Director of Engineering, Starburst

Head of Applied AI

Salary not provided

Plus stock grants

Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

1-2 days a week in office

Data platform for analytics, apps and AI

Job no longer available

Data platform for analytics, apps and AI

501-1000 employees

B2BData storageAnalyticsData Integration

Job no longer available

Salary not provided

Plus stock grants

Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

More information about location

1-2 days a week in office

501-1000 employees

B2BData storageAnalyticsData Integration

Company mission

To free customers from the tyranny of data lock-in.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

10+ years engineering experience, 5+ in AI/ML systems, data platforms, or infra
Deep understanding of LLM lifecycle: embedding, inference, RAG, governance
Proven leadership of platform teams or AI infra in production
Familiarity with LangChain, LlamaIndex, NVIDIA NIMs, or similar frameworks
Hands-on experience with Iceberg, Trino, or other modern data platforms is a plus
Excellent communication and execution skills

What the job involves

We are hiring a Director of AI Engineering to lead all engineering initiatives related to Starburst’s rapidly expanding AI platform
This is a foundational role to drive execution across inference, agentic workflows, hybrid search, governance, and integration with customer ecosystems
Own engineering execution across AI workflows, agents, and model integrations
Partner with PM and GTM teams to define roadmap and co-own AI strategy
Build and manage a high-performing AI engineering team (across UX, backend, infra)
Collaborate across Cloud, Platform, and Product teams to ensure AI cohesion
Establish architecture principles for inference, vector search, and agentic pipelines
Represent Starburst Engineering in customer briefings and strategic GTM efforts

Our take

Starburst offers a unified platform for accessing distributed data from various databases through its Trino-based query engine. This approach helps users cut infrastructure and analytics costs by providing a single point of access. As the Data Lakes market grows nearly 30% annually, Starburst is well-positioned to help businesses manage their increasingly complex data.

The company has recently gained recognition for its advanced capabilities in data management. Starburst emphasizes the importance of real-time hybrid data access and robust security, especially for AI applications. Its latest report, developed in collaboration with TheCUBE Research, underscores how effective data management practices are essential for successful AI implementation.s

Key findings from the report include the critical need for real-time data access and the alignment of data strategies with AI goals. These insights highlight how Starburst's technology supports efficient AI deployment and data management.

Kirsty

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

17% employee growth in 12 months

Glassdoor (3.3)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)

Feb 2022

$250m

SERIES D

Dec 2020

$100m

SERIES C

Total funding: $414m

Company benefits

Comprehensive Health Insurance Coverage
Life Insurance, Disability, and Income Protection
Employee assistance Programs
Flexible Paid Time Off
Paid Parental Leave
Remote Work Opportunties
Equity Ownership

Company HQ

Fort Point Channel Landmark District, Boston, MA

Leadership

Justin Borgman

(CEO & Chairman)

Founder and CEO of Starburst's precursor company Hadapt, which was acquired by Terdata in 2014. Served as VP & GM at Teradata before co-relaunching Hadapt as Starburst in 2017.

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