Why do I coach?

I’m Jay Floyd. By day, I lead data platform teams at Zapier. Outside of that, I coach high-performing tech professionals who are ready to level up their leadership signal, not just their output. My lane is clarity under pressure. I help leaders turn raw intelligence and ambition into calm execution, clean communication, and a reputation people trust. That often means tightening priorities, strengthening stakeholder relationships, upgrading how you show up in moments of friction, and building an operating system that makes your best work repeatable. My coaching style is strengths-based, direct, and practical. You will leave sessions with artifacts you can use immediately, not just insight. Think: a decision framework, a stakeholder map, a hard conversation script, a weekly update cadence, and yes, a LinkedIn About rewrite that matches the leader you are becoming. If you are carrying a lot, moving fast, and tired of feeling “high potential but inconsistent,” we will build your steady floor.

Work Experience

Manager, Data Engineering

Zapier

July 2023 - Present

I lead a hybrid team of 6 data engineers and SREs. My style is strengths-first and outcomes-focused. We operate with Shape Up and six‑week delivery cycles to ship meaningful slices end to end. I own Data Governance and keep the platform reliable, secure, and ready to scale, while aligning technical work to real business outcomes. What I deliver - Strengths-first leadership: Coach to individual strengths, clear blockers quickly, and run crisp rituals that create clarity, decisions, and momentum. - Shape Up operating model: Shape, bet, and build in six‑week cycles with tight scopes and clear appetites. Protect focus, cut noise, and keep delivery predictable. - Platform modernization, reliability and governance: Lead the vision for our Databricks platforms and own the governance framework, covering data classification, access controls, privacy, and compliance so the platform scales without added risk. - Strategic prioritization: Translate business goals into scoped work, sequence tradeoffs across stakeholders, and keep the team aimed at the highest‑value outcomes. - Execution, ownership, and risk: Deliver against semiannual roadmaps anchored to six‑week cycles. Serve as DRI for Data Pillars, surface risks early, and keep milestones moving. Agile Methodologies, Career Development Coaching and +16 skills

Life and Career Coach

Mento

May 2022 - Present

I coach high-potential professionals in tech to build unshakable confidence—not by ignoring their story, but by owning it. Instead of performing past our pain, we work from it—turning lived experience into leadership advantage. Using strengths-based coaching rooted in the Rare Stack™ framework, I help clients identify what makes them unmistakable and design strategies that fit how they’re actually wired. My coaching isn’t about becoming someone new—it’s about remembering who you’ve been the whole time and building around that truth. Through 1:1 coaching, group cohorts, and community content, I help people move from self-doubt to self-alignment. Together, we don’t just chase success—we define it from the inside out. Performance Motivation, Interpersonal Skills and +1 skill

Manager, Data Enablement

Zapier

May 2022 - July 2023

I led a team of four Analytics Engineers. We owned the central data pipelines and shared assets that powered analysis and decision making across the company. As the hub in a hub‑and‑spoke model, we enabled specialized teams to move faster on trusted, well‑modeled data. I set a clear delivery cadence, coached by strengths, and kept priorities tied to business outcomes. Key contributions - Team leadership and coaching: Developed Analytics Engineers through clear expectations, focused 1:1s, and practical feedback. Removed blockers quickly and kept collaboration tight across partners. - Central data foundation: Designed, built, and maintained shared pipelines and canonical datasets that served core business domains. Drove reuse to cut duplication and improve reliability. - Enablement in a hub‑and‑spoke model: Partnered with specialized teams to define clean interfaces and reusable patterns. Provided documentation, playbooks, and support so spokes could build on the hub with confidence. - Quality and stewardship: Established sensible standards for definitions, documentation, access, and lineage. Introduced checks and monitoring to keep critical assets accurate and dependable. - Prioritization and delivery: Translated cross‑functional needs into scoped work, aligned stakeholders, and shipped predictable increments that mapped to measurable outcomes. Performance Motivation, Data Management and +18 skills

Senior Analytics Engineer

Zapier

December 2020 - May 2022

• Developed data transformation pipeline for revenue recognition to interface with Oracle Netsuite. • Supported org level metrics by developing data pipelines for financial marts. Performance Motivation, Morale and +5 skills

Data Architect

shiftkey

June 2020 - December 2020

helped me get this job I led the development and deployment of a cutting-edge data lake + warehouse on Azure, completely rethinking data accessibility and performance. By mentoring a team of two engineers, we created a collaborative and efficient work environment that resulted in increased productivity. Also, I prioritized data governance and security, ensuring that all practices were in line with industry standards. People Management, Team Motivation and +5 skills

Data Architect

Medical Mutual

February 2019 - May 2020

I led greenfield development of BI pipelines and ETL processes to analyze cohorts, providing valuable demographic and psychographic insights to boost wellness programs. I also owned the architecture and governance of backend production PostGres databases, ensuring data management was solid and compliant. By enhancing data accessibility and performance, I contributed to better decision-making and operational efficiency. People Management, Team Management and +4 skills

Data Architect

Jones Day

March 2012 - February 2019

Revamped data infrastructure at Jones Day by setting up a Lakehouse architecture with SSIS, SSAS, and Power BI, resulting in faster decision-making and improved data accessibility. Streamlined data processes, cutting decision-making time by 65% and enhancing data accessibility through advanced data management tools and techniques. Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving and +2 skills

Education

Bryant College

Information Technology

1997 - 1999

DeVry Institute of Technology

Information Systems

1996 - 1997