Lead Software Engineer

America's Test Kitchen; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media organization is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to shape applications for data collection and processing. This senior role involves designing scalable data pipelines and services while addressing complex data challenges. Candidates should have over 7 years of software engineering experience, particularly in data engineering, and proven expertise with AWS and modern data technologies. This position promotes a data-driven culture and enhances product development through reliable systems. Hybrid options are available, allowing for both on-site and remote work.

Qualifications

• Over 7 years of software engineering experience focused on data engineering.
• Proven experience designing and operating scalable data pipelines.
• Experience in real-time streaming and event-driven architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain scalable data pipelines and services.
• Lead the architecture of data models to support analytics.
• Partner with stakeholders to gather and refine requirements.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Data engineering

Designing data solutions on AWS

Proficiency in programming languages (Python, Java, Scala)

Modern data technologies (Spark, Kafka, Airflow)

Agile/Scrum experience

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or similar discipline

Tools

AWS

Spark

Kafka

Airflow

Snowflake

Redshift

BigQuery

Job description

America's Test Kitchen is looking for a Lead Software Engineer. The Lead Software Engineer (Data and Martech) is a senior technical leader embedded within a Scrum team, responsible for shaping how applications collect, process, and are delivered across the organization. This role sits at the intersection of software engineering, data architecture, and product delivery, ensuring that data systems are not only scalable and performant, but also reliable, well‑modeled, and aligned to business needs.

Operating with a high degree of autonomy, this individual is expected to navigate ambiguity, make sound architectural decisions, and deliver solutions that span multiple systems and stakeholders. They play a critical role in translating loosely defined product and analytics requirements into durable data platforms and pipelines that enable both operational and strategic use cases.

Beyond delivery, the Lead Software Engineer sets the standard for engineering excellence within the team. They influence how work is structured, how quality is measured, and how systems evolve over time. Their presence should elevate the team’s ability to deliver predictable, high‑quality outcomes while reducing operational friction and improving data trust across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and data services (batch and real‑time)
• Lead the architecture and evolution of data models, ensuring they support analytics, reporting, and product use cases
• Break down complex data initiatives into actionable work aligned with Scrum delivery practices
• Partner with Product, Analytics, and Engineering stakeholders to gather and refine requirements
• Establish and enforce best practices for data engineering, including schema design, pipeline orchestration, and testing
• Implement and maintain data quality frameworks, including validation, monitoring, and alerting
• Define and uphold SLAs/SLOs for data availability, latency, and accuracy
• Contribute high‑quality production code and conduct thorough code reviews across the team
• Identify, surface, and mitigate technical risks that could impact delivery or system reliability
• Drive observability across data systems using logging, metrics, and tracing tools
• Mentor engineers and elevate team capabilities in data engineering practices
• Influence technical direction across teams and contribute to broader platform strategy

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience with a strong emphasis on data engineering
• Proven experience designing and operating scalable data pipelines and distributed data systems
• 3+ years of experience designing data solutions on AWS
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala
• Experience with modern data technologies (e.g., Spark, Kafka, Airflow, dbt, Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery)
• Strong understanding of data modeling concepts, including dimensional modeling and data warehousing
• Experience working within Agile/Scrum teams and contributing to sprint planning and execution
• Hands on experience with real‑time streaming and event‑driven architectures
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical problems with minimal direction

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing data governance, lineage, and cataloging solutions
• Exposure to machine learning workflows or data science collaboration
• Prior experience leading technical initiatives or influencing multiple teams
• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or similar discipline

Impact

This role is foundational to building a data‑driven organization. By ensuring that data systems are reliable, scalable, and aligned to business needs, the Lead Software Engineer (Data) enables faster decision‑making, more effective product development, and increased confidence in the organization’s data assets. Their leadership directly contributes to reducing operational risk, improving data quality, and accelerating the delivery of high‑impact data capabilities.

Location: This role is based in our Boston, MA headquarters (Seaport District) or is open to qualified remote applicants.

Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000

Salary Statement: The range provided is based on what we reasonably expect to pay for this job at the time of posting. The actual salary offered will be determined based on multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job‑related knowledge, skills, geographical location, and other job‑related factors permitted by law.