Principal Software Engineer

Zalando Finland Oy; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Zalando shopping discount

Relocation assistance for internationa

Job summary

Zalando Finland Oy in Helsinki seeks a data-focused engineer to own data products architecture and ELT pipelines. You will work across our Campaign and Content Platforms to ensure reliable, scalable data processing using Databricks (DLT, Unity Catalog) and Delta Lake.

You will collaborate with 50+ engineers and product teams, align data contracts with source systems, and advance data governance, security, and lakehouse performance. Fluency in English is essential.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with the Databricks ecosystem (Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables, Workflows).
• Deep understanding of the Medallion Architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and Delta Lake internals.
• Proficient in Apache Spark (PySpark) and Python for large-scale data processing.
• Several years of experience in building and maintaining scalable Streaming & Batch pipelines, specifically using CDC from RDBMS.
• Familiar with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), Docker, Git, and DevOps principles.
• Ability to translate complex business requirements into robust, de-normalized data models optimized for Lakehouse performance.
• Good understanding of Cloud Infrastructure (AWS), REST APIs, and secure data exchange.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and the ability to accurately document designs and processes

Responsibilities

• Take responsibility for department data products architecture, development and quality.
• Design, build, and maintain scalable ELT pipelines using Databricks Delta Live Tables (DLT).
• Liaise with source system owners to define Data Contracts.
• Implement and oversee Data Governance and security standards within the Unity Catalog.
• Perform technical analysis and root cause analysis to improve data quality and pipeline reliability.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with development teams and the Zalando Data Foundation.
• Record and share information on current methods and lessons learned to foster high-performance data culture.

Skills

Databricks

PySpark

Python

Streaming pipelines

Data governance

Tools

Delta Live Tables

Unity Catalog

Delta Lake

Terraform

Docker

Git

AWS

REST APIs

Job description

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN At Zalando, our vision is to be inclusive by design. And this vision starts with our hiring - we do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, personal expression, ethnicity, religious belief, or disability status. You are welcome to leave out your picture, age, or marital status from your application. We only assess candidates on their qualifications and merit. We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support you throughout the hiring process.

do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/our-impact/dobetter-our-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy

Our employee resource groups: https://corporate.zalando.com/en/our-impact/our-employee-resource-groups

A BOUT THE ROLE & TEAM

The Campaign and Content Platforms team is building the technology that delivers inspirational content and retail campaigns for our customers. Content performance data we produce and manage is foundational to steering the business, operations and personalisation and optimisation systems. As a cross-functional domain team of 50+ engineers, product managers, product designers in Helsinki and Berlin, we build platforms that work for all teams, ensuring content goes through the same publishing pipelines and processes.

WHAT WE'D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• You will take responsibility for our department’s Data Products architecture, development and quality
• You will design, build, and maintain scalable ELT pipelines using Databricks Delta Live Tables (DLT).
• You will liaise with the owners of source systems to define and align Data Contracts.
• You will implement and oversee Data Governance and security standards within the Unity Catalog.
• You will perform technical analysis and root cause analysis to improve data quality and pipeline reliability.
• You will build and maintain strong working relationships with the development teams and the Zalando Data Foundation.
• You will record and share information on current working methods and lessons learned to foster a high-performance data culture.

WE'D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF

• You have extensive experience with the Databricks ecosystem (Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables, Workflows).
• You have a deep understanding of the Medallion Architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold) and Delta Lake internals.
• You are proficient in Apache Spark (PySpark) and Python for large-scale data processing.
• You have several years of experience in building and maintaining scalable Streaming & Batch pipelines, specifically using CDC (Change Data Capture) from RDBMS (e.g., MySQL/BinLogs).
• You are familiar with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), Docker, Git (trunk-based development), and DevOps principles.
• You bring the ability to translate complex business requirements into robust, de-normalized data models optimized for Lakehouse performance.
• You have a good understanding of Cloud Infrastructure (AWS), REST APIs, and secure data exchange.
• You possess excellent verbal and written communication skills in English and the ability to accurately document designs and processes

OUR OFFER (To be updated)

• Culture of trust, empowerment and constructive feedback, open source commitment, meetups, game nights, 70+ internal technical and fun guilds, knowledge sharing through tech talks, internal tech academy and blogs, product demos, parties & events
• Competitive salary
• employee share shop
• 40% Zalando shopping discount
• discounts from external partners
• centrally located offices
• public transport discounts
• municipality services
• flexible working times
• additional holidays and volunteering time off
• free beverages and fruits
• diverse sports and health offerings
• Extensive onboarding, mentoring and personal development opportunities and an international team of experts
• Relocation assistance for internationals

Learn all about Zalando and our values here: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/?gh_src=22377bdd1us.

For more information about our office and teams in Helsinki, please visit: https://www.zalandohelsinki.com/

It's the perfect time to join Zalando on our journey, from being a pioneer in the world of e-commerce, to the Starting Point for Fashion in Europe. We connect customers, brands, and partners across 25 markets. Help us drive digital and sustainable solutions for fashion, logistics, advertising and research, bringing head-to-toe fashion to 50 million active customers through a team of diverse skill-sets, cultural backgrounds, and interests.

Our values do.More - our sustainability strategy

Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/insidezalando