Description
We're looking for a senior engineering leader to anchor and shape Starburst's engineering presence in India. This is not a role for someone who optimizes a predefined org , it's for a builder and a business partner. The Director will help define what India engineering looks like, establish the right capabilities at the right time, and drive outcomes that matter to the company and its customers.
As a key member of the leadership team, you will be responsible for leading engineering efforts in India with a clear focus on outcomes , not headcount targets or activity metrics. You will drive high-impact work in areas such as benchmark and upgrade testing, integration support, and other initiatives that extend Starburst's core platform capabilities.
In addition, you will partner with European and US counterparts to deliver on shared goals across time zones. You will uphold and evolve engineering standards, delivery practices, and technical culture across India-based work.
Key responsibilities include:
- Defining the shape of the India engineering org in collaboration with leadership , which capabilities to build, in what order, and how to grow sustainably
- Owning the local engineering culture: hiring bar, onboarding, retention, and community presence
- Building Starburst's employer brand in India through industry engagement, meetups, and genuine presence in the local tech community
The ideal candidate will have 12+ years of overall engineering experience, with at least 5 years in engineering leadership. They will have a proven track record of building engineering presence in India , ideally from an early, ambiguous stage. They will be a genuine builder and partner mentality: excited by defining structure, not just running one.
Hands-on background in distributed systems, data engineering, or adjacent domains (Python, Java, SQL, Spark , Trino/Presto a strong plus) is required. Strong ability to hire, grow, and retain senior engineers in a competitive India market is also essential.
Experience engaging enterprise customers directly , comfortable representing engineering in commercial conversations , is a must-have. Strong cross-timezone and cross-cultural collaboration skills, particularly with European engineering teams, are also required.
Nice-to-haves include experience in the data/analytics space (data lakehouse, query engines, cloud infrastructure) and background at companies like Confluent, Databricks, Snowflake, Cloudera, or similar.
What good looks like: The leadership team is looking for someone who sees themselves as a builder and a partner , not a hiring machine. The right person will own business outcomes , understands what Starburst is trying to achieve commercially and engineers toward that, not toward a headcount plan.
They will define the work, doesn't just receive it , collaborates with leadership to identify where India engineering can have the highest impact and shapes priorities accordingly. They will earn trust across hubs , Warsaw, Boston, SF; builds relationships through presence, reliability, and quality of judgment, not org chart authority.
The ideal candidate will move with conviction in ambiguity , makes good decisions without a complete picture, communicates clearly about uncertainty, and adjusts quickly. They will lead through influence as much as management , as credible with a senior IC on a technical design as with a customer VP in a commercial discussion.
Build your career at Starburst: All-Stars have the opportunity and freedom to realize their true potential. By building alongside top talent, we’re empowered to take ownership of our careers and drive meaningful change. Anchored in industry-proven technology and unprecedented success, All-Stars are taking on the challenge everyday to disrupt our industry – and the future.