(Senior) Manager, Data Platform
About this role
Smartly is looking for a (Senior) Manager, Data Platform to lead the next stage of our data platform evolution. This role will lead two complementary squads - Data Engineering & Data Analytics - under one shared vision, while keeping each squad’s mission and operating model distinct.
The focus is on building the foundations of Smartly’s data platform, strengthening data engineering practices, and modelling. You will help make trusted, scalable, and self-serve data a reality across the company, while staying close enough to the work to set the bar for quality, insight, and execution.
In this role, you will
Lead both squads, aligning them around a common data platform vision while preserving their distinct responsibilities and ways of working.
Own the development and evolution of the data platform, including data warehouses, pipelines, transformation layers, data models, semantic foundations, and core reporting assets.
Drive the platform toward stronger engineering excellence, with a focus on automation, governance, data contracts, lineage, observability, alerting, reliability, and scalable platform operations.
Guide the team toward stronger modelling, building enriched, reusable, and trusted data assets, enabling self-serve data capabilities, and enabling teams across Product, Commercial, and other functions.
Define and prioritise the data platform roadmap, turning recurring support requests and operational pain points into durable platform improvements and better data products.
Stay hands-on enough with data, modelling, and insight work to guide decisions, unblock teams, and demonstrate what high-quality work looks like in practice.
Establish and uphold high standards for data quality, validation, freshness, availability, and correctness, including clear ownership and response protocols for issues.
Coach and grow the teams across modelling, validation, testing, communication, and business understanding.
Promote a data-informed culture by replacing fragmented and static reporting with consistent, trusted, and reusable data assets and live reporting.
Requirements
- Strong technical foundations in data engineering, data warehousing, data modelling, and analytics.
- Experience building or scaling a modern data platform in a product, SaaS, or similarly data-intensive environment.
- Ability to credibly lead discussions on topics such as data pipelines, warehouse design, modelling, reliability, governance, and real-time or near-real-time data flows.
- Track record of leading cross-functional or multidisciplinary teams, ideally spanning both platform and analytics work.
- Strong product and business orientation, with the ability to translate ambiguous needs into scalable data solutions and clear priorities.
- Hands-on experience with modern data tooling and ways of working; familiarity with tools such as BigQuery, dbt, orchestration frameworks, semantic layers, and observability tooling is a strong plus.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to present data and insights clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Comfort working in an environment with ambiguity, evolving priorities, and significant room to shape the future state.
- A builder mindset, high ownership, and a pragmatic approach to creating structure while moving fast.
- Advanced education in a relevant field is a plus, but equivalent practical experience is equally valuable.
- Ability and willingness to work from our Helsinki office three days a week
- What we offer you:
- Inclusive Culture: Join a team of over 800 Smartlies representing more than 60 nationalities across 24 locations in 13 countries, we foster a culture built on trust, transparency, and open feedback.
- Global Impact: Be part of a company making a global impact, directly influencing our customers and business growth.
- Wellbeing Focus: Enjoy generous healthcare packages, mental health services, and a healthy work-life balance with paid holidays and family leave.
- Total Rewards: Benefit from equity options, performance-based rewards, competitive compensation, and ample career development opportunities.
- Hybrid Workplace: We work in a hybrid model, balancing office and remote work, with the option to work abroad for up to 30 days.
- Smartly is committed to being a great place for growth-minded individuals to thrive. Explore more in our Culture Handbook!
About Smartly.io
Smartly is the AI-powered advertising technology company transforming ad experiences for brands and their consumers. Our comprehensive advertising platform seamlessly integrates the capabilities of media, creative, and intelligence to power more than 800 billion impressions and generate more than 300 billion creatives annually, delivering tangible business outcomes for brands and advertisers. Smartly is the only company in the industry recognized as a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Creative Advertising Technologies with PwC validating the results it delivers for brands. We manage creative and media for 700+ brands worldwide and $6B in ad spend across the largest media platforms, including Facebook, Google, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap, and TikTok. Our end-to-end technology, unmatched access to media platforms and exceptional customer service help Fortune 500 brands to reach and engage consumers and learn what performs best.Smartly is a multinational and diverse team of 750+ Smartlies from 60+ nationalities, working in 13 countries. Together, we want to create and maintain an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and heard. Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion approach is at the heart of it. Visit Smartly to learn more. The processing of your information is described in our Candidate Privacy Notice.