Director, Software Engineering - Big Data

About the Team

The Big Data division at Walmart spearheads the creation and maintenance of expansive data processing and analytics infrastructures vital to the organization's data-centric strategies. We enable a cohesive platform for generating data products, AI/ML operations, and AI-driven solutions, utilizing Walmart's data assets across multiple cloud environments.

Our team stands out due to our dual emphasis on processing scale and rapid execution. Employing state-of-the-art distributed computing frameworks and query engines, we deliver both real-time and batch data analytics. This commitment provides impactful, data-driven services to millions of customers and employees globally. We thrive on a culture that promotes innovation, continual growth, and cross-departmental collaboration to tackle complex retail data challenges worldwide.

Role Responsibilities

• Drive the technical vision and strategic roadmap for the Big Data platform to accommodate Walmart's expanding data demands, encouraging innovation and agile business practices.
• Enhance platform robustness, scalability, and security to uphold high standards of performance.
• Collaborate deeply with business and engineering stakeholders to promote data-driven decision-making aligned with enterprise objectives.
• Mentor and nurture a talented engineering workforce, fostering best practices and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Lead design and execution of complex software, data, and machine learning systems, ensuring reliability and scalability consistent with domain strategies.
• Manage product development lifecycle including architecture, coding, testing, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance, championing DevOps and observability for system health and efficiency.
• Implement cloud cost reduction strategies and initiatives to reduce engineering toil and improve developer productivity.
• Partner with product and data teams to integrate AI/ML features, including autonomous agentic capabilities, using languages such as Python, Java, Rust, and Dart, and relevant AI frameworks.
• Coordinate cross-team dependencies to ensure roadmap and project milestones align with broader organizational goals, utilizing generative AI tools for risk and project management enhancement.
• Take ownership of deliverables ensuring alignment with quality and business goals and resolve project challenges proactively.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Over 15 years of experience in software engineering including 5+ years in senior leadership roles managing multiple engineering managers and teams of 20+.
• Strong foundation in computer science principles including microservices, data structures, algorithms, and agentic AI.
• Hands-on expertise with Java, Python, Kafka, and big data-related technologies like Spark, Hive, Airflow, Trino, Druid, and Pinot.
• Extensive experience with cloud-native distributed systems across Azure, GCP, or Walmart Cloud Native Platform preferred.
• Demonstrated ability managing software engineering leaders, architects and projects with emphasis on engineering excellence and scalable system design.
• Experience driving collaboration across multiple scrum teams, QA, release management, and program management.
• Background delivering software platforms designed for large-scale users with focus on modularity, extensibility, and balancing technical and business requirements in dynamic environments.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with geographically dispersed teams and align technical vision with strategic business outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving, leadership, mentoring, and communication capabilities.

Additional Information

The role is based onsite at Walmart Global Tech's Bangalore office with flexibility for work-life balance.

Walmart Global Tech offers a progressive work culture emphasizing technology impact on retail, inclusive diversity, and comprehensive benefits including parental leave, paid time off, health coverage, and performance incentives.

Walmart is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to cultivating a workplace where all associates are valued and included, reflecting the diversity of its global community.