The Zebra

Introduction:

The Zebra, named a Best Place to Work in Austin four years running, is revolutionizing how connected consumers research and shop for insurance. We intentionally strive to build diverse teams that feel inclusive for all. Our motto is "All Stripes Welcome," and we put that into practice by valuing both traditional and non-conventional backgrounds and perspectives. Our Zeebs are passionate about learning, growing, & working together to tackle exciting problems.

We are looking for a Senior Manager of Data Engineering to lead and scale our data engineering organization. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for managing senior engineers, mentoring junior managers, and driving the long-term vision and roadmap for our data infrastructure, pipelines, and platforms. You will be instrumental in ensuring our data systems are reliable, performant, and aligned with our company’s evolving business and product needs.

Location:

Our employees can choose to work remotely in the U.S. Join us in our Austin, Texas office, or opt for a hybrid setup. Whether you prefer the structure of an office, the convenience of remote work, or a mix of both, we support what works best for you!

Please note - At this time we are not able to hire in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York.

What You'll Do:

• Lead large-scale strategic initiatives spanning multiple data and engineering teams with direct and indirection managerial responsibilities.
• Mentor other managers on delivery excellence in a domain oriented organizational structure.
• Oversee execution of priorities from multiple executive stakeholders balancing strategic advancement with tactical delivery.
• Define and execute the long-term data engineering strategy in alignment with business objectives.
• Drive roadmap planning and cross-functional collaboration with Product, Analytics, and Engineering partners.
• Provide technical oversight on data architecture, platform scalability, and engineering best practices.
• Establish and lead the implementation of architectural best practices required for the creation and delivery of data products
• Champion operational excellence in data quality, security, observability, and governance.

What We're Looking For:

As we evaluate candidates across all roles, we look for folks who have a strong sense of ownership, great communication and collaboration skills, and a dedication to continuous improvement.

• 8+ years in data engineering or software engineering roles, including 4+ years in people management, with at least 1 year managing managers or multiple teams.
• Proven success leading large-scale data engineering efforts (e.g., data platforms, ingestion pipelines, data lake/warehouse implementations).
• Strong experience with cloud-based modern data stacks (e.g., Snowflake, DBT, Airflow, Spark, Kafka).
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and project leadership skills.
• Experience aligning technical strategy with business objectives in a fast-paced environment.

Experience that will Impress the Heck Out of Us:

• Experience in a high-growth tech, fintech, or e-commerce environment.
• Experience defining, exposing, and supporting call data operational metrics.
• Familiarity with tools like Snowflake, Looker, Tableau, or other BI platforms.
• Exposure to data privacy frameworks (GDPR, CCPA) and security best practices.
• Experience working in a cross-functional agile team environment.

Interview Process:

1. Recruiter Screen (30 mins): Introductory conversation to learn about your background within people management/data iniatives, interest in the role, and alignment with our culture and goals.
2. Hiring Manager Interview (30 mins): Focused discussion on your leadership experience in data engineering, technical direction, and team-building approach.
3. Final Panel (2.5 hours): A series of interviews covering:
   • Technical & Team Leadership – architecture, tooling, mentoring.
   • Cross-Functional Collaboration – partnering with product, and engineering.
   • Strategic Alignment – data vision, business impact, and scaling teams.

Benefits & Perks:

Inclusive and healthy environments are crafted intentionally. All of our employees can join and participate in (or create your own!) Employee Resource Groups. Here are some other wonderful perks of working here:

• Competitive Compensation & Stock Option Offering
• Health, Dental, Vision & Disability Coverages
• HSA offering + employer contribution
• 401k plan + employer match
• Unlimited PTO (paid time off)+ the flexibility to enjoy it
• Paid Parental Leave Program
• Wellness perk ($100/month)
• Pet Adoption Reimbursement ($300/year)
• Learning & Development Opportunities
• Join a team that truly lives their values (outside of the office. Cliche, we know… but we really mean it)

The base salary range for this position is $170,000-$180,000 per year. The final salary amount will be determined based on a variety of factors, including experience, skills, internal equity, and insights gained throughout the interview process.

About The Zebra:

The Zebra is the nation’s leading, independent insurance comparison site. With our dynamic, real-time quote comparison tool, consumers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, The Zebra has sought to bring transparency and simplicity to insurance shopping since 2012 -- it's “insurance in black and white.”

We've garnered attention and investment of some of the nation’s top venture capitalists. Check out all of our awards & recognition!

Our core mantra is "All Stripes Welcome." As part of our dedication to maintaining an inclusive and diverse workforce, we provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform core job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.