Senior Data Engineer - ODS

Santander; Madrid; On-site; EUR 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Open Digital Services, Santander Group's software development arm, seeks a Senior Data Engineer to design and optimize scalable data solutions that support analytics, ML and business decisions. You will build robust pipelines with Spark (Scala/PySpark), work in cloud environments (AWS), ensure data quality and governance, and collaborate across Data Engineering, Data Science and business teams.

Strong focus on data processing, lakehouse patterns and end-to-end production readiness in a

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Data Engineering or related roles.
• Experience building production-grade data pipelines in large-scale or complex data environments.
• Hands-on experience working with Apache Spark in real projects, preferably with Scala.
• Experience working with cloud data platforms, preferably AWS.
• Experience in banking, fintech or regulated environments is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Designing, developing and optimizing large-scale data pipelines using Apache Spark, mainly with Scala/Spark.
• Building and maintaining batch and near-real-time data processing solutions for high-volume data environments.
• Creating reliable, reusable and well-structured datasets consumed by Analytics, Data Science, Machine Learning and business teams.
• Working with cloud data platforms, ideally AWS, to process, transform, store and expose data efficiently.
• Implementing data quality, validation, monitoring and documentation practices across data pipelines.
• Collaborating with Data Engineering, Data Science, ML and business teams to understand requirements and deliver practical data solutions.
• Contributing to engineering best practices around code quality, testing, version control, CI/CD and automation.

Skills

PySpark

Spark SQL

Scala

Python

SQL

Data pipelines

CI/CD practices

Tools

AWS

Git

Jira

Airflow

Delta Lake

Iceberg

Spark Streaming

Flink

S3

Job description

Senior Data Engineer - ODS

Country: Spain

Open Digital Services is the software development company of Santander Group powering the next generation of banks by creating innovative banking products and implementing them in collaboration with Santander Group Affiliates. Santander Group is one of the world's largest financial institutions and the Eurozone's leader, we're committed to being the best Digital Bank with Branches in the industry.

Our mission at ODS is to design and support an advanced digital and omnichannel platform, ensuring the best customer experience using cutting-edge technology. Openbank, our flagship partner, is where we develop our most advanced concepts first.

Be part of our Best-in-Class team and help us create unique value for our customers!

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

As a Senior Data Engineer within the Data Management department, you will design, build and optimize scalable data solutions that support analytics, machine learning, reporting and business-critical decision-making.

You will work with large and complex data environments, developing robust data pipelines and distributed processing solutions using Spark-based technologies. This role is ideal for someone with strong data engineering fundamentals, hands‑on experience with PySpark or Spark SQL, and the ability to build reliable production data solutions in cloud environments.

To succeed in this role, you will be responsible for:

• Designing, developing and optimizing large-scale data pipelines using Apache Spark, mainly with Scala/Spark.
• Building and maintaining batch and near-real-time data processing solutions for high-volume data environments.
• Creating reliable, reusable and well-structured datasets consumed by Analytics, Data Science, Machine Learning and business teams.
• Working with cloud data platforms, ideally AWS, to process, transform, store and expose data efficiently.
• Implementing data quality, validation, monitoring and documentation practices across data pipelines.
• Collaborating with Data Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, Architecture and business teams to understand requirements and deliver practical data solutions.
• Contributing to engineering best practices around code quality, testing, version control, CI/CD and automation.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Professional Experience

• 5+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Big Data Engineering, Software Engineering or similar technical roles. Required
• Experience building production-grade data pipelines in large-scale or complex data environments. Required
• Hands-on experience working with Apache Spark in real projects, preferably with Scala. Required
• Experience working with cloud data platforms. Required
• Experience in banking, fintech or regulated environments. Preferred

Language

• Fluent Spanish. Preferred
• Professional English. Required

Hard Skills

• Strong experience with PySpark, Spark SQL or Spark-based distributed processing. Required
• Strong Python or Scala coding skills for data engineering use cases. Required
• Solid SQL knowledge and experience working with relational and analytical databases. Required
• Experience designing and optimizing ETL/ELT processes. Required
• Experience with AWS or similar cloud ecosystems; ideally S3, Glue, Athena, EMR, Redshift, IAM or Lake Formation. Required
• Experience with Git and collaborative software development practices. Required
• Understanding of data quality, validation, monitoring and performance optimization. Required
• Experience with CI/CD or DevOps tools such as Jenkins, Sonar, Nexus, Jira, Splunk or similar. Preferred
• Scala experience. Preferred
• Experience with Apache Flink, Spark Streaming or near-real-time applications. Preferred
• Experience with Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake or modern lakehouse formats. Preferred
• Experience with Airflow or workflow orchestration tools. Preferred

Soft Skills

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work autonomously. Required
• Ownership mindset and focus on building reliable, maintainable solutions. Required
• Ability to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Required
• Collaborative approach and ability to work across Data Engineering, Data Science, ML and business teams. Required
• Curiosity and willingness to learn new tools, frameworks and cloud services. Required

Open Digital Services is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered as equal without paying attention to gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, age, political orientation, union membership nor disability status.

We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills. We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify, and build.

The personal data you provide as well as any data generated during the selection process are confidential and will be processed by Open Digital Services, S.L. with registered office at Plaza de Santa Bárbara 2, 28004 (Madrid), Madrid, Spain for the sole purpose of managing your participation in the selection processes and, where appropriate, to formalise your recruitment.

For further information about your rights and data protection, please read the Open Digital Services Privacy Policy applicable to this type of data processing here