Job Title:  Data Engineering Manager

QuikTrip is looking for a Data Engineering Manager who is as comfortable contributing technical solutions as leading the team that builds them. This is a working manager role for a technically sharp, hands-on leader who brings deep experience building and maintaining data pipelines, curating datasets, and delivering data visualization solutions that drive real business value. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable mentoring a multi-disciplined engineering team and rolling up their sleeves to design, build, and troubleshoot data infrastructure. Preferred candidates will have practical, working experience with modern data platforms such as Databricks, and a proven track record of delivering end-to-end data solutions in a fast-paced business environment. Candidates who thrive at the intersection of technical craft and team leadership and are energized by helping an organization become more data-driven are encouraged to apply.

Primary Purpose of job:

This position is responsible for managing a portfolio of data products for a defined portion of business users with the purpose of enabling QuikTrip to derive value from data. The product portfolio will primarily contain data pipelines, curated data sets, and data visualization applications, and this position is responsible for leading a multi-disciplined delivery team who build, support, and maintain the data products. Key objectives of the position include ensuring product development aligns with QT goals and objectives, team delivery of quality solutions that meet defined business need, and helping QT become more data driven through education of user communities and assisting in the identification of opportunities for value. Most importantly, the goal of this position is to develop their direct reports through providing of training opportunities, valuable experiences, and ongoing mentoring and feedback. 

Major Functions:

1. Effectively manage direct-report employees.

a. Develop employees and help each grow to full potential in his/her respective job

b. Ongoing effort to position the right person in the right job.

c. Praise, reprimand and counsel employees appropriately.

d. Establish rapport with all direct-report employees and be available for counseling (career, problems, questions, etc.).

e. Update and adhere to all QuikTrip policies and procedures concerning management practices and/or mandated regulations and laws.

f. Ensure direct-report employees adhere to all QuikTrip policies and procedures, operating practices and /or mandated regulations and laws.

g. Ensure that all management treatment of direct-report employees is fair and consistent

h. Promote personnel efficiency, production, and scheduling cost effectively.

i. Help develop and execute a tactical plan to support the QuikTrip strategic plan and key initiatives and ensure your employees understand it.

j. Maintain employee records according to company policy.

k. Ensure employees receive the training necessary to be successful in their position.

2. Data Portfolio Management - 30%

a. Responsible for the overall management of internal and external products within assigned product portfolio.

b. Partner with key stakeholders in assigned business units to develop a data strategy aligned with their business goals and objectives.

c. Build financial projections on Data Capabilities, Features, and Product Support and produce a product roadmap.

d. Continuously verify that data products are fulfilling their vision as measured by customer value and business outcomes and work through PTO to plan efforts to fill any identified gaps.

e. Ensure that technology roadmaps (including 3rd party solutions) are incorporated into the overall product development strategy.

f. Facilitate a rolling 12-month plan for each data product’s lifecycle with Product Technical Owners, key stakeholders in assigned business units, and other key personnel.

g. Hold the Product Technology Owner and the product delivery teams accountable for maintaining product feature roadmaps and executing according to release planning commitments.

h. Accountable for product lifecycle management for all data products assigned to their portfolio as well as ongoing product success as defined by the business case.

i. Ensure product related incidents, problems, changes, and releases are managed and communicated effectively.

j. Monitor changes to external regulations and QuikTrip standards relevant to portfolio and facilitate evaluation and assessment, minimizing QuikTrip’s risk and liability.

3. Strategic Resource Planning and Management – 25%

a. Provide planning and prioritization to ensure that the team supports defined business objectives for area of responsibility.

b. Responsible for working with PTOs, Project Managers, and I.T. Managers to plan and allocate resources to product releases, projects, and support work, negotiating schedules and priorities with IT Management staff where conflicts exist.

c. Continually forecast resource and skill sets needed to meet project milestones, product release schedules, and support and maintenance requirements.

d. Build relationships with vendors to maximize QuikTrip’s value from existing relationships and ensure a sufficient network of partnerships is available for changing business needs or replacement of under-performing partner.

e. Forecast and book additional staffing, utilizing third party entities for talent and skilled personnel to augment our fulltime headcounts to meet project, product and support needs.

f. Coordinate and collaborate regularly with other IT Resource Managers to leverage knowledge, experience, discovery, and shared resources for the benefit of the company.

g. Responsible for the complete range of hiring and talent acquisition duties

4. Lead Product development for data portfolio (products and projects) – 20

a. Define metrics and KPIs to measure productivity and quality, set individual and team targets, and build processes to track performance to give feedback and continuously improve team performance.

