[Remote] Director, Data Product Engineering

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. PayNearMe is on a mission to simplify the payment process through innovative technology. They are seeking a Director of Data Product Engineering to lead the architecture and delivery of AI and data products, driving the company's transition to a product-centric data operating model while collaborating with various teams to enhance their fintech solutions.ResponsibilitiesLead the architecture, engineering, and delivery of AI products, data products and scalable data solutions across our fintech and payment processing ecosystemDrive the company’s transition toward a product-centric data operating model by building trusted, reusable, scalable, and business-aligned AI/data products that power analytics, operational intelligence, AI/ML initiatives, customer experiences, regulatory reporting, and enterprise decision-makingCollaborate with the Data leadership team on the refinement of our strategy for Data Products Engineering and scalable data product delivery with a focus on enabling/building AI-powered solutionsEstablish a product-centric operating model for data capabilities, emphasizing reusable and governed data products with a focus on accelerating AI/data products, domain-oriented ownership, data contracts and SLAs, product lifecycle management, discoverability and interoperability, standardized business metrics and semantic modelsPartner with business and technology stakeholders to identify, prioritize, and deliver strategic data products aligned to enterprise goalsDrive the creation of scalable enterprise data assets supporting fraud and risk intelligence, transaction analytics, merchant and customer insights, financial and operational reporting, AI/ML enablement, regulatory and compliance requirementsLead strategic architecture and engineering decisions for domain data solutions and our modern cloud-based analytical AI/data platform expansionDesign scalable, resilient, and AI-ready data architectures that support high-volume transactional processing and analytical workloadsCollaborate with Data team leadership on enterprise standards for data modeling and semantic design, ELT/ETL frameworks, data orchestration, data quality and observability, metadata management and lineage, data governance and security, performance optimization and scalabilityArchitect data solutions that enable trusted, near real-time, and self-service access to enterprise dataDrive architectural alignment across operational systems, analytics platforms, AI/ML environments, and reporting ecosystemsPartner with Architecture, Cloud Engineering, and Security teams to ensure long-term AI and data product scalability, interoperability, and complianceLead and scale high-performing Data Product Engineering team responsible for domain AI product and data product deliveryOversee development and operationalization of scalable cloud-native data pipelines and data servicesDrive modernization of legacy data workflows and platforms to improve agility, scalability, and operational efficiencyEnsure data products are optimized for analytics, predictive modeling, and AI/ML consumptionBuild, mentor, and develop high-performing teamsFoster a culture of engineering excellence, ownership, innovation, and continuous improvementPromote modern engineering and architectural practices across the organizationEstablish career frameworks, mentorship programs, and capability development strategies for technical teamsLead strategic vendor and technology partner relationships supporting data engineering and platform initiativesSkillsBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, Information Systems, or related field required; Master's or PhD preferred10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Data, Analytics, or AI/ML organizations5+ years leading enterprise-scale analytics, data science, or AI engineering teamsStrong hands-on expertise in predictive analytics, machine learning, recommendation systems, decision intelligence, and AI-enabled analyticsProven experience building scalable enterprise data productsDeep experience with modern cloud data platforms and analytical ecosystems including: Snowflake, Dataiku, dbt, Fivetran, Apache Iceberg, Looker / LookMLStrong technical expertise in: Python, SQL, ML frameworks and AI tooling, Cloud platforms such as AWSStrong executive communication and stakeholder management skillsExperience leading within complex, matrixed organizationsExceptional communication and stakeholder management skills with ability to influence executive and technical audiencesExperience within fintech, payment processing, transaction platforms, fraud analytics, or regulated financial servicesExperience with real-time analytics and streaming architecturesFamiliarity with: MLOps platforms, Feature stores, Vector databases, Semantic retrieval architectures, Agentic AI frameworksKnowledge of PCI, SOC2, GDPR, and financial data governance requirementsExperience integrating predictive AI and analytical AI capabilities with broader GenAI enterprise initiativesBenefitsCompetitive salary and benefits with growth-company options grantFast- paced and professional work cultureStock options with standard startup vesting - 1 year cliff; 4 years total$50 monthly communication expense stipend to go towards your phone/internet bill$250 stipend to enhance your WFH setupReimbursement for peripheral equipment: monitor (up to $400), keyboard and mouse (up to $200)Premium medical benefits including vision and dental (100% coverage for employees)Company-sponsored life and disability insurancePaid parental bonding leavePaid sick leave, jury duty, bereavement401k planFlexible Time Off (our team members typically take off ~3-4 weeks per year)Volunteer Time Off13 scheduled holidaysCompany OverviewPayNearMe provides a web and mobile-based cash payments platform designed to facilitate online purchases and bill payments. It was founded in 2009, and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA, with a workforce of 201-500 employees. Its website is https://home.paynearme.com.Company H1B SponsorshipPayNearMe has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 3 in 2026, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2024, 4 in 2023. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.