Senior Director - Data Platform and Cloud Services

Samba is a media intelligence company. We know what the world is watching, reading, and thinking about — in real time, at scale, across every screen. Our data exists with the consent of over a billion people, organized into the most complete picture of consumer attention ever built. The biggest brands in the world use that picture to make smarter decisions. We think it’s the most interesting data asset on the planet, because it’s the most culturally relevant. We're seeking a Senior Director to lead and transform our data platform and cloud services architecture. This role is not about incremental improvements – we need someone who can lead and execute a leap forward in our data infrastructure capabilities, positioning Samba at the forefront of TV data analytics and AI-driven insights.What you’ll do: Strategic LeadershipDefine and execute a transformative vision for our data platform architecture that scales to billions of daily eventsPartner with CTO and engineering leadership to align platform strategy with business objectivesDrive adoption of next-generation technologies including vector databases and ML-powered analyticsBuild strategic roadmaps that balance innovation with operational excellenceTechnical ArchitectureLead the evolution from current state to a modern, cloud-native data platform with embedded ML/AI capabilitiesWork with the team to deliver fault-tolerant, multi-region architectures supporting real-time and batch processingBuild and maintain the services, platforms, and frameworks enabling Samba’s data engineering teamsArchitect embedding-based systems for content understanding, viewer similarity, and semantic searchDeliver  infrastructure for vector storage, indexing, and retrieval at scale (billions of embeddings)Champion best practices in data governance, security, and compliance (GDPR, CCPA)Evaluate and implement emerging technologies (streaming architectures, lakehouse patterns, ML platforms)ML/AI InfrastructureDesign platforms for embedding generation, storage, and serving at scaleImplement vector search capabilities for real-time recommendations and content discoveryBuild infrastructure supporting multimodal embeddings (video, audio, text metadata)Enable self-service ML capabilities for data scientists and analystsEstablish MLOps practices for embedding model lifecycle managementTeam & Organizational DevelopmentBuild and mentor a world-class team of platform engineers, ML engineers, and architectsFoster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous learningEstablish clear career paths and growth opportunities for team membersDrive cross-functional collaboration with data science, product, and engineering teamsOperational ExcellenceEstablish SLAs and monitoring frameworks for internal and external clientsProvide observability tools for Data Engineering and Data Science, including tools to enforce data qualityLead vendor relationships and technology partnershipsDrive automation and self-service capabilities for internal customersWho you are: 12+ years in data platform/infrastructure roles, with 5+ years in senior leadershipProven track record of leading large-scale platform transformationsExperience building production embedding systems and vector databasesHistory of building and scaling teams of 20+ engineersDeep expertise in modern data architectures (data mesh, lakehouse, streaming-first)Proficiency with, Stream processing (Kafka, Flink, Spark Streaming), Modern data warehouses/lakes (Snowflake, Databricks, BigQuery), Workflow management (Airflow, etc), Container orchestration (Kubernetes, EKS/GKE), Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation), ML platforms (MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker)Exceptional communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiencesStrategic thinking with ability to balance long-term vision with short-term deliverablesStrong business acumen to connect technical decisions with business outcomesTrack record of influencing without authority across organizational boundariesKnowledge of privacy-preserving analytics and clean room technologiesContributions to open-source projects in ML infrastructure or vector searchAdvanced degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related fieldSamba is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.  We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact. Samba may collect personal information directly from you, as a job applicant, Samba may also receive personal information from third parties, for example, in connection with a background, employment or reference check, in accordance with the applicable law. For further details, please see Samba's Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU , Samba Inc. is the data controller. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.