Senior Engineering Manager - Data Platform, 6-month FTC
Team: Engineering & Data
Location: Depop - London
Company Description
Life is about creating. That's why we're home to over 30 million artists, stylists, designers, sneakerheads — and you? We're the community-powered, circular-minded marketplace changing the world of online fashion. Now it's time to get inspired at Depop.
Responsibilities
We’re looking for a customer focused Senior Engineering Manager – Data Platform to support the teams responsible for Depop’s data platform. You’ll oversee the teams building our foundational data platform — from experimentation, event ingestion pipelines to our data lake, governance frameworks, and data observability and real-time analytics capabilities.
You will work closely with data scientists, machine learning engineers, backend teams, and product leaders to ensure that our data systems are scalable, secure, observable, and enable innovation across the company.
Responsibilities
Partner with stakeholders across Product, Data, and Engineering to translate strategic goals into platform capabilities.
Lead and mentor 1-2 squads responsible for experimentation, analytics event logging, batch data platform, real-time infrastructure, data observability and governance.
Collaborate closely with stakeholders to define and drive the technical roadmap for Depop’s modern data platform, enabling reliable and scalable analytics and ML pipelines.
Advocate for engineering excellence, balancing velocity with long-term maintainability, privacy, and performance.
Champion data observability and governance, and privacy-by-design principles across the organisation.
Hire, mentor, and develop high-performing engineers.
Qualifications
Proven experience managing data infrastructure or platform teams at scale, ideally in a consumer or marketplace environment.
Deep understanding of distributed systems and modern data ecosystems — including experience with Databrick, Apache Spark, Apache Kafka and DBT.
Demonstrated success in managing data platforms at scale, including both batch processing and real-time streaming architectures.
Deep understanding of data warehousing concepts, ETL/ELT processes, and analytics engineering.
Strong programming skills, particularly in Python, Scala or Java, and a solid understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
Experience working with privacy-sensitive datasets and implementing robust data observability and governance.
A strong technical background — you’ve built or architected systems hands-on, even if you’re now more focused on leadership.
Track record of building and scaling high-performing engineering teams.
Ability to think strategically and pragmatically: you can plan for scale and move quickly.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; you’re comfortable influencing across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Bonus points:
Experience with machine learning infrastructure or ML Ops practices.
Familiarity with event-driven architectures in a mobile-first product environment.
Prior work in fashion, marketplaces, or sustainability-driven tech.
How we work
MyMode is our new hybrid-working model, designed to empower our employees to choose a working mode that works for them.
MyMode is composed of 3 working modes: Flex, Office Based and Remote.
Flex (Default)
Tell me more +Show me less -Flex is our default working mode, meaning all employees will automatically enrol in this mode and there is no application required to enter this mode. Flex employees will be expected to work from the office at least 4 days per month. Teams will determine whether there are set weekly or monthly in-office days based on their operating rhythms and practices. You will need to work with your manager to determine your in-office schedule for your team.
Office Based
Tell me more +Show me less -This option is for employees who are committing to work from the office for a minimum of 4 days per week. As part of taking on the Office Based working mode you will be able to apply for a permanent desk in the office if you need one, but you won’t need to apply to become an Office Based employee.
Remote
Tell me more +Show me less -Under the Remote working mode you are able to work anywhere within the country you are employed in. This mode requires around 2- 4 days per year in the office, depending on organisational guidance. You will be able to expense travel if you are asked to attend the office, but not for office attendance by your choice.
*Remote working is not applicable for all roles at Depop, please check with our Talent Team.
Application Process
Our DNA encompasses the central reasons that people are proud to work at Depop and unites us with a shared language and sense of community.
It guides our daily interactions and empowers individuals, teams, departments and our company as a whole to have a greater impact and achieve our mission.
Show up for the community
Tell me more +Show me less -We go above and beyond. When they succeed, we succeed.
We’re changing how millions of people buy, sell and explore their style, so we do everything we can to create a safe space in a community where you can learn, grow and succeed on your own terms.
Have each other's backs
Tell me more +Show me less -We empower each other with kindness and respect our differences.
Everyone at Depop is seen, heard, valued and encouraged. Our genius is born from our diversity of thought, so we celebrate our wins together and hold each other up when things get tough.
Act with purpose
Tell me more +Show me less -We take conscious risks, deliver efficiently and learn from our mistakes.
Our mission is to be the world’s most diverse and progressive home of fashion. We have the conviction to succeed, the patience to learn and the confidence to fail and try again - being open all the way.
Think thrift
Tell me more +Show me less -We’re resourceful, seek out opportunities and we hustle.
We’re powering a future that is more thoughtful, circular and better for people and planet. To do it, we stay curious, savvy, resourceful and empowered to get the job done – effectively and responsibly.
At the heart of our mission...
At the heart of our mission...