working across multiple databases and data warehouses, specifically Databricks, Snowflake, Teradata, SQL Server, and Oracle.
• Business Intelligence: Strong background in visualization and analytics platforms like Tableau, Cognos, ThoughtSpot, and Alteryx, with enterprise-level experience using PowerBI as the core semantic layer.
• Technical Skills: Ability to understand and interface with Python and SQL code to guide technical teams, without the expectation of hands-on, individual contributor delivery.
• Education: Minimum of a bachelor’s degree (Master's degree preferred) in a relevant field.
• Certifications: Relevant industry certifications and functional credentials are highly valued.

YOUR RESONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Hire, Lead and mature two to three data and software engineering squads, managing managers, principal engineers, and senior engineers.
• Define technical direction and create a culture of Excellence in Engineering within the ITC.
• Drive multi-year platform roadmap and translate strategy into quarterly execution plans and OKRs.
• Own and drive the strategy around Self-service Analytics and Reporting.
• Create business value for our customers.
• Ensure platform reliability, scalability, and security through SLOs and strong engineering standards with an emphasis on proactivity.
• Partner with global teams to establish ITC as a strategic engineering hub.