Workiva, Inc

Senior Staff Data Platform & AI Engineer

Workiva, Inc • $174K — $280K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Ames, IA
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Statistics, or related field, or equivalent experience
  • 10+ years of data or platform engineering experience
  • 5+ years owning Snowflake account or platform operations at enterprise scale
  • Deep experience with Snowflake administration and cost optimization
  • Experience with dbt Core or Cloud, and multi-project data architectures

Responsibilities

  • Define the multi-year data platform architecture and roadmap
  • Set Snowflake standards for various configurations and cost management
  • Design dbt Mesh boundaries for domain team independence
  • Establish integration standards for platform tools
  • Design governed data-access patterns for AI workflows
  • Collaborate with Security and GRC on data compliance
  • Improve platform efficiency and resource allocation
  • Guide architectural decisions and mentor senior engineers

Benefits

  • Discretionary annual bonus
  • Restricted Stock Units at time of hire
  • 401(k) match
  • Comprehensive employee benefits package
  • Flexible remote work options
Full Job Description
Workiva is seeking a Senior Staff Data Platform and AI Engineer to set the technical direction for our enterprise data platform. You will own the architecture, reliability, security, and cost efficiency of Snowflake account infrastructure while enabling domain teams to build and operate dbt Mesh projects safely at scale.

As a senior technical advisor, you will turn ambiguous, cross-organizational needs into clear standards and architectural decisions. You will partner with Data Engineering, Analytics, AI/ML, Security, GRC, and business teams to shape the platform roadmap and establish governed foundations for AI applications.

What You'll Do
  • Define the multi-year data platform architecture and roadmap, including technology evaluations and buy/build/adopt recommendations for executive leadership
  • Set Snowflake standards for warehouses, account configuration, environments, RBAC, replication, performance, and cost management
  • Design dbt Mesh boundaries and shared guardrails that allow domain teams to develop and operate data products independently
  • Establish integration standards for Airflow, Fivetran, Atlan, data sharing, and other platform tools
  • Design governed data-access patterns for AI and agentic workflows, including context retrieval, MCP-based access, and analytical agent evaluation
  • Partner with Security and GRC on FedRAMP boundaries, least-privilege access, masking, and reviews of new data integrations
  • Improve platform efficiency through warehouse tuning, resource monitors, query tags, and cost attribution
  • Guide cross-team architectural decisions, mentor senior engineers, and communicate platform strategy to VP and executive stakeholders

What You'll Need
Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Math, Statistics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
  • 10+ years of data or platform engineering experience, including 5+ years owning Snowflake account or platform operations at enterprise scale

Preferred Qualifications
  • Deep experience with Snowflake administration, RBAC, SQL tuning, resource monitors, query tags, and cost optimization
  • Experience making architectural tradeoffs across security, reliability, performance, cost, and domain autonomy
  • Track record of setting technical direction and influencing multiple teams without direct authority
  • Experience with dbt Core or Cloud, dbt Mesh, or multi-project data architectures
  • Familiarity with data governance, cataloging, lineage, Atlan, and compliance controls such as FedRAMP or SOX
  • Experience with AWS data services, Python automation, and orchestration or ingestion tools such as Airflow and Fivetran
  • Experience designing governed data access for AI applications, MCP servers, semantic layers, or analytical agent evaluation
  • Experience supporting BI, reverse-ETL, and operational data consumers in a SaaS environment
  • SnowPro certification and experience mentoring Staff-level engineers
  • Strong communication skills, including presenting technical strategy and tradeoffs to executive audiences

Working Conditions & Travel Requirement
  • Less than 10% travel
  • Reliable internet access for any period of time working remotely and not in a Workiva office

Workiva will not provide visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.
How You'll Be Rewarded
• Salary range in the US: $174,000.00 - $280,000.00
• A discretionary bonus typically paid annually
• Restricted Stock Units granted at time of hire
• 401(k) match and comprehensive employee benefits package

The salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this job in the US. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience and other relevant factors.

Workiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment.
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About Workiva, Inc

Workiva Inc. is a global software company headquartered in Ames, Iowa. The company provides cloud-based solutions for connected reporting and compliance, enabling collaboration and data integration for enterprises. Workiva's platform offers a suite of tools for data management, reporting, and compliance, including SOX, SEC, and XBRL reporting. The company's customers include more than 75% of the Fortune 500 and over 2,800 enterprises worldwide. Workiva was founded in 2008 and went public in 2014.
Learn more about Workiva, Inc
Size
2,106 employees
Market Cap
$4.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$48.4 million
Founded
2008
5 Year Trend
+19.9%
Revenue
$351.5 million
NASDAQ

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