Principal Software Engineer - Data Lakes

Fivetran; Deutschland; On-site; USD 92,883 - 127,714; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% employer-paid medical insurance

Generous paid time-off policy

RSU stock grants

Professional development opportunities

Monthly cell phone stipend

Job summary

Fivetran in Germany is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to contribute to their Managed Data Lake product. You will design and develop high-performance data lake systems while partnering with product teams to drive innovations. Candidates should have over 6 years of experience in relational data management systems, plus strong skills in Java and C++. The role offers 100% employer-paid medical insurance and generous PTO.

This position is fully remote and aims to empower engineers to deliver solutions that meet customer needs effectively.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on or research experience with high-performance relational data management systems.
• Deep understanding of infrastructure & software optimizations and performance engineering.
• Strong development skills in Java and C++.

Responsibilities

• Partner closely with product teams to understand requirements and design new capabilities.
• Design, develop, and operate large-scale data lake systems.
• Analyze fault-tolerance and high-availability issues.

Skills

High-performance relational data management systems

Java

C++

Public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Columnar storage formats

Performance engineering

Education

MS or PhD in Computer Science

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Kubernetes

Grafana

Job description

This is a full‑time remote position based out of Germany.

About The Role

Fivetran is building data pipelines to power the modern data stack for thousands of companies. We’re seeking a Principal Software Engineer to contribute to the technical architecture, design and development of Fivetran’s Managed Data Lake product offering. As part of a senior engineering team, you’ll partner with product and engineering teams to build scalable, high‑performance systems, advance open‑source technologies, and set technical standards that raise the bar across the organization.

Technologies You’ll Use

• Java, C++, Postgres, Temporal, gRPC
• AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Grafana
• Iceberg, Polaris, Delta Lake, Parquet, DuckDB

What You’ll Do

• Partner closely with product teams to understand requirements and design cutting‑edge new capabilities that go directly into customers’ hands.
• Design, develop, implement, and operate highly reliable large‑scale data lake systems in cooperation with a dedicated data lake engineering team.
• Contribute to open‑source projects such as DuckDB and Polaris.
• Embrace Fivetran innovations with open‑source standards and toolsets.
• Analyze fault‑tolerance and high‑availability issues, performance and scale challenges, and solve them.
• Ensure operational excellence of the services and meet the commitments to our customers regarding security, reliability, availability, and performance.
• Set technical directions and influence cross‑functional teams.

Skills We’re Looking For

• 6+ years of hands‑on or research experience with high‑performance relational data management systems.
• Deep understanding of infrastructure & software optimizations and performance engineering to drive significant performance, latency, and availability improvements.
• Proven track record of leading and delivering large and complicated projects.
• Strong development skills in Java and C++.
• Solid experience with public clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Demonstrated knowledge of columnar storage formats.
• Growth mindset and excitement about breaking the status quo by seeking innovative solutions.
• Excellent team player who is consistent in making everyone around you better.

Bonus Skills

• Strongly prefer an MS or PhD in Computer Science, ideally focusing on database management and/or storage engines.

Perks And Benefits

• 100% employer‑paid medical insurance
• Generous paid time‑off policy (PTO), plus paid sick time, inclusive parental leave policy, holidays, and volunteer days off
• RSU stock grants
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Company virtual happy hours, free food, and fun team‑building activities
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• Access to an innovative mental health support platform that offers personalized care and resources in areas such as therapy, coaching, and self‑guided mindfulness exercises for all covered employees and their covered dependents

*May vary by country and worker type - please reach out to your recruiter for more information.

We are committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in our interview process. If you require accommodations at any stage of the process due to a disability, medical condition, or any other circumstance, please don’t hesitate to submit your request by filling out this form. We will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate your participation and ensure a fair and accessible interview experience. Your request and any information provided will be kept confidential and will not impact your candidacy. We look forward to hearing from you and accommodating your needs to the best of our ability.