Engineering Site Lead

About Starburst Starburst delivers enterprise intelligence at scale by giving organizations secure, governed access to all their data, wherever it lives. Built for distributed data environments, Starburst helps enterprises power AI and analytics without the cost and complexity of traditional data consolidation. With open standards including Trino and Apache Iceberg, Starburst enables trusted access to complete enterprise context while helping organizations avoid vendor lock-in. Leading global enterprises trust Starburst to fuel AI, analytics, and enterprise intelligence. Learn more at starburst.ai. Role Overview We're looking for a senior engineering leader to anchor and shape Starburst's engineering presence in India. This is not a role for someone who optimizes a predefined org — it's for a builder and a business partner. The Director will help define what India engineering looks like, establish the right capabilities at the right time, and drive outcomes that matter to the company and its customers. Starburst operates across hubs in San Francisco, Boston, and Warsaw. The India site will work most closely with Starburst's engineering hub in Warsaw — making that relationship a critical axis for the role — while also staying well-connected with teams in San Francisco and Boston. Key Responsibilities Engineering Leadership & Execution Lead engineering efforts in India with a clear focus on outcomes — not headcount targets or activity metrics Drive high-impact work in areas such as benchmark and upgrade testing, integration support, and other initiatives that extend Starburst's core platform capabilities Partner with European and US counterparts to deliver on shared goals across time zones Uphold and evolve engineering standards, delivery practices, and technical culture across India-based work Site & Org Building Define the shape of the India engineering org in collaboration with leadership — which capabilities to build, in what order, and how to grow sustainably Own the local engineering culture: hiring bar, onboarding, retention, and community presence Build Starburst's employer brand in India through industry engagement, meetups, and genuine presence in the local tech community Business & Customer Partnership Engage directly with enterprise customers in India and the broader region — in technical discussions, pre-sales, and escalations Partner with Sales, Solutions Engineering, and Customer Success to translate customer needs into engineering priorities Act as an owner of business outcomes, not just a delivery manager — understand what success means commercially and connect engineering work to it Cross-hub Collaboration Build a particularly strong working relationship with the Warsaw engineering hub — the team India will collaborate with most day-to-day — while maintaining strong ties with Boston and SF leadership Ensure India teams are deeply integrated into the broader org — not treated as a remote extension, but as a core part of how Starburst builds Surface opportunities, blockers, and org health signals proactively across the leadership team What We're Looking For Must-haves 12+ years of overall engineering experience, with at least 5 years in engineering leadership Proven track record of building engineering presence in India — ideally from an early, ambiguous stage A genuine builder and partner mentality: excited by defining structure, not just running one Hands-on background in distributed systems, data engineering, or adjacent domains (Python, Java, SQL, Spark — Trino/Presto a strong plus) Strong ability to hire, grow, and retain senior engineers in a competitive India market Experience engaging enterprise customers directly — comfortable representing engineering in commercial conversations Strong cross-timezone and cross-cultural collaboration skills, particularly with European engineering teams Open source community familiarity or engagement Nice-to-haves Experience in the data/analytics space (data lakehouse, query engines, cloud infrastructure) Background at companies like Confluent, Databricks, Snowflake, Cloudera, or similar Prior experience working alongside or extending teams based in Poland or Central/Eastern Europe What Good Looks Like The leadership team is looking for someone who sees themselves as a builder and a partner — not a hiring machine. The right person: Owns business outcomes — understands what Starburst is trying to achieve commercially and engineers toward that, not toward a headcount plan Defines the work, doesn't just receive it — collaborates with leadership to identify where India engineering can have the highest impact and shapes priorities accordingly Earns trust across hubs — Warsaw, Boston, SF; builds relationships through presence, reliability, and quality of judgment, not org chart authority Moves with conviction in ambiguity — makes good decisions without a complete picture, communicates clearly about uncertainty, and adjusts quickly Leads through influence as much as management — as credible with a senior IC on a technical design as with a customer VP in a commercial discussion Build your career at Starburst All-Stars have the opportunity and freedom to realize their true potential. By building alongside top talent, we’re empowered to take ownership of our careers and drive meaningful change. Anchored in industry-proven technology and unprecedented success, All-Stars are taking on the challenge everyday to disrupt our industry – and the future. Our global workforce is supported by a competitive Total Rewards program that reflects our commitment to a rewarding and supportive work environment. This includes a variety of benefits like competitive pay, attractive stock grants, flexible paid time off, and more. We are committed to fostering an intentional, inclusive, and diverse culture that drives deep engagement, authentic belonging, and an exceptional All-Star experience. We believe that diversity of thought, perspective, background and experience will enable us to own what we do, drive our success and empower our All-Stars to show up authentically. Starburst provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.