b. Collaborate with team members in Data Services, Data Platforms, Enterprise Architecture, and other key stakeholders to identify gaps or updates needed for standards and processes. Facilitate completion of updates or completion of new documentation through direct reports or other IT teams.

c. Ensure direct reports are trained on relevant standards, patterns, and processes and are held accountable for following them.

d. Serve as escalation point for any potential issues with resources, support levels, and product quality.

e. Serve as backup to the Product Technical Owners on an as-needed basis.

f. Understand all facets of Agile and Scrum and ensure employees are trained.

g. Ensure all staff, internal and external, follow standards for timely and quality documentation of development tasks as well as tracking time spent.

5. Lead Incident and Problem Management for Portfolio – 10%

a. Manage the team’s ability to provide 3rd level support, ensuring that quality root-cause analysis is performed, and resolutions are documented and effectively communicated to other support groups.

b. Facilitate design of support model, associated processes, and related team training in support of an efficient incident management process with goal of timely resolution with a high level of customer service.

c. Measure incident resolution times against target, provide team feedback on growth opportunities, hold team accountable to expectations, and periodically touch base with customers to gain insight into customer satisfaction.

d. Act as an escalation point to expedite incident resolution.

e. Build continuous improvement culture and any required processes to reduce incidents, maintain high product performance, and resolve bugs in a timely fashion.

6. Financial responsibilities – 10%

a. Prepare recommendation for annual capital, expense, and payroll budgets for data delivery team and explain monthly budget variances.

b. Work within the established product budget by balancing internal and external resources to deliver and maintain products.

c. Work with Project Managers, PTOs, and other key stakeholders to keep expenses for area of responsibility within defined budget.

d. Directly manage vendor financials, ensuring QuikTrip is invoiced appropriately for services rendered, costs are allocated to correct cost centers and accounts, and all stakeholders are informed appropriately.

e. Provide budget recommendations to Supervisor as well as updated monthly forecasts for contract labor and professional services to any stakeholders needing the information.

f. Ensure vendors meet or exceed their contractual obligations by delivering quality products and services on time.

7. Administration and Communication – 5%

a. Listen to others and accept input from team members.

b. Clearly articulate ideas and thoughts both in verbal and written formats.

c. Accurately prepare written business correspondence that is coherent, grammatically correct, effective and professional.

d. Timely communicate status updates to appropriate stakeholders regarding specific assignments and overall scheduling/coordination needs.

e. Collaborate with peers to identify improvement opportunities.

f. Participate in departmental strategic planning activities as well as provides input to strategic decisions that affect the functional area of responsibility.

Position in Organization:

Reports to: Manager of Enterprise Data & Business Intelligence

Directly supervises: Product Technical Owners, Data Analysts, and Data Engineers as well as contractors and consultants.

Relationships:

Inside the Company: Stakeholders in assigned business units, especially leadership, and IT management, including Architects and PTOs outside of Data Services.

Outside the Company: Vendor partner sales, management, and staff. Software vendor sales, management, and staff. Business partner technical staff.

Position Specifications:

The required specifications (education, experience, and skills) are those that the employee must have to hold the position. Applicants applying for this position must possess the required specifications in order to be considered for the job. The desired specifications are those that are not required for the employee to hold the position, but the employee should try to obtain the desired education, experience, and/or skills to be effective and successful in the position.

Required education: Bachelor’s degree in business or computer science; or equivalent experience. 

Desired education: College Degree, preferably in technology fields of study or Mathematics.

Required experience: Five or more year’s supervisory experience. 4+ years in managing and/or leading technology teams. 8+ years working in a technical data or programming position, including analysis, design, and implementation in a business environment.

Desired experience: Experience with current QuikTrip technologies and processes. Experience supervising professionals. Experience leading technology projects.

Required skills: Portfolio management, resource management, budgeting and planning, systems analysis, leadership, strategic planning, organization, supervisory, negotiating, and strong communication skills.

Desired skills: Azure DevOps, Technical Business knowledge of QT standard Data tools and technologies. 

Additional criteria: The individual must combine technical hands-on skills and human resources ability. The incumbent should have excellent understanding of current technologies and should be able to do evaluation, analysis, and provide feedbacks of large, complex projects. Must be self-motivated and able to act independently once assignments are made. Able to set own priorities as well as the priorities of the group. Requires ability to understand the business practices, principals, and values employed at QuikTrip.

On call 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Starting Salary: $133,100 - $166,350

Benefits:  Employee Benefits – QuikTrip 

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