Manager, Data Engineering

Resonate is a leading provider of high-quality, AI-powered consumer data, intelligence, and technology, empowering marketers to create a more personalized world that increases customer acquisition and lifetime value. Our SaaS platform, Ignite, and our Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offerings provide unparalleled insights into consumer motivations, values, and behaviors, enabling our clients to connect with their target audiences in more meaningful and effective ways. We are a dynamic and fast-growing company seeking passionate and innovative individuals to join our team!

We are seeking a People-First Engineering Manager to lead and grow our Data Engineering team. In this role, you'll focus on building careers, removing obstacles, and creating an environment where talented engineers thrive. You'll partner with our seasoned technical lead who drives architecture decisions, but you ensure those decisions align with the strategy and consider emerging technologies. This partnership will allow you to concentrate on what matters most: developing people and delivering results. This is an opportunity for a proven people manager who understands data engineering but whose passion lies in building high-performing teams.

Key Responsibilities

People Leadership (60%)

• Lead, mentor, and retain a high-performing team of 5–7 data engineers.

• Conduct regular 1:1s, career planning, and performance reviews.

• Create clear growth paths and development opportunities.

• Foster a culture of collaboration, learning, and operational excellence.

• Manage hiring, onboarding, and team composition.

• Remove roadblocks and protect the team from unnecessary distractions.

• Proactively address team dynamics and resolve conflicts constructively.

Technical Partnership (20%)

• Collaborate with the technical lead to ensure architectural decisions align with strategy and scalability goals.

• Stay informed on emerging data engineering trends and assess their relevance.

• Promote high standards for code quality, design, and operational practices.

• Help the team balance technical trade-offs with business needs.

Delivery & Process Management (20%)

• Partner with Product Managers to ensure commitments are realistic and met.

• Lead incident response from detection to resolution, including communications and blameless post-mortems.

• Maintain adherence to engineering standards and agile processes.

• Monitor team health, velocity, and delivery risks, and address proactively.

• Facilitate sprint ceremonies, retrospectives, and cross-team coordination.

Qualifications & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.

• 7+ years in engineering, with 5+ years in people management.

• Proven success building and scaling engineering teams.

• Solid understanding of data engineering concepts and challenges.

• Agile/Scrum leadership experience.

• Excellent communicator, able to bridge engineering and business conversations.

• Demonstrated history of growing engineering talent and fostering career progression.

• Strong emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills.

Technical Familiarity (You Understand, Not Implement):

• Big data technologies (Spark, EMR, data pipelines).

• Cloud infrastructure and cost considerations.

• Technical risk assessment and critical questioning.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in data-first or analytics-driven organizations.

• Track record improving retention and team satisfaction.

• Success scaling teams from ~5 to 10+ engineers.

• Background in fast-paced, resource-constrained environments.

• History of thriving in partnership with strong technical leads.

Resonate Attributes 

At Resonate, we care about more than your experience on paper. We look for teammates who bring the right mindset and ways of working to help us do great work, together. The Resonators who thrive here embody these qualities: 

• Ownership: You take initiative, follow through, and hold yourself accountable. 

• Collaboration: You value working with others and building strong, respectful relationships. 

• Adaptability: You stay steady through change and adjust when needed. 

• Growth Mindset: You’re open to learning, feedback, and trying new things. 

• Customer Focus: You keep the end user in mind and aim for impact. 

• Clear Communication: You express ideas simply and listen to understand. 

• Integrity & Empathy: You act with honesty and consider the people around you. 

• Strategic Thinking: You focus on what matters most and work with purpose. 

• Drive: You show up motivated and ready to move things forward. 

• Readiness: You bring the skills to contribute meaningfully from day one. 

These attributes are the foundation of how we work and grow together! 

Benefits

Besides the opportunity to work alongside smart, fun, and hard-working colleagues at Resonate, you'll also enjoy uncapped growth potential, the chance to have a meaningful impact on the company, and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge, AI-powered marketing data and identity solutions that are forever changing the industry. From a competitive 401(k) match to an Open PTO policy that encourages real time off, we’re committed to creating an environment where our team members can thrive both inside and outside of work. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. A full list of benefits is shared with candidates following their initial conversation with our HR team, so you’ll have a clear understanding of the support and resources available to you as part of the Resonate team.

Location

At Resonate, we take a remote-first approach to work, offering a flexible environment that empowers our team to collaborate seamlessly across different locations. While we embrace remote work, we also encourage thoughtful and intentional in-person collaboration to foster connection and teamwork when needed. Whether you're working from home or joining us in one of our state-of-the-art offices, you'll have the tools and resources you need to succeed.

Resonate is headquartered in Reston, VA, with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. 

Our EEO Statement:

Resonate is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outline by federal, state, or local laws.

Find out more about our story at www.resonate.com.