Principal Data Engineer

Sayari; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Time off

Equity

401k match

Life insurance

Parental leave

Job summary

Sayari is seeking a Principal Data Engineer to lead our Data Resolution team. You will split time between hands-on Spark and graph data logic (about 70%) and system architecture, mentorship, and long-term planning (about 30%).

You will evolve graph build pipelines, optimize cloud footprint, and guide major pipeline re-architectures powering global data products. You will influence data strategy, oversee architecture, and collaborate across teams to secure scalable, cost-efficient solutions that

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in the big data space with leadership in large-scale features.
• Expert-level mastery of Apache Spark for large-scale data processing.
• Strong experience with orchestration tools (Airflow) and cloud environments.
• Hands-on experience architecting and managing data flows into databases such as Elasticsearch, Memgraph, and Cassandra.
• Demonstrated ability in system architecture, including Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and schema design.
• A builder mindset with experience evolving architectures to meet scale.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement complex Spark data logic, focusing on performance optimization and robust execution.
• Own the architectural design of graph build pipelines, ensuring scalability and resilience.
• Plan and oversee strategic re-architecture of data pipelines to meet evolving needs and scale.
• Optimize infrastructure-as-code and schema designs to reduce cloud costs and latency.
• Act as a technical consultant, fostering collaborative design decisions.
• Support engineering through code reviews, design docs, and best practices.
• Ensure the accuracy of mission-critical data outputs.

Skills

Big data

Apache Spark

Airflow

Cloud computing

Data architecture

IaC

Tools

Elasticsearch

Memgraph

Cassandra

Job description

About Sayari:

Sayari is the leader in Agentic Systems of Work for economic security and risk. Powered by the Sayari Commercial World Model : a digital twin of global commerce resolving 10.6B+ primary-source records from 250+ jurisdictions : Sayari transforms risk and investigative teams from manual data gatherers into decisive mission leaders. By unifying corporate ownership, trade data, and risk intelligence into a single graph, Sayari uncovers connections and typologies that legacy watchlist, adverse media, and point solutions miss, enabling prescriptive execution at scale. Trusted by the world’s most demanding regulators, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Treasury, and Fortune 500 enterprises, Sayari delivers the evidence-based transparency needed to prove decisions, satisfy regulators and protect global commerce. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Sayari is used by thousands of professionals across 35+ countries to secure supply chains and dismantle illicit networks.

About Sayari:

Sayari is the leader in Agentic Systems of Work for economic security and risk. Powered by the Sayari Commercial World Model : a digital twin of global commerce resolving 10.6B+ primary-source records from 250+ jurisdictions : Sayari transforms risk and investigative teams from manual data gatherers into decisive mission leaders. By unifying corporate ownership, trade data, and risk intelligence into a single graph, Sayari uncovers connections and typologies that legacy watchlist, adverse media, and point solutions miss, enabling prescriptive execution at scale. Trusted by the world’s most demanding regulators, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Treasury, and Fortune 500 enterprises, Sayari delivers the evidence-based transparency needed to prove decisions, satisfy regulators and protect global commerce. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Sayari is used by thousands of professionals across 35+ countries to secure supply chains and dismantle illicit networks.

Our company culture is defined by a dedication to our mission of using open data to prevent illicit commercial and financial activity, a passion for finding novel approaches to complex problems, and an understanding that diverse perspectives create optimal outcomes. We embrace cross-team collaboration, encourage training and learning opportunities, and reward initiative and innovation. If you like working with supportive, high-performing, and curious teams, Sayari is the place for you.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

We are looking for a Principal Data Engineer to join our Data Resolution team and serve as a technical anchor for our most complex data challenges. In this role, you will be a "player-coach," spending the majority of your time (70%) hands‑on with Spark and graph data logic while dedicating the remainder of your time to system architecture, design planning, and technical mentorship. You will be instrumental in evolving our graph build pipelines, optimizing our cloud footprint, and overseeing the long‑term planning and execution of major data pipeline re-architectures. This is a high-impact role where your work directly powers the data products used by global systems defenders.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and implement complex Spark data logic, focusing on performance optimization, data volume tuning, and robust execution.
• Own the architectural design of graph build pipelines, ensuring they are scalable, automated, and highly resilient.
• Plan and oversee the strategic re-architecture of data pipelines to meet evolving business needs and scale.
• Optimize infrastructure-as-code and schema designs to reduce cloud costs and improve pipeline latency.
• Act as a technical consultant for the team, fostering a collaborative and engineer‑led approach to design decisions.
• Support the development of the engineering team through code reviews, design docs, and architectural best practices.
• Ensure the accuracy of mission‑critical data outputs.

Skills & Experience

Required Skills & Experience

• 8+ years of experience in the big data space, with a proven track record of implementing large‑scale features and leading process redesigns.
• Expert‑level mastery of Apache Spark for large‑scale data processing.
• Strong experience with orchestration tools (Airflow) and cloud computing environments.
• Hands‑on experience architecting and managing data flows into databases such as Elasticsearch, Memgraph, and Cassandra.
• Demonstrated ability in system architecture, including Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and schema design.
• A "builder" mindset with experience evolving and improving existing architectures to meet new scale requirements.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Experience working specifically with graph data or graph databases.
• Prior experience with entity resolution or identity resolution systems.
• Experience evaluating and selecting modern analytical database architectures.

The target base salary for this position is $200,000-$220,000 plus company bonus and equity. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including location, local market variances, candidate experience and expertise, internal peer equity, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Benefits:

• 100% fully paid medical, vision, and dental for employees and their dependents
• Generous time off; we observe all US federal holidays, close our office for a winter break (12/24-12/31), in addition to granting 18 PTO days and 10 sick days
• Outstanding compensation package; competitive commissions for revenue roles and bonuses for non-revenue positions
• A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Eligibility to participate in additional benefits such as 401k match up to 5%, 100% paid life insurance (up to $100,000 coverage),, and parental leave
• A collaborative and positive culture - your team will be as smart and driven as you
• Limitless growth and learning opportunities

Sayari is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages diverse candidates to apply. We believe diversity and inclusion mean our team members should reflect the diversity of the United States. No employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability status, veteran status, genetics, or political affiliation. We strongly encourage applicants of all backgrounds to apply.

Pay Range: $200,000 USD - $220,000 USD