Data Engineering Manager

What You Can Expect In This Role

Lead a data engineering team responsible for the data solutions supporting multiple business units within Sammons and helping lead modernization efforts of the existing data architecture.

What You'll Do In This Role

• Lead a data engineering team responsible for the data solutions supporting multiple business units within Sammons and helping lead modernization efforts of the existing data architecture.
• Operate in a product-aligned model, owning outcomes, roadmaps, and KPIs for reliability, data quality, and stakeholder value delivery.
• Provide technical leadership; guide architecture, solution design, and best practices across SQL, Snowflake, cloud data platforms, and distributed/event-based systems.
• Partner with Product, Business, and Engineering to translate needs into well-scoped, deliverable data capabilities.
• Model Sammons values (Accountability, Connection, Openness, Respect and Integrity) and foster a high-performing, inclusive culture focused on continuous learning and delivery excellence.
  
  

Functions

• People Leadership and Team Development
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of data engineers; set expectations, provide feedback, and support career growth.
• Attract and hire talent; manage performance; cultivate an inclusive, collaborative, outcomes-focused culture.
• Product and Delivery Leadership
• Define and track KPIs/SLAs (e.g., data freshness, reliability, MTTR, data quality, delivery predictability, stakeholder satisfaction).
• Lead discovery, scoping, and iteration planning; ensure clear requirements, priorities, and success measures.
• Technical Leadership and Architecture
• Guide solution design for batch and streaming pipelines, data modeling, and event-driven integrations.
• Set standards for SQL, Snowflake usage patterns, testing, observability, and CI/CD for data.
• Drive cloud-first design and performance/cost optimization for storage, compute, orchestration, and lineage/metadata.
• Platform Operations and Reliability
• Establish robust operational practices for the ODS and dependent data products, including monitoring, alerting, and incident management.
• Champion data quality (validation, reconciliation, SLAs) and resiliency within a modern data architecture.
• Stakeholder and Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Build trusted relationships with business stakeholders; translate needs into technical plans and communicate trade-offs.
• Coordinate across product teams to ensure end-to-end integration and consistent data standards.
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance
• Ensure adherence to data governance, privacy, and security policies; support audit and regulatory requirements as applicable.
• Enforce standards for access control, data stewardship, lineage, and cataloging.
• Financials and Vendor Management
• Manage budgets as directed; optimize cloud and Snowflake spend.
• Collaborate with vendors/partners and, where applicable, manage offshore/near-shore resources.
• Culture and Ways of Working
• Lead by example; promote continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and servant leadership mindset.
• Regular attendance and engagement are expected to meet delivery and service level needs.
  

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of leadership experience managing data engineering or platform teams, including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Proven experience owning a product (technical or business) in a product-aligned organization, with clear outcome accountability.
• Strong technical background with fluency in modern data engineering concepts; able to guide architecture and review designs.
• Proficiency with SQL and experience with Snowflake in production contexts.
• Hands-on leadership experience with cloud data platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and distributed systems and/or event-based architectures.
• Demonstrated delivery of reliable, observable data pipelines (batch and/or streaming) with measurable KPIs/SLAs.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and ability to translate between business and technical contexts.
• Preferred
• Experience with data modeling, ELT patterns, and orchestration tools; familiarity with streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka/Kinesis) and CI/CD for data.
• Exposure to metadata/lineage, data quality frameworks, and data governance practices.
• Domain experience in insurance/annuities or financial services operations.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field; equivalent experience considered. Advanced degree a plus.
  
  

Other Requirements

• Due to the financial nature and level of accountability of this position, a credit and criminal background check is required - The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires Sammons Financial Group Companies to notify you that, as a routine part of processing this application for employment, Sammons Financial Group may request a consumer report on you to verify all information contained in this application. Such report may include information about work-related behaviors, performance, character, general reputation, and personal characteristics, in addition to information about your previous employment, education, credit history and criminal records
  
  

What you can expect when you join Sammons Financial Group

• Sammons Financial Group offers a competitive benefit package that includes: Health, Dental, Vision, Company Paid Retirement, PTO and Holiday Pay.
• Our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is a 100% company-funded retirement plan, so you can save for retirement without contributing a penny of your own paycheck.
• Healthy balance between work and personal lives. Friday afternoons off all year long, competitive PTO, and generous number of paid holidays.
• Our incentive program for defined goals subject to eligibility and performance. Monetary rewards are based on individual and/or overall company performance.
• Colleagues who support one another, model our core values, and drive our healthy, high-performing culture.
  
  

Salary Range Information

USD $91,838.00 - USD $191,328.00 /Yr. Range includes data points from multiple labor markets. Specific range is dependent on the labor market where the incumbent will be hired to perform the position. Starting salary is dependent on candidate qualifications and experience. For a narrower salary range specific to your labor market, please inquire.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we’re not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)