Software Developer – Data Services - Hybrid, Cary, NC

About the job    

The Customer Intelligence R&D Data Engineering team builds cloud-native backend services and platform capabilities that support CI360. We design systems that handle high-volume event data, real-time processing, and service orchestration across multiple tenants and value streams. This is a backend engineering role operating at scale—not a traditional data pipeline role.

Our platform is evolving toward:

• Cloud-first, containerized architectures
• Event-driven, distributed backend systems
• Deep integration of AI capabilities into core services and workflows

As a Software Developer, you will:    

Design and build cloud-native backend systems that are foundational to the platform:

• Architect and implement scalable, cloud-native backend services (Java-based) deployed on AWS
• Design for resilience, elasticity, and multi-tenant scale using modern cloud patterns
• Build and evolve distributed systems leveraging services such as EKS, Lambda, Step Functions, SQS, SNS, DynamoDB, and OpenSearch
• Develop event-driven architectures that support real-time data processing and orchestration
• Own the design of service interfaces, APIs, and backend abstractions that other teams depend on
• Work with open table formats (e.g., Apache Iceberg) to enable:
• Reliable, ACID-compliant data access across distributed systems
• Scalable, cloud-native analytical and operational workloads
• Seamless interoperability between backend services, data pipelines, and AI workloads
• Apply Generative AI to backend engineering challenges, such as:
• Intelligent workflow orchestration
• Automated decisioning and routing
• AI-assisted data transformation and service optimization
• Enhance cloud-native observability—metrics, logging, tracing, and alerting—to ensure production readiness and operational excellence

• Be encouraged to participate in open-source projects on behalf of SAS.  
• Ensure all applicable security policies and processes are followed to support the organization’s secure software development goals.  
• Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do. 

Required qualifications  

• 5+ years of experience building backend or distributed systems in cloud environments
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Strong proficiency in Java, with experience delivering production services
• Hands-on experience with cloud-native architectures (AWS or similar), including:
• Microservices or service-oriented architecture
• Containerized deployments (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS/EKS)
• Managed cloud services (Lambda, SQS, SNS, DynamoDB, etc.)
• Experience with Python for cloud automation, AI integration, or tooling
• Exposure to streaming architectures (Kafka, Kinesis, Flink)
• Strong SQL and relational database expertise (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, AWS RDS), with experience designing efficient, scalable data access layers and optimizing performance in production systems.
• Demonstrated ability to design scalable, resilient, cloud-deployed systems

• Equivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications.  

Additional competencies, knowledge, and skills

• Innovation – You must be creative and devise unique solutions to complex problems that provide a competitive advantage for our products.
• Technology Savvy – You must keep apprised of emerging industry trends and technology to consistently recommend modern approaches to our challenges.
• Complexity – Work on problems of diverse scope where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors. Demonstrates good judgment in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.
• Supervision - Works independently; receives minimal guidance on day-to-day work and new projects or assignments.
• Experience working with or designing systems using open table formats, such as:
• Apache Iceberg
• Delta Lake or Apache Hudi
• Familiarity with AI/ML or Generative AI integration into backend systems
• Strong understanding of cloud observability and operational excellence.

World-class benefits   

Highlights include... 

• Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.  
• Medical plan options include:
  • PPO with low annual deductible and copays.  
  • HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).  
• Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that’s free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan. There’s a pharmacy too! Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!  
• An industry-leading 401k plan.  
• Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your development
• Generous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.  
• Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.  
• Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees. 

Additional Information

 To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status.

Job level will be determined based on the applicant's education, skills and experience. Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.

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