Director, Data Engineering

About the role

Data Engineering sits at the heart of Chime: nearly every product, analytics and AI initiative runs through the data our teams build. As a Director of Engineering, you'll lead Data Foundations and Insights, managing engineering managers and staff engineers who build the foundations the rest of Chime depends on. You'll partner closely with product, analytics, ML and business leaders to make sure our data reflects the true end state of the business for analysts and AI tools alike. And you'll play a core role in Chime's AI transformation, making sure the foundations are built right from day one.

In this role, you can expect to

• Lead and grow an organization of engineering managers and staff engineers, setting a high bar for quality, reliability and ownership.
• Build strong partnerships with product, analytics, ML, risk and business leaders, and keep them confident in what your org delivers.
• Set the multi-year technical vision and roadmap for Chime's data foundations, and tie each investment to business and member outcomes.
• Make sure our data reflects the true end state of the business, so analysts and AI tools can trust it and act on it.
• Shape the data architecture that underpins Chime's AI transformation, making the right foundational calls early.
• Balance competing priorities across many partner teams, making clear trade-offs and explaining them well.
• Hire, coach and develop leaders, and build a team culture of trust, candor and inclusion.

To thrive in this role, you have

• Experience leading engineering organizations through managers, including managing managers and staff-level engineers.
• A track record of building trusted partnerships with cross-functional partners and senior stakeholders, and keeping them aligned through competing priorities.
• Deep understanding of modern data architecture: ingestion, transformation, storage, governance, and serving data for analytics and ML/AI use cases.
• Experience setting technical strategy and a multi-year roadmap, and making the case for investment to executives.
• Sound judgment on architecture trade-offs at scale (batch vs. real-time, build vs. buy, cost vs. reliability), with the technical depth to earn credibility with staff engineers.
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Bonus: experience building data foundations for AI and LLM-powered tools, or working in fintech or another regulated industry.

#LI-Onsite #LI-DA1

Below is the base salary offered for this role and level of experience. Full-time employees may also be eligible for bonus(es), competitive equity, and benefits. For commissioned roles, the base salary listed in this job description does not include incentive/variable pay. The actual base salary offered may be higher, depending on your location, skills, qualifications, and experience.

Wage Notice

$269,000—$373,000 USD

A little about us

At Chime, we believe that everyone can achieve financial progress. We created Chime—a financial technology company, not a bank*—on the premise that core banking services should be helpful, easy, and free. Through our user-friendly tools and intuitive platforms, we empower our members to take control of their finances and work towards their goals. Whether it's starting a savings account, purchasing a first car or home, launching a business, or pursuing higher education, we're proud to have helped millions unlock their financial potential.

We're a team of problem solvers, dreamers, and builders with one shared obsession: our members. From day one, Chimers have worked tirelessly to out-hustle and out-execute competitors to bring our mission to life. Their grit and determination inspire us to work harder every day to deliver the very best experience possible. We each bring an owner's mindset to our work, refusing to be outdone and holding ourselves accountable to meet and exceed the highest bars for our teams, our company, and our members.

We believe in being bold, dreaming big, and taking risks, while also working together, embracing our diverse perspectives, and giving each other honest feedback. Our culture remains deeply entrepreneurial, encouraging every Chimer to see themselves as stewards of our mission to help everyday Americans unlock their financial progress.

We know that to achieve our mission, we must earn and keep people's trust—so we hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity in everything we do. These aren't just words on a wall—our values are embedded in every aspect of our business, serving as a north star that guides us as we work to help millions achieve their financial potential.

Because if we don't—who will?

*Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.

What we offer for our full-time, regular employees

• 🏢 Our in-office work policy is designed to keep you connected - with four days a week in the office and Fridays from home for those near one of our offices, plus team and company-wide events depending on location. Whether you’re coming in regularly or are part of our fully remote program, you’ll stay engaged with your work and teammates.
• 💻 Benefits that support your work and life, including backup child, elder, and pet care and subsidized commuter benefits for eligible employees.
• ✨ Comprehensive health, financial, and wellbeing benefits designed to support you at every stage of life.
• 🏝 Generous vacation policy and company-wide paid days off
• 🫂 1% of your time off to support local community organizations of your choice
• 👟 Annual wellness stipend to use towards eligible wellness related expenses
• 👶 Up to 22 weeks of paid parental leave for birthing parents and 12 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birthing parents
• 👪 Access to family planning reimbursement
• 💚 A challenging and fulfilling opportunity to join one of the most experienced teams in FinTech and help millions unlock financial progress

We know that great work can’t be done without a diverse team and inclusive environment. That’s why we specifically look for individuals of varying strengths, skills, backgrounds, and ideas to join our team. We believe this gives us a competitive advantage to better serve our members and helps us all grow as Chimers and individuals.

Chime is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital or family status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis under provincial, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of state and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Cook County Ordinance, NYC Fair Chance Act, and the LA City Fair Chance Ordinance, and consistent with Canadian provincial and federal laws. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation during any stage of the application process, please contact: accommodations@chime.com.

To learn more about how Chime collects and uses your personal information during the application process, please see the Chime Applicant Privacy Notice.