Staff Engineer, Data & Backend Platforms

Dow Jones; Barcelona; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare plans

Paid Time Off

Retirement plans

Wellness resources

Family care benefits

Job summary

Dow Jones in Barcelona seeks a Staff Data Engineer to design and deliver scalable data platforms powering analytics and product experiences. The role balances hands-on development with technical leadership, shaping engineering direction and partnering with product, analytics, and business stakeholders.

You will drive data quality, reliability, and performance at scale across data lakes and cloud services. This pivotal role in the Technology team offers mentorship, architecture influence, and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional experience in software or data engineering, at staff scope.
• Hands-on experience with data lakes (Snowflake) and modern orchestration (dbt, Airflow).
• Deep experience with AWS services (EC2, S3, Kinesis, ECS, SNS, SQS, Lambda).
• Strong programming and query skills in SQL, Java (Spring Boot), and Python; experience designing REST APIs and GraphQL services; managing relational and NoSQL databases.
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery practices.
• Proven ability to lead complex, ambiguous technical initiatives and influence decision-making across business units.

Responsibilities

• Lead & Architect: Deliver large-scale data engineering initiatives by setting direction across data systems and serving layers.
• Problem Solve & Optimize: Improve data quality, reliability, and maintainability through structured approaches.
• Mentor & Collaborate: Provide technical leadership through mentorship, code reviews, and cross-functional alignment.

Skills

Data engineering

Team leadership

Mentoring

SQL

Python

Java

REST APIs

GraphQL

CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

Airflow

AWS

REST APIs

GraphQL

Job description

Our Technology team drives the evolution of our Technology, Engineering, Data, Product and User Experience functions. With a keen focus on delivering cutting-edge solutions, we shape the digital landscape for our customers, readers and users. From revolutionizing visuals to optimizing tools and harnessing the power of data, mobile, video and social platforms, our team is committed to providing a seamless and immersive experience across all touchpoints. Collaborating closely with our newsrooms and strategic partners, we spearhead the development of groundbreaking products and technologies.

About the Role:

As a Staff Data Engineer, you will lead the design and delivery of scalable, reliable data platforms and pipelines that power analytics, product experiences, and business-critical decision-making. Balancing significant hands‑on development with technical leadership, you will shape engineering direction for the team, drive high‑impact cross‑team initiatives, and partner closely with engineering, product, analytics, and business stakeholders to solve complex problems and improve departmental outcomes. You will be part of the Technology team.

You Will:

• Lead & Architect: Deliver large‑scale data engineering initiatives with high quality and clear business impact by setting technical direction and influencing architecture decisions across data systems, storage, transformation, and serving layers.
• Problem Solve & Optimize: Drive durable improvements in data quality, reliability, and maintainability by solving ambiguous challenges using structured approaches, identifying systemic issues, and anticipating obstacles.
• Mentor & Collaborate: Establish trusted technical leadership and increase team effectiveness through mentorship, code reviews, and structured problem‑solving while building alignment across cross‑functional teams and executive audiences.

You Have:

• 7+ years of professional experience in software or data engineering, with meaningful experience operating at staff scope.
• Hands‑on experience with data lakes (Snowflake), modern data orchestration (dbt, Airflow).
• Deep experience with AWS services such as EC2, S3, Kinesis, ECS, SNS, SQS, Lambda, and related cloud infrastructure.
• Very strong programming and query skills in SQL, Java (Spring Boot), and Python, along with experience designing REST APIs, GraphQL services, and managing relational and NoSQL databases in high‑scale systems.
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines, release automation, and modern software delivery practices
• Proven ability to lead complex, ambiguous technical initiatives, balancing hands‑on engineering with long‑term strategic direction while influencing decision‑making across business units.
• Strong understanding of system design, platform engineering, software architecture, security, performance, and maintainability best practices for large‑scale data environments
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Comprehensive Healthcare Plans for you and your family
• Paid Time Off (30 days a year)
• Retirement Plans
• Lifestyle programs & Wellness Resources
• Family Care Benefits & Caregiving Support