Director, Data Platforms

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, "the stuff dreams are made of," we're not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD's vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what's next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

Your New Role:
We are seeking a highly skilled and strategic Director, Data Platforms to lead the design, implementation, and governance of our next-generation data platforms. This leadership role will be responsible for the architecture, technology, and governance of our data systems, ensuring they are optimized for scalability, future readiness, and operational efficiency. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in data engineering, platform architecture, and cross-functional leadership, combined with the ability to drive impactful changes and implement cutting-edge technologies in alignment with business needs.

Technology Leadership & Strategy:

• Define and drive the vision, strategy, and roadmap for the organization's data platform, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technological advancements.

• Lead the design and development of highly scalable, reliable, and future-proof data platforms using modern cloud-based technologies and architectures (e.g., cloud-native, microservices, and containerized environments).

• Oversee the evaluation and selection of new technologies and tools to enhance data infrastructure, ensuring they meet long-term business goals and compliance standards.

Platform Governance:

• Establish and maintain a robust framework for platform governance, ensuring adherence to industry best practices, data security, compliance standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Define and enforce policies related to data access, privacy, data quality, data lifecycle management, and platform auditing.

• Collaborate with legal, compliance, and risk teams to ensure the platform complies with all relevant laws and regulations, such as GDPR, CCPA, etc.

Platform Architecture & Implementation:

• Lead the architecture and design of data platform components, integrating them across various data ecosystems (cloud, on-premise, hybrid) to ensure seamless data flow, processing, and accessibility.

• Ensure the platform is optimized for high availability, disaster recovery, and performance, while being cost-effective and scalable to meet future business needs.

• Direct the end-to-end implementation of platform initiatives, from initial requirements gathering through deployment and continuous improvements, while ensuring timely and efficient execution.

Cross-functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with data engineering, analytics, data science, and business teams to ensure the platform meets the diverse needs of stakeholders and provides meaningful insights for the business.

• Lead cross-functional teams in delivering projects, providing guidance and mentorship to ensure timely delivery and alignment with strategic goals.

• Develop strong relationships with key internal stakeholders to prioritize platform enhancements and ensure continued support and adoption.

Innovation & Future Readiness:

• Stay ahead of emerging technologies and trends in the data landscape (AI, machine learning, data lakes, automation) and incorporate innovative solutions to continuously enhance platform capabilities.

• Ensure the platform is adaptable to support future data initiatives, such as advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning use cases.

• Lead the evolution of the data platform architecture to meet evolving business and technology needs, ensuring it supports future growth and technological advancements.

Team Leadership and Development:

• Build, develop, and mentor a high-performing data platform engineering team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.

• Lead recruitment efforts, drive talent development, and ensure continuous improvement and learning within the team to maintain technical competency and skill development.

Qualifications & Experiences:

• 12+ years of experience in data engineering, platform architecture, and implementation, with a focus on building and scaling complex data platforms.

• Proven experience in designing and implementing cloud-based data platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) with expertise in modern data architectures and tools (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, Kafka, Snowflake, etc.).

• Strong understanding of data governance, security, and compliance standards (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, etc.).

• Expertise in managing data platform lifecycle, including strategy, architecture, governance, and operations.

• Strong leadership skills with a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams and driving projects to successful completion.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at all levels of the organization.

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.