Data Engineering Lead - Hands On

Recruiting From Scratch; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative fintech company is seeking a Data Engineering Lead to establish and manage their data function. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will design and maintain a modern data stack, ensuring data security and quality. You will collaborate closely with product and engineering teams to drive strategic decision-making. This fully remote position offers a unique opportunity to shape the data strategy from the ground up within a high-growth startup environment that values innovation and collaboration.

Benefits

Fully remote work

Flexible hours

Equity options

Collaborative culture

Opportunity to shape product strategy

Qualifications

• 6-10 years of experience as a senior or lead data engineer.
• Proven track record of building and scaling data infrastructure.
• Expertise in Python and SQL for complex data operations.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the modern data stack from scratch.
• Establish best practices around data security, quality, and governance.
• Collaborate with product and engineering to power decision-making.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data Infrastructure

Data Modeling

Data Security

Data Governance

Cloud-based Environments

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Bachelor's degree in Data Science

Tools

Snowflake

Job description

Who is Recruiting from Scratch:

Recruiting from Scratch is a premier talent firm that focuses on placing the best product managers, software, and hardware talent at innovative companies. Our team is 100% remote and we work with teams across the United States to help them hire.

About the client:

Title: Data Engineering Lead (Founding Role)
Location: Remote – US, Canada, LATAM (Time Zone Alignment Preferred)
Company Stage of Funding: Series A
Office Type: Remote
Salary: $180,000 – $220,000 USD + Equity

Company Description

Our client is a fast-growing fintech company transforming how small businesses access and manage their money. With over $10M in venture funding and a remote-first team of builders, they are on a mission to deliver simple, delightful financial tools that empower entrepreneurs across North America. Their culture values ownership, speed, and progress over perfection. You’ll be joining a highly collaborative environment that prioritizes innovation and trust.

What You Will Do

As the Founding Data Engineering Lead, you'll own the data function end-to-end and play a critical role in the future of the company's data strategy. This is a hands-on leadership position where you'll:

• Design, build, and maintain the modern data stack from scratch

• Establish and enforce best practices around data security, quality, and governance

• Architect and manage scalable data pipelines and infrastructure

• Collaborate with product, engineering, and operations to power decision-making across the business

• Define and optimize underwriting and risk metrics through experimentation and iteration

• Lay the groundwork to scale the data team as the business grows

Ideal Candidate Background

• 6–10 years of experience as a senior or lead data engineer, ideally in early-stage startups

• Proven track record of building and scaling data infrastructure from the ground up

• Recent experience in a managerial or tech lead role

• Expertise in Python and SQL for complex data operations

• Experience managing multiple data sources and orchestration in cloud-based environments (e.g., Snowflake)

• Strong quantitative skills with experience in data modeling at high scale

• Strategic thinker with a business-oriented mindset who can communicate with both technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Comfortable in ambiguous environments with a strong sense of initiative and ownership

Preferred

• Experience in early-stage fintech, especially in credit or lending

• Previous founder experience or leadership at a high-growth startup

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field

• Experience in high-trust, regulated environments

Compensation, Benefits, and Other Things

• Salary range: $180,000 – $220,000 USD

• Equity: 0.02% – 0.08%

• Fully remote work with flexible hours (timezone overlap with the Americas preferred)

• High-trust, collaborative culture

• Opportunity to shape a product and data strategy from the ground up

• Fast interview process: Initial screen → Technical interview → CTO + CEO interviews → Case study → Offer

This is a rare opportunity to make your mark at a high-growth startup with a strong mission and stellar leadership. If you're excited to lead and build in a hands-on role, we’d love to hear from you.