Technical Lead, Spark

Cloudera; Ireland; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO Policy

Flexible WFH Policy

Mental & Physical Wellness programs

Job summary

Cloudera is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer in Ireland, focusing on distributed systems and working with enterprise-grade data solutions. In this role, you'll design features and enhance the data engineering experience, building systems that process petabytes of data.

Ideal candidates have a B.Sc./M.Sc. in a related field, 6+ years in software development, and proficiency in Java, Scala, or Python. Expect a collaborative environment to innovate on data solutions and tackle complex challenges.

Qualifications

• 6+ years professional software development.
• Strong understanding of at least one of Java, Scala, or Python.
• Experience with systems design and development.

Responsibilities

• Design new features for Cloudera’s data engineering experience.
• Contribute to Apache Spark and Livy.
• Develop new features in Scala, Java, or Python.

Skills

Java

Scala

Python

Distributed systems

Software development

Education

B.Sc./M.Sc. in a related field

Tools

Apache Spark

Livy

Job description

Job Description

At Cloudera, we empower people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. With as much data under management as the hyperscalers, we’re the preferred data partner for the top companies in almost every industry. Powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community, Cloudera advances digital transformation for the world’s largest enterprises.

The Data Platform Pillar is the bedrock of Cloudera’s technology, where we design and build the core components that let our customers store, manage, and process data with unmatched scalability, security, and performance.

Business Area

Engineering

Seniority Level

Mid-Senior level

Role Overview

Cloudera is seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer, Spark (Java) with strong distributed systems expertise to work on the Cloudera distribution of Apache Spark and Livy. The role involves building enterprise‑grade systems for customers running Spark on thousands of nodes and processing petabytes of data.

We are looking for a passionate engineer eager to enhance a product already supporting major production systems and to drive the next‑generation Data Engineering experience. You will collaborate with a distributed team across the United States and Hungary, including multiple Apache Spark committers.

This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship or relocation.

Responsibilities

• Design new features for Cloudera’s data engineering experience and take them from prototypes to leading a team to deliver the feature in production at scale
• Contribute to Apache Spark, Livy
• Develop new features in Scala, Java, or Python on modern platforms
• Gain expertise in distributed data processing, from SQL planners and optimizers to data layout and table formats like Apache Parquet and Iceberg, to fault tolerance in distributed systems
• Gain a solid understanding and deep technical knowledge of components across the Cloudera Data Engineering Experience stack, focusing on Iceberg and Spark, which you can utilize in your daily tasks
• Work on large scale distributed systems, from 100s to 1000s of nodes, in production clusters
• Debug system‑level deployment issues, perform root cause analysis, system test analysis, and resolve failures
• Improve internal infrastructure
• Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders

Required Qualifications

• B.Sc./M.Sc. in a related field or equivalent experience
• 6+ years professional software development
• Experience leading and delivering complex product enhancements
• Strong understanding of at least one of Java, Scala, or Python; interest in learning additional languages used in the projects
• Experience with systems design and development
• Passionate about programming, clean coding habits, attention to detail, and focus on quality
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong ability to research and solve problems independently without constant supervision
• Open‑mind, desire to learn new things and build great products
• Experience with distributed systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SQL planners
• Experience with using or developing Apache Spark, Livy, or other related technologies
• Experience with large‑scale, distributed systems design and development, with understanding of scaling, performance, and scheduling
• Solid experience with at least one cloud platform

Why this role matters

You will tackle complex distributed systems challenges, crafting the foundational software for the control and data planes that powers CDP and keeps it running at massive scale. Working at the forefront of hybrid and multi‑cloud technology, you will empower data scientists, engineers, and analysts with the tools and infrastructure they need for advanced analytics and modeling.

Collaboration is key; you will work alongside brilliant minds across product, data science, and engineering to drive innovation, standardize best practices, and shape the future of enterprise AI and data platforms. This is your chance to build the future of data and see your work make a global impact.

Benefits

• Generous PTO Policy
• Support work life balance with Unplugged Days
• Flexible WFH Policy
• Mental & Physical Wellness programs
• Phone and Internet Reimbursement program
• Access to Continued Career Development
• Comprehensive Benefits and Competitive Packages
• Paid Volunteer Time
• Employee Resource Groups

EEO/VEVRAA