Titlesby GlyphHead of Data job title trend since Apr 2011
Leadership · Established · in 0.58% of HN hiring posts · 18 open roles at 15 companies · median $284k
Leads a company's data team: analytics, data science and data engineering.
first seen Dec 2011, Hacker Newstook off Dec 2014
Why it exists
Written by rule from our own data
First seen in our data in December 2011, in a Hacker News Who is hiring post. It took off in December 2014, when its share of Who is hiring posts first reached a quarter of its best year. Today 18 open roles use the title at 15 companies, most of them in AI infrastructure. Closest tracked titles: Chief Data Officer, Data Scientist, Data Engineer.
- PostingAsk HN: Who is hiring? (December 2011)Hacker News, Dec 2011 · backs: first sighting
- PostingDirector, Data Science & Engineering, FinanceDropbox, Nov 2026 · backs: an open posting with the title
Where it is posted
Sectors
- AI infrastructure5
- Consumer2
- Software2
- Developer tools2
- AI lab1
- AI data1
- Data platform1
Cities
- San Francisco8
- New York5
- Palo Alto4
- Seattle2
Countries and remote
- United States16
- India2
- Canada2
Remote option39%
Posted pay
Middle half $265k to $333k, median $284k from 14 postings that state a base range (USD a year).
Pay by level and city on SalariesWho is hiring for it
Open postings on their own job boards, read 5h ago| # | Company | Open roles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ConfidoA company hiring most for Data Analyst and Machine Learning Engineer. | 2 | |
| 2 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | ||
| 4 | AddeparA company hiring most for Staff Engineer and Product Manager. | 1 | |
| 5 | 1 | ||
| 6 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 1 | ||
| 8 | 1 | ||
| 9 | 1 | ||
| 10 | 1 | ||
| 11 | 1 | ||
| 12 | 1 |
Open roles
8 of 18; company pages list the restDirector, Analytics, DashOS
New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Sunnyvale, CA; Seattle, WA
Director, Data Center Engineering
Livingston, NJ / New York, NY / Sunnyvale, CA / San Francisco, CA / Bellevue, WA
| Role | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Director, Data Science & Engineering, Finance | Remote - US: Select locations | $228k to $309k | |
| Director, Data Science | Remote, Canada; Remote, United States | $210k to $314k | |
| VP, Data EngineeringConfidoNYC Office$350k to $450k | Confido | NYC Office | $350k to $450k |
| Director, Data Center Equipment Category Manager | San Jose Office (Zanker) | $224k to $350k | |
| Director, Analytics, DashOS | New York, NY; San Francisco, CA; Sunnyvale, CA; Seattle, WA | $255k to $375k | |
| Director, Data Center Engineering | Livingston, NJ / New York, NY / Sunnyvale, CA / San Francisco, CA / Bellevue, WA | $180k to $264k | |
| Director, Data Partnerships | San Francisco, CA (Hybrid) | $215k to $315k | |
| Head of Data Science, Strategic Finance | San Francisco | $459k to $536k |
Share of Hacker News hiring posts
285 posts since Apr 2011November 2026 1 of 207 postings, 0.48%
Related titles
Chief Data OfficerThe executive who owns data governance, quality and analytics.0% of HN posts, 12 mo · since Feb 2016Data ScientistUses statistics and models to answer questions with data; the "sexiest job" of 2012.2.2% of HN posts, 12 mo · 245 open · $226k median · since May 2011Data EngineerBuilds the pipelines, warehouses and platforms that move and store data.3.1% of HN posts, 12 mo · 151 open · $182k median · since Apr 2011Staff EngineerThe senior individual-contributor track: technical leadership without managing people.8.7% of HN posts, 12 mo · 1,178 open · $255k median · since Jul 2011Engineering ManagerManages a team of engineers: hiring, delivery and careers.3.7% of HN posts, 12 mo · 512 open · $262k median · since Nov 2011Head of AILeads the AI or ML group below the C-suite: VP, director or head.0.44% of HN posts, 12 mo · 23 open · $290k median · since Jul 2017
About this title
Leads a company's data team: analytics, data science and data engineering.
Also counted: head of analytics, VP data, director of data science
First sighting
New York, NY (aka NYC) Profitably: http://profitably.com VP of Data: http://jobsco.re/vL9OP0 Profitably is web-based planning and analysis software...
Median posted salary $284k from 14 postings that state a base pay range (the median of their midpoints, USD a year). Not a survey of what people earn.