Daniel O'Donnell Email & Phone Number

Portland, Me, Us

Portland, Me, Us

Melbourne , Victoria, Au

New York, Ny, Us

​ As Senior Engineering Manager for the Data Platform – Governance & Infrastructure team, I spearheaded the development and management of a centralized, secure, and contract-oriented data mesh platform that facilitated reduced costs and skill ceiling requirements. My leadership played a crucial role in fostering collaboration among cross-functional team members, including data engineers, data specialists, and platform developers. Through strategic planning and innovative project execution, I ensured the successful delivery of SaaS solutions that streamlined data ingestion, transformation, and governance for internal teams. ​ In addition to overseeing the team's performance, I actively engaged with stakeholders to gather requirements and feedback, driving continuous platform enhancement and aligning our work with the organization's strategic goals. My expertise in data engineering and governance enabled me to establish best practices and standards, promoting data quality, consistency, reliability and security across the company. In addition, I significantly reduced the operational costs of the platform with resource analysis, projections and cost-saving initiatives. ​ During my tenure, I played an active role in strategizing and planning for DSR (Data Subject Rights) compliance, collaborating closely with the Legal department to ensure adherence to evolving national and international regulations. By maintaining open communication channels and regularly reviewing legal updates, I was able to effectively align our processes and products with the latest legal requirements. This proactive approach not only mitigated compliance risks but also contributed to the organization's reputation for trustworthiness and responsibility in handling sensitive user data.

​ Taking charge of a newly established team focused on delivering segmented and targeted content, I collaborated closely with my Director to comprehend intricate business rules and systems in place. The organization was grappling with significant challenges in prioritization, planning, measurement, and execution. I effectively managed ongoing Web App, API, and SDK projects, while simultaneously enhancing our approach to development, implementation, and performance evaluation. ​ Key challenges in this role encompassed deriving actionable insights from metrics analysis, leading initiatives to identify overlooked opportunities, and ensuring the consistent uptime of mission-critical services handling tens of millions of daily requests. Furthermore, it was crucial to maintain a keen focus on the well-being, job satisfaction, and career development of my direct reports. ​ Arguably, the most substantial challenge in this role involved managing both vertically and horizontally. Navigating rapid roadmap alterations and unanticipated changes introduced by other departments demanded adept leadership in coordinating Product, Design, and Engineering teams across multiple departments. This ensured the continuation of progress, while honoring existing commitments and steering the organization towards success.

​ As the first Engineering Manager to lead one of their first existing teams, I played a key role in expanding the team from 3 to 8 Engineers during the organization's transition to a larger size. I was instrumental in developing and implementing significant improvements to the development lifecycle, which resulted in enhanced delivery, execution, and team predictability. ​ My responsibilities included designing and implementing SLOs, On-Call processes, and OKRs, as well as mentoring fellow Engineering Managers and Individual Contributors. I excelled in motivating the team to brainstorm and document innovative ideas, leading to substantial shifts in vision and direction that positively impacted the organization's trajectory.

San Mateo, California, Us

Over the course of two years, I effectively managed a majority of Fauna's user-facing resources. I played a pivotal role in implementing new development practices and significantly refactoring existing products to align with leading industry standards. This encompassed a wide range of products, such as DB Console, Auth, API/SDK, Billing, Usage, Accounts, CLI, VSCode plugin, and 3rd Party integration, while utilizing technologies like TypeScript, CI/CD, Linting, Automatic Documentation, Testing, and Git.To foster a thriving work environment, I introduced initiatives such as 10% Hack days, online training resources, and regular team-building exercises, while emphasizing trust and respect among team members. Collaborating closely with Product, Marketing, and C-level executives, I consistently sought opportunities for improvement, effectively managing community engagement, conducting retrospectives, planning sprints, setting standup agendas, and experimenting with Jira filters and reporting to optimize overall performance.

San Jose, Ca, Us

Hired to immediately inject full-stack and architectural experience to a newproject to establish their first responsive web pages, in an entirely new CMS. Allonline documentation and marketing material had to be re-imagined within thenew framework generating Cisco’s most visited web resources, serving millionsof pages.

Cupertino, California, Us

I revolutionized the development of web applications for my department.Eventually I started unofficially managing both front-end and back-end teams toimprove our efficiency and delivery train as they needed to coordinate assetdelivery.I presented all projects to Apple executives, pitched projects to otherdepartments and held regular design and delivery meetings.

Teaneck, Nj, Us