Director of Data Engineering

Who We Are

At 2K we create some of the most iconic and culture-shaping video games in entertainment including NBA 2K one of the top-selling franchises in the world and legendary titles like BioShock Borderlands Mafia Sid Meiers Civilization and XCOM as well as fan favorites WWE 2K TopSpin and PGA TOUR 2K. We build unforgettable experiences by pushing the boundaries of creativity authenticity and innovation across every genre.

Our portfolio is brought to life by some of the most influential game development studios in the world. Visual Concepts Firaxis Games Hangar 13 Cat Daddy Games 31st Union Cloud Chamber Gearbox HB Studios and 2K SportsLab create world-class experiences across platforms.

But what truly powers 2K is our people.

We believe the best ideas come from teams that feel empowered supported and inspired. As an equal opportunity employer we are committed to fostering a diverse inclusive workplace where people are encouraged to come as they are and do their best work.

What We Need

The Director of Data Engineering is a technical and strategic powerhouse responsible for architecting the data foundations that power 2Ks global ecosystem. This role oversees the engineering strategy telemetry standards and infrastructure framework that transforms raw player interactions into high-fidelity actionable intelligence.

You will lead the evolution of our data platform moving beyond traditional ETL toward a proactive AI-integrated environment. As a natural bridge builder you will partner deeply with Studio leads and cross-functional executives to expand the remit of data engineering. Crucially you will act as a steward of our resources applying FinOps principles to ensure our infrastructure is high-performing cost-efficient and that every technical investment delivers clear business valueensuring the juice is always worth the squeeze.

What Youll Do

Architect 2Ks Next-Gen Data Strategy

• Lead a forward-looking data engineering vision that scales across Sports Core and R&D prioritizing high-scale telemetry and proactive data modeling.
• Transition 2Ks infrastructure toward AI-augmented data processing leveraging tools like Snowflake Cortex or Databricks Genie to automate and optimize the data lifecycle.

Drive FinOps & Infrastructure Efficiency

• Own the cloud infrastructure budget implementing rigorous FinOps practices to monitor manage and optimize data processing costs.
• Evaluate technical debt versus innovation ensuring all platform scaling is economically sustainable and tied to measurable ROI.

Own the End-to-End Telemetry Lifecycle

• Drive the strategy for telemetry design and implementation ensuring an intimate connection between game-client events and downstream analytical value.
• Establish rigorous telemetry standards that ensure high-signal low-latency data capture across all titles and platforms.

Build the Platform for ML Ops & Proactive Modeling

• Design and scale a dedicated ML Ops framework that allows Data Scientists to deploy monitor and iterate on AI models with industry-leading efficiency.
• Champion the use of proactive modeling to predict player needs and business trends before they occur.

Expand Impact Through Strategic Partnerships

• Act as a key relationship builder creating strong alliances with Studio Engineering DevOps and Commercial leadership to align data roadmaps with product goals.
• Navigate complex partner dynamics with diplomacy building trust and expanding the Data Engineering teams influence across the broader organization.
• Partner tightly with the Director of Product of 2K Data to define and deliver upon a modern and comprehensive data strategy.

Build Lead & Develop a High-Performing Engineering Team

• Hire mentor and grow a world-class team of data engineers telemetry specialists and ML platform engineers.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor financial accountability and bridge-building collaboration.
• Foster an internal culture of innovation and fearless technical thought leadership throughout the data teams

What Will Make You A Great Fit

• Extensive experience in Data Engineering or Software Engineering with a heavy emphasis on high-scale distributed systems and telemetry.
• Proven Success leading or managing engineering teams in complex multi-title environments with proven track record of promoting engineers in both title and breadth of technical expertise
• Intimate knowledge of Telemetry: You understand the nuances of event-driven architecture and how to design schemas that capture the heartbeat of a product.
• Experience in Streaming Telemetry and Feature Pipelines: Solid understanding and experience in delivering large-scale global data streaming services with scalable and sustainable architecture to support real-time machine learning operations and features
• FinOps Mentality: Proven ability to manage large-scale cloud budgets optimizing for both performance and cost-efficiency.
• Master Relationship Builder: You have a track record of turning difficult technical partners into advocates and successfully expanding your teams strategic remit.
• Growth Mindset: Indexes toward learning through challenges and didactic learning patterns to bring about change at the individual and organizational levels.
• Experience in Matrix-driven and Product-led Environments: Able to successfully operate and thrive in matrixed environments led by product strategies and roadmaps.
• A Track Record of Operational Excellence: You have demonstrated experience upleveling global data operations and a deep understanding of SRE or DevOps principles. You dont just maintain systems; you build the guardrails automation and infrastructure needed to scale them reliably.

Bonus Points

• Full-Lifecycle Data Science & ML Enablement: Comprehensive experience across the data science lifecycle from exploratory data analysis and feature engineering to model deployment and monitoring.
• Software Engineering Background: Strong experience in full-stack development or systems architecture.
• Game Engine Expertise: Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine Unity or proprietary game engines specifically regarding how they emit data.
• AI Fluency: Experience with Snowflake Cortex Databricks Genie Langchain Rust or similar AI-integrated data platforms.
• Passion for games and a player-focused mindset.

As an equal opportunity employer we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process to perform their essential job functions and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing only use accounts.

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