Data Systems Engineer

Democracy Fund; Town of Boston (NY); Remote; USD 112,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading progressive party as a Data Systems Engineer to architect, implement, and maintain advanced data systems. You'll lead data workflows and develop applications to facilitate impactful organizing. This senior role demands extensive experience in engineering and a passion for civic engagement.

Benefits

Generous paid time off

Health, dental, vision, and life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement plan options

Professional development funding

Qualifications

• At least 6 years of work experience in engineering or software.
• Expertise in Python, SQL for data engineering.
• Experience in web application backends (Python/Flask/Django or Node.js).

Responsibilities

• Architect, implement, and manage data projects from start to finish.
• Collaborate on automation and application needs across tools.
• Oversee department’s data infrastructure including CI/CD pipelines.

Skills

Python

SQL

Web Application Development

Debugging

Collaboration

Education

6+ years in Engineering or Software

Tools

AWS

GCP

Git

CI/CD Tools

Job description

About the Working Families Party

The Working Families Party (WFP) is the progressive party for the multiracial working class, fighting for a nation that works for the many, not the few. We recruit, train, and support transformational candidates up and down the ballot — and run them to win.

We believe that no matter where we come from or what our color, most of us want the same things. We want to earn enough to thrive, not just survive, and leave a better future for our kids. We want healthy food and clean water, safe neighborhoods and a safe world. We want to be free.

The Working Families Party is regular people coming together across our differences to make a better future for us all. We’re a multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over the powerful. We want an America which realizes the promise – unrealized in our history – of freedom and equality for all.

The Data Systems Engineer will lead the architecture, implementation, and maintenance of complex data systems that power Working Families Party’s and Working Families Power’s organizing, analytics, and automations infrastructure. This role goes beyond traditional ETL responsibilities to encompass the full data stack— including principally data engineering, workflow automation, cloud infrastructure and web applications. The Data Systems Engineer will partner closely with the Engineering Director to design, scope, and build robust, scalable, and secure systems that move, transform, and surface data in ways that meaningfully support campaigns and organizing work nationwide. You’ll work on everything from ingestion (APIs / BigQuery mirrors) → transformation (dbt / Python) → pipeline orchestration (Prefect) → serving (Flask UIs).This is a senior-level position for a systems thinker with strong independent engineering judgment, the ability to own projects end-to-end, and a desire to work at the intersection of technology and progressive electoral organizing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Workflow Automation & Application Development:
• Architect, implement, and manage data projects from start to finish, including ingestion (APIs / BigQuery mirrors), transformation (dbt / Python), orchestration (Prefect), and serving (Flask-based UIs)
• Collaborate with Working Families organizers and the Engineering Director to proactively identify, build, and maintain pipeline, automation, and application needs across our ecosystem of tools to facilitate better organizing (such as syncing texting voter contact data to Airtable, or building a web form for staff to self-serve configureable list pulls).
• Build web-based tools and internal-facing applications (Flask, Node, React) that automate staff workflows and surface actionable insights for campaigns and organizing.
• Collaborate with organizers and analysts to understand operational needs and build tools that surface data or automate workflows in actionable, user-friendly ways.
• Ensure all tooling is intuitive, documented, and aligned with user needs.
Cloud Infrastructure & Reliability:
• Oversee aspects of the department’s data infrastructure including CI/CD pipelines, cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP), and containerized deployments
• Ensure data systems are reliable, monitored, and resilient to failure
• Lead incident response, debugging, and long-term reliability engineering practices.

Skills and Qualifications

• Required:
• At least 6 years of work experience in engineering or software
• Expertise in Python and SQL for data engineering and systems development
• Expertise in web application backends (Python/Flask/Django or Node.js)
• Experience with columnar database systems like BigQuery, Redshift, DuckDB, etc
• Comfortable working in a git-based team environment with collaborative development practices
• Debugging skills across multiple layers of a system (source data, transformation layers, pipelines, infrastructure)
• Exceptional independent judgment and project ownership
• Preferred:
• Experience in political, movement, or campaign work is a plus
• Experience or familiarity with some or all of the following:
• orchestration tools (e.g. Prefect, Airflow)
• transformation layers (dbt)
• CICD tooling like Github Actions, Jenkins, CircleCI, etc
• cloud-based infrastructure (AWS, GCP) and IaC tools like Terraform or Ansible
• Python API connectors, like the Parsons library
• Basic familiarity with frontend development (React or plain HTML/CSS/JS) for internal-facing tools
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

What Else Should You Know

• Compensation: The final salary for this role will be determined based on our Pay Scale, which takes into consideration years of experience, geographic location, and final job description. The upper end of the salary range is reserved for individuals who significantly exceed the minimum qualifications and years of experience. The final salary offer will fall into one of the following ranges depending on where you live:
• National Market (most locations): $90,000 to $115,500
• High Market (e.g., Denver, Portland, Sacramento): $102,500 to $129,250
• Very High Market (e.g., New York, San Francisco, Boston): $112,500 to $137,500
• The locations listed above are just examples and not an exhaustive list. We also offer a robust benefit package for full time employees including paid time off; health, dental, vision, and life insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plan options; professional development funding; and remote work support.
• Location: The position is full-time and remotely based anywhere in the United States.
• Schedule: Full Time. Permanent.
• Union Affiliation: WFP is a unionized workplace. This is a nonmanagerial role eligible to join WFP's staff bargaining unit after six months of employment. WFP's union employees are represented by the New York Metropolitan Area Joint Board, Workers United union.
• Applicants must be currently authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor, or take over sponsorship of, employment visas at this time.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor, or take over sponsorship of, employment visas at this time.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Working Families is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to economic and social justice. Women, people of color, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and members of other historically disenfranchised populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Any applicant who requires an accommodation in order to apply for or perform the essential functions of the job should contact us at [e-mail] with the subject line "Application Accommodation" to request such an accommodation.