Senior Data Engineer

Climb

$120K — $145K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in data engineering or analytics engineering.
  • Advanced experience building production data pipelines with Apache Spark (PySpark and SQL).
  • Hands-on production experience with Databricks (Delta Lake, Jobs, Workflows, Unity Catalog).
  • Deep experience with at least one major cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
  • Strong SQL and data modeling fundamentals.
  • A track record of building and operating production-grade data pipelines.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently own a data engineering workstream.

Responsibilities

  • Own one or more data engineering workstreams from design to production.
  • Design and implement scalable data models and lakehouse architectures.
  • Optimize performance and cost across Databricks and underlying cloud services.
  • Orchestrate workflows using Databricks Workflows and similar tools.
  • Implement governance, security, observability, and CI/CD for data.
  • Design AI-ready platforms for analytics and machine learning.
  • Work directly with client stakeholders to gather and translate requirements.

Benefits

  • Competitive base salary with performance-based bonuses.
  • MacBook Pro and swag kit provided.
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Generous holidays, flexible PTO, and a remote-first work environment.
  • Professional development budget for certifications.
  • Spot bonuses for relevant certifications.
  • Opportunities for conference attendance and thought leadership.
  • Collaborative culture with access to leadership.
  • Opportunity to shape a growing practice.
Full Job Description
Role Summary

Senior Data Engineers own complete data engineering workstreams within client engagements. You design, build, and operationalize the data platforms that power analytics and AI, taking your work from discovery and design through implementation, production, and handoff.

This is a hands-on engineering role built around ownership. You work directly with client stakeholders to translate business requirements into scalable data solutions, making the technical decisions necessary to deliver reliable, secure, and cost-efficient platforms. While the Data Architect owns the overall platform architecture, you own the successful delivery of your workstreams and the quality of the systems you build.

Our work focuses on modernizing enterprise data platforms using Databricks and the broader cloud ecosystem, enabling organizations to build trustworthy data products and AI-ready foundations that last beyond the engagement.

Key Responsibilities
  • Own one or more data engineering workstreams, from technical design through production deployment and handoff.
  • Design and implement scalable data models and lakehouse architectures, including medallion patterns where appropriate.
  • Optimize performance and cost across Databricks and the underlying cloud: you treat compute spend as your problem, not someone else's.
  • Orchestrate workflows using Databricks Workflows, Delta Live Tables, or equivalent tooling.
  • Implement governance, security, observability, and lineage with Unity Catalog, and stand up CI/CD for data.
  • Design and build AI-ready data platforms that enable reliable analytics, machine learning, and agentic applications.
  • Work directly with client stakeholders to gather requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
  • Review code, mentor junior engineers, and maintain high engineering standards across your workstreams.
  • Contribute reusable accelerators, frameworks, and best practices back to the practice.


Required Qualifications
  • 6+ years in data engineering or analytics engineering.
  • Advanced experience building production data pipelines with Apache Spark (PySpark and SQL), including performance optimization.
  • Hands-on production experience with Databricks (Delta Lake, Jobs, Workflows, Unity Catalog).
  • Deep experience with at least one major cloud (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
  • Strong SQL and data modeling fundamentals.
  • A track record of building and operating production-grade data pipelines, not just prototypes.
  • Comfortable working directly with client stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
  • Demonstrated ability to independently own a data engineering workstream from design through production.


Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with Delta Live Tables, structured streaming, or real-time pipelines.
  • Familiarity with dbt, Airflow, or other modern data stack tooling.
  • A demonstrated performance- and cost-optimization mindset (cluster sizing, Photon, file layout, partitioning).
  • Exposure to governed or regulated environments (e.g., financial services, healthcare).
  • Prior consulting, systems integrator, or professional services experience.

Note on certification: Existing Databricks certifications are a plus. Where not already held, Databricks certification (e.g., Data Engineer Associate/Professional) is expected to be obtained post-hire.

Who Thrives Here

This role is designed for engineers who are ready to own complete workstreams today and are growing toward whole-system architecture and engagement leadership.
  • You naturally take ownership of complete workstreams rather than waiting for individual tasks.
  • You treat data quality, reliability, and performance as product features, not afterthoughts.
  • You enjoy solving ambiguous problems with practical engineering.
  • You leave every platform easier to operate than when you found it.
  • You'd rather ship something maintainable than demo something clever.


What We Offer
  • Competitive base salary with performance-based bonuses
  • MacBook Pro and swag kit so you can do your best work
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Generous holidays, flexible PTO, and remote-first work environment
  • Professional development budget including Databricks and cloud certifications
  • Spot bonuses for relevant certifications
  • Conference attendance and thought leadership opportunities
  • Collaborative, low-ego culture with direct access to leadership
  • Opportunity to shape a growing practice from the ground floor

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