At Maki, data is at the heart of everything we do: from powering client insights to building embedded data products and fueling our AI agents. We don’t see data as just a support function—it’s a product in itself, one that drives intelligence across our stack.

So far, our product and operations teams have been handling data in a full-stack way, from analysis to dashboarding. We are now looking for our first Data lead who will own our data infrastructure, design scalable pipelines, and bring AI-driven capabilities (like natural language querying) into the hands of our teams and customers.

Here’s what this role is about:

• Build the foundation: Own the data architecture—data lakes, pipelines, and models—that will support Maki’s growth and AI-first product vision.

• Empower the company: Deliver self-service tools, trusted datasets, and reliable dashboards that every team can use confidently.

• Elevate with AI: Use AI to supercharge data—whether it’s natural language querying, automated reporting, or embedding data products into client experiences.

• Future-proof the stack: Continuously review and evolve the tools we use (currently Looker, potentially migrating to Metabase or other platforms).

• Drive culture: Make data accessible, reliable, and magical for both internal teams and external customers.

What you will do

As our Data lead, you will have high ownership and direct impact on how Maki scales. Your responsibilities will include:

• Designing and maintaining pipelines to ingest, transform, and serve data.

• Managing our data lakes and turning them into production-ready models and tables.

• Building and maintaining dashboards and reporting systems, with an eye toward migration and optimization.

• Creating data products that can be embedded into Maki’s user-facing experiences.

• Supporting ad-hoc analysis for customers and internal teams with speed and rigor.

• Exploring and deploying AI-driven data interfaces, such as natural language querying.

• Establishing best practices for data governance, monitoring, and documentation.

You might be a strong fit if you:

• Engineering foundation: You have a crisp engineering background, whether from an engineering or data-focused program.

• Technical skills: Fluent in SQL; Python is a plus. Strong numerical reasoning and analytical mindset.

• AI curiosity: You’re excited about using AI to rethink how people interact with data.

• Problem-solving: Pragmatic, resourceful, and structured in how you tackle complex data challenges.

• Mindset: Determined, curious, and comfortable with high ownership in a fast-paced environment.

Bonus points if you:

• Have experience with BI tools (Looker, Metabase, or similar).

• Know modern data stacks (BigQuery, Snowflake, dbt, Airflow, etc.).

• Have built self-service tools or pipelines used by non-technical teams.

• Have already experimented with LLMs or AI-based querying in a data context.

Intro call — 30 min
Screening with Ben (Cofounder & Chief Product Officer). A first conversation to get to know you and share more context on Maki and the role.

Technical case — 90 min
With our product and engineering team. You’ll solve a real-world data problem and walk us through your thinking.

Founder interview — 30 min
Meet another one of our founders to validate culture and values fit.

Final wrap-up
Offer call (and ideally, a celebration!).