Sr./Staff Data Engineer

Firework is hiring a Senior/Staff Data Engineer to design, build, and scale core data infrastructure that supports analytics and data-driven decision-making. The role focuses on event-based ingestion, stream processing, data warehousing, and reliable pipelines, with technical leadership and the establishment of engineering best practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement backend and machine learning data infrastructure, including event-based data ingestion, stream processing, data warehouse systems, data pipelines, visualization, analytics, and analytics-facing applications
• Build analytics tools that leverage the data pipeline to deliver actionable insights across areas such as customer acquisition, operational efficiency, and other key business performance metrics
• Develop and maintain distributed data pipelines for ETL, feature engineering, and model-running workflows
• Create data tooling for analytics and data science teams to build, optimize, and scale product capabilities
• Maintain data separation and security across national boundaries using multiple data centers and AWS regions
• Partner with data and analytics experts to improve end-to-end data processing functionality, including troubleshooting and problem diagnosis, performance benchmarking, load balancing, and code reviews
• Mentor other data engineers through technical guidance, sharing best practices, and supporting professional growth

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in data engineering, software engineering, or a closely related field, with significant experience designing and maintaining production data or machine learning systems
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL, including advanced querying, data transformations, and performance optimization
• Experience building and maintaining large-scale ETL/ELT pipelines and distributed data processing systems
• Hands-on experience with modern data warehousing technologies, including Snowflake, BigQuery, or open table formats such as Iceberg
• Experience with data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark, Flink, or equivalent technologies
• Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools such as Apache Airflow, Dagster, or Prefect
• Cloud infrastructure experience, preferably AWS or GCP
• Solid understanding of data modeling, database design, and data architecture principles
• Experience implementing production-grade data quality, monitoring, and reliability practices
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to independently drive complex technical projects
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience working effectively with both technical and non-technical teams
• Leadership potential and interest in growing into a people management role, including mentoring engineers, building teams, and driving technical strategy

Technologies

• Python
• SQL
• Snowflake
• BigQuery
• Iceberg
• Apache Spark
• Flink
• Apache Airflow
• Dagster
• Prefect
• AWS
• GCP

Location

• San Mateo, CA (hybrid)
• Bay Area candidates

Compensation

• Estimated pay range: $160,000–$180,000 per year
• Compensation may include stock options
• The posted pay range reflects the anticipated low and high end of the compensation and may change based on business needs
• Starting pay is determined using factors including primary work location, evaluation of skills and experience, market demands, and internal parity