Manager, Data Platform

About the role

KAYAK is seeking a technical leader to manage our Berlin-based data platform team. You will guide the architectural strategy and handle complex reliability challenges while overseeing the infrastructure that powers our global travel search engine. In this role, you will own the end to end lifecycle of our data platforms, ensuring that data remains trustworthy, observable, and performant under demanding conditions. You will act as the primary steward for data infrastructure decisions that impact multiple product lines and cross functional teams. The position requires balancing long term strategic vision with the immediate needs of reliability and operational stability. You will foster a culture of quality where data contracts, schema governance, and platform self service are standard practice. Success in this role will be measured by the robustness of the platform, the maturity of the team, and the speed at which data products can safely deliver value.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Direct the roadmap for our shared data infrastructure and raw data quality foundations, setting priorities that align with business objectives.
• Manage and mentor a team of data platform engineers based in Berlin, focusing on growth, clarity, and accountability.
• Refine our architecture for ingestion, storage, orchestration, and lakehouse operations to support evolving analytical needs.
• Implement core features including schema registries, data contracts, metadata management, and semantic layers to enable consistent data usage.
• Establish platform controls and data retention policies that balance compliance, cost, and operational practicality.
• Enhance system reliability through improved monitoring, alerting, and incident management processes to reduce risk and downtime.
• Modernize legacy systems and define clear ownership boundaries between platform infrastructure and business logic to eliminate ambiguity.
• Collaborate closely with Data Science, Security, Operations, Product, and Engineering partners to ensure data solutions meet diverse requirements.
• Drive standardization across tools and workflows, leveraging Kafka, Flink, Iceberg, Trino, AWS, Kubernetes, Airflow, Python, SQL, and schema based data contracts.
• Evaluate new technologies and patterns, translating them into actionable platform improvements that scale safely and efficiently.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in data engineering, platform engineering, or data architecture, demonstrating sustained impact in complex environments.
• Proven track record in people management and maintaining high technical standards while delivering demanding projects.
• Expertise in large scale data architecture, covering batch and streaming processes, distributed query engines, and storage systems.
• Hands on experience leading platforms that handle high throughput event streams and massive analytical datasets with resilience.
• Experience managing infrastructure modernization or platform migrations with a focus on business continuity and cost management.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with Data Science, Security, Operations, Product, and Engineering partners, communicating clearly across disciplines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into actionable guidance for both technical and non technical stakeholders.
• Commitment to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and productive team environment where feedback is welcomed and acted upon.

Skills & tools

• Kafka, Flink, Iceberg, Trino, AWS, Kubernetes, Airflow, Python, SQL, and schema based data contracts.
• Experience with metadata management, monitoring, alerting, and incident response tooling is essential for maintaining platform health.
• Familiarity with security and governance practices, including authentication, authorization, and data privacy considerations, is required.
• You should be comfortable managing infrastructure as code, implementing automated testing, and promoting observability across the platform.
• Knowledge of cost optimization techniques for cloud environments will help align platform decisions with business priorities.

Practical notes

• The Berlin office requires presence for 3 days per week to enable close collaboration, shared learning, and effective decision making.
• Benefits include 6 weeks of paid vacation plus a birthday holiday, a company-wide week off, and no meeting Fridays to support focused work.
• Compensation perks include pension contributions, public transport subsidies, bike leasing, and free lunch 2 days per week to support wellbeing and sustainability.
• Professional development support includes access to e learning, leadership training, and a development budget for conferences, courses, and certifications.
• Health and wellness resources include SpringHealth therapy sessions, Headspace subscriptions, and paid parental leave to support work life balance.
• Employees may work from almost anywhere for up to 20 days per year, providing flexibility while maintaining team cohesion.
• Please notify the team if you require any accommodations during the application or interview process, ensuring accessibility for all candidates.
• This role is based in Berlin and follows local employment regulations, with full time engagement expected from the appointed candidate.
• Any offer details, including start date and specific team assignments, will be communicated in accordance with company policies and local laws.