Staff Engineer - Real-Time Merchant Analytics

Shopify Inc.; Canada; Remote; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Shopify is seeking a Staff Engineer to lead real-time merchant analytics by building scalable streaming infrastructure. You will work across languages like Java, SQL, Python, and Ruby, leveraging Flink and ClickHouse to model data and orchestrate pipelines at global scale.

You will mentor engineers, shape the technical roadmap with product and data teams, and create tools that improve efficiency and developer experience.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience building and scaling real-time data platforms.
• Strong knowledge of stream processing (Flink, Kafka Streams, Spark Streaming).
• Proficiency in Java and SQL; Python and Ruby are a plus.
• Experience with analytics databases like ClickHouse or BigQuery.
• Strong understanding of containers and distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect and refine high-performance streaming infrastructure for real-time analytics.
• Develop tools to boost platform efficiency, scalability, and developer experience.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate streaming with the data ecosystem.
• Mentor engineers and foster technical excellence.

Skills

Data infrastructure

Real-time streaming

Distributed systems

Problem solving

Tools

Apache Flink

Kafka Streams

Spark Streaming

ClickHouse

BigQuery

Docker

Kubernetes

Java

SQL

Python

Ruby

Job description

We’re building the future of Real-Time Merchant Analytics at Shopify!

As a Staff Engineer you'll be at the forefront of reimagining how merchant data flows through modern streaming architectures. This isn't your typical infrastructure role – you'll be crafting solutions that challenge conventional approaches to data processing at global scale.

What Makes This Exciting?

You'll work across multiple languages and technologies – Java, Ruby, Python, SQL, Flink, and ClickHouse – choosing the right tool for each challenge, model data elegantly, and turning data pipeline development into a configuration exercise rather than a coding marathon.

You'll tackle fascinating problems: How do you architect lightning-fast real-time modeling that seamlessly combines data from multiple tables? How do you handle late-arriving data in distributed streams? What's the most elegant approach to backfill terabytes while maintaining real-time processing?

We embrace AI and LLMs to accelerate repetitive tasks, freeing you to focus on the creative problem-solving that makes this work truly rewarding.

If you love turning "impossible" requirements into beautiful solutions, this is your playground.

What You'll Do

Architect, build, and refine high-performance streaming infrastructure tailored to large-scale, real-time merchant analytics.

Develop tools and frameworks to boost platform efficiency, scalability, and developer experience across the team.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate streaming systems with Shopify's broader data ecosystem.

Partner with product and data teams to influence the technical roadmap and shape the future of merchant analytics.

Mentor and uplevel engineers on the team, fostering an environment of innovation and technical excellence.

What You'll Need

Extensive experience in data infrastructure engineering, particularly in building and scaling real-time data platforms.

Strong knowledge of Apache Flink or similar stream processing frameworks (Kafka Streams, Spark Streaming).

Proficiency in multiple programming languages (Java, SQL required; Python, Ruby a plus).

Experience with analytical databases like ClickHouse or BigQuery.

Strong understanding of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).

Deep expertise in handling distributed systems challenges: late-arriving data, exactly-once semantics, backfill strategies, and data consistency.

Outstanding problem-solving skills with a focus on complex technical challenges at scale.

A collaborative mindset and the ability to thrive in a diverse, dynamic team environment.

About the discipline

Engineering. It’s our DNA.

Engineering isn't a department at Shopify. It's our DNA. The engineers who thrive here care about the code, the system, and the merchants relying on both. They want hard problems and uncomfortable growth. They find solutions without waiting for permission. They ship weekly. They want commerce to work better for everyone. So does our founder, Tobi, who still codes and still shapes where this thing is going.

They're open source nerds. They pair program because two brains write better code than one. New tools, new models, new approaches. They experiment constantly. Most of what's standard here started as someone hacking on something.

They use AI like a keyboard, reflexively and everywhere, to clear the mundane and make room for thinking. And they work in the open. The fastest way to learn here is to watch someone better than you do the work. If that sounds like you, come build with us.

Infrastructure Engineers at Shopify build and maintain the systems that handle millions of requests per second and billions of dollars in transactions. At that scale, performance gains matter and weak assumptions surface quickly. Your systems power the experience for millions of entrepreneurs and buyers every minute of every day, including peak events like Black Friday.

Engineers at Shopify spend the majority of their time actually writing code to build and improve infrastructure. You’ll solve problems that don’t exist anywhere else, with challenges that push what’s possible. If that lights you up, come build with us.

Growth and rewards

Mastery-matched compensation.

~Mastery

At Shopify, getting better at your craft and increasing your impact is how you grow. Twice a year, we assess both in our ~Mastery cycle, Shopify’s performance review. Achieving higher ~Mastery is a promotion, and when you earn a promotion your total rewards grow with it. Crafter and manager are equal paths, so you can pursue excellence in the craft you’re best at.

Total Rewards

With Flex Comp, your Rewards Wallet gives you agency over your compensation mix. Adjust your mix of cash, restricted share units, and stock options (including programs like Long-Term Equity)* to where it makes sense for you, and mix it up anytime as life and priorities change. Buying a house? Want more skin in the game? Just experimenting? It’s your call.

* Flex Comp program offerings vary based on location, role, and employment type. Full details are set out in our Terms & Conditions and related plan documents.

Built for real life

Room for the rest of your life.

Flexible work, remote by design

A flexible vacation policy means most Shopifolk can take the vacation days they feel they need to recharge.

If a change of everyday scenery is more your jam, Destination 90 means you can work from (almost) anywhere in the world for 90 days of the year.

Your setup

Your battlestation is your home base. Request the desk, chair, and AV gear you need to get shit done.

You need ‘em, we’ve got ‘em. Our health and welfare benefits may include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance depending on your country. If you’re in a country without a package, you'll receive a monthly allowance. We also offer mental health support for you and your dependents, including immediate and confidential services like counseling and coaching sessions.

Family support

We offer fertility benefits globally, along with paid parental leave to welcome a new family member.

The Life Story is how we understand the themes of your career journey so far, human to human. What you’ve learned, and how you made a difference. Show us the trophies and the bruises: the problems you’ve solved, the challenges you encountered, the decisions you made, and the lessons you learned along the way.