Data Engineer

Apera; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Apera in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to help build scalable backend infrastructure powering next-gen AI and autonomous systems. You will develop high-performance services, data platforms, and distributed systems that enable rapid development, testing, and deployment of intelligent technologies.

This role suits a strong software engineer who thrives on solving complex technical challenges at the intersection of backend engineering, data infrastructure, autonomy, robotics, and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering, backend engineering, or data infrastructure experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services and data infrastructure.
• Develop and optimize data pipelines for large-scale processing and model development.
• Enhance platform architecture to improve system scalability and data quality.
• Build tools to automate data processing, quality assurance, and data discovery workflows.
• Contribute to distributed systems supporting testing environments.
• Collaborate with customers and stakeholders to translate requirements into effective solutions.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

Databases

Programming languages

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to help build the scalable backend infrastructure powering next-gen AI and autonomous systems. In this role, you will develop high-performance services, data platforms, and distributed systems that enable the rapid development, testing, and deployment of intelligent technologies. This is an opportunity for a strong software engineer who enjoys solving complex technical challenges and is excited by the intersection of backend engineering, data infrastructure, autonomy, robotics, physical AI, and defense technologies.

What You'll Do

• Design, build, and maintain scalable backend services and data infrastructure supporting AI-driven products and workflows.
• Develop and optimize data pipelines that enable large-scale processing and model development.
• Enhance platform architecture to improve system scalability, data quality, and operational efficiency.
• Build services and tools that help automate data processing, quality assurance, and data discovery workflows.
• Contribute to the design of distributed systems that support complex software and hardware testing environments.
• Partner directly with customers and stakeholders to understand technical requirements, troubleshoot issues, and deliver effective solutions.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering, backend engineering, or data infrastructure experience.
• Experience building backend services, microservices, distributed systems, or data-intensive applications.
• Strong experience working with databases and large-scale data systems.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Go, Java, C++, or similar.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and take ownership of technical initiatives.
• U.S. Citizenship and eligibility to obtain a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting machine learning infrastructure, training workflows, or large-scale compute environments.
• Familiarity with modern AI systems, foundation models, or data-centric AI approaches.
• Experience in autonomous systems, robotics, simulation, aerospace, defense, or physical AI environments.
• Exposure to data labeling, active learning, human-in-the-loop systems, or automated data processing workflows.