senior manager, data platform & engineering

Now Brewing - senior manager, data platform & engineering!

#tobeapartner

Job Summary

This role contributes to the success of Starbucks Asia Pacific by leading the regional data platform and engineering capability, with end-to-end accountability for the data platform ecosystem, Azure cloud infrastructure and database environments, solutions and data architecture, data engineering and integration, and the Tableau analytics platform.

The role is responsible for ensuring data and analytics services across all active markets are stable, scalable, secure and aligned with Starbucks Global Standards. It also establishes the leadership, data strategy, solutions architecture and cloud administration capabilities within the Asia Pacific Technology team, providing hands-on technical direction across Azure and Databricks and building sustainable in-house expertise.

This role brings together platform leadership, deep engineering expertise and strategic roadmap delivery to ensure data solutions are reliable, cost-effective and aligned with global strategy, while enabling the regional business to make timely, data-driven decisions.

Key Responsibilities

1) Data Platform Leadership & Ownership

Lead and manage the organisation's data platform ecosystem, ensuring stability, scalability, performance, security, resilience and operational excellence across data and analytics services. Define and drive platform strategy, governance, architecture standards, lifecycle management and modernisation initiatives to support current and future business needs.

2) Cloud Infrastructure & Database Operations

Provide leadership and oversight for cloud infrastructure and Azure database environments supporting data and analytics workloads, ensuring high availability, reliability, security, compliance and operational efficiency. Oversee platform performance, capacity planning and continuous improvement to maintain robust and cost-effective services.

3) Solutions & Data Architecture, Engineering & Integration

Own the end-to-end data architecture, providing technical leadership across data ingestion, integration, storage, transformation, analytics, reporting and cloud platforms. Design, develop, optimise and maintain scalable data pipelines and workflows on Azure and Databricks that enable reliable, efficient and high-performance data movement and processing across the organisation.

4) Platform Modernisation & Strategic Roadmap Delivery

Lead platform modernisation, migration and transformation programmes, including the redesign of data pipelines, workflows and scheduling processes to improve scalability, maintainability, resilience and overall platform performance. Develop and execute strategic roadmaps in partnership with business stakeholders, technology teams and vendors, ensuring successful delivery, effective risk management and minimal business disruption.

5) Tableau Platform Administration, Governance & Enablement

Manage and govern the Tableau platform, including administration, performance optimisation, user enablement, adoption and best practices, maximising business value from analytics and reporting capabilities.

6) Stakeholder & Vendor Management

Collaborate closely with business leaders, technology teams and external partners to align platform capabilities with organisational objectives, drive strategic data initiatives and ensure successful delivery of data and analytics solutions.

7) Leadership, Data Strategy & Capability Building

Establish and grow the data platform, solutions architecture and cloud administration capabilities within the Asia Pacific Technology team, providing hands-on technical leadership and expert guidance on Azure and Databricks. Shape the regional data strategy, set engineering standards and best practices, and coach and develop engineers and partners to build sustainable in-house expertise.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of experience in data engineering, data platform or analytics technology roles, including experience leading teams or platforms in an enterprise environment.
• Demonstrated hands-on proficiency with Microsoft Azure data and cloud services (such as Azure Data Factory, Azure SQL, Azure Data Lake Storage and Synapse) and with Databricks (Spark, Delta Lake and Unity Catalog), including designing, building and operating production data platforms.
• Proven track record owning end-to-end data architecture, data pipelines and integration at enterprise scale, including cloud infrastructure and database administration.
• Experience leading platform modernisation, cloud migration or data transformation programmes in partnership with vendors and business stakeholders.
• Experience administering and governing Tableau, or a comparable enterprise business intelligence platform.
• Experience working across multiple countries in a regional or global technology role.

Required Skills & Competencies

• Deep technical expertise in Azure cloud administration, database operations and Databricks-based data engineering, with the ability to set architecture standards, review solution designs and coach others.
• Strategic thinking, with the ability to define a data strategy and platform roadmap and translate it into a prioritised, deliverable plan.
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management in a highly matrixed global environment, with the ability to align regional delivery to global strategy.
• Balance of innovation mindset and operational discipline, ensuring the data platform continues to evolve while services remain reliable and secure.
• Commercial acumen, with ownership of platform budgets, cloud cost optimisation and vendor partnerships.
• Customer- and partner-first mindset, focused on delivering trusted, timely data that enables better business decisions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, including root-cause analysis of complex platform issues.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences and to drive standardisation and alignment with Starbucks Technology global strategy at all levels.

Our Promise

• Our partner promise: Bridge to a better future
• Our customer promise: Serve the world's finest coffee with a moment of connection
• Our farmer promise: Ensure the future of coffee for all
• Our community promise: Contribute positively
• Our environmental promise: Give more than we take
• Our shareholder promise: Generate long-term returns

Let us give you the opportunity to be part of something bigger than yourself. It is time for you #tobeapartner.

All partners (employees) and applicants will be treated fairly, without regard to gender, race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, marital/family status, gender identity or other factors protected by law. We have zero tolerance for any type of discrimination or harassment based on the foregoing.