Principal Software Development Engineer (Data Engineering)

Workday, Inc.; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 182,000 - 310,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock grants and annual bonus plan

Flexible work options

Equity refresh stock grants

Job summary

Workday, Inc. is seeking a senior software engineer to contribute to data ingestion, governance, derivation, and serving for Workday's AI/ML initiatives. You will work hands-on with Python, Spark, AWS, Kafka, and Iceberg, delivering impactful data solutions.

The role requires a strong background in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and production-grade data pipelines, with collaboration across teams to drive business outcomes.

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc in Computer Science/Computer Engineering or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of experience in Software Engineering, Distributed Systems or a related field
• 6+ years proficiency in Java, Scala, Python
• 6+ years in data engineering or related field(s)
• Experience with cloud-based infrastructure (AWS, GCP)
• Experience with Spark, Iceberg, Avro, Kafka, Flink

Responsibilities

• Ingest, govern, derive, and serve data for Workday's ML initiatives
• Work hands-on with Python, Spark, AWS Infra, Kafka, Terraform/Kubernetes, Iceberg
• Collaborate across teams to deliver data-driven solutions
• Contribute to scalable, production-grade data pipelines and services

Skills

Python

Java

Scala

Distributed systems

Cloud (AWS/GCP)

Spark

Kafka

Iceberg

Education

BSc/MSc in CS/CE or equivalent

Tools

Jenkins

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

AWS

GCP

Job description

Your work days are brighter here. We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

We’re Platypus, an AI/ML-centered data engineering team and our goal is to ingest, manage, derive, and serve data across Workday’s growing suite of AI/ML features. Right data, right time!

About the Role

In this role, you will contribute to the ingestion, discoverability, governance, derivation, and serving of data for Workday's Classic Machine Learning and agentic initiatives. You'll be working hands-on with technologies like Python, Spark, AWS Infra, Kafka, Terraform/Kubernetes, and Iceberg. You are a highly motivated and skilled Software engineer with a passion for data engineering and machine learning. You strive to apply technology to drive real impact on Workday's business initiatives. You thrive in a collaborative environment, working closely with your colleagues to deliver innovative solutions. You possess excellent communication skills, actively listening to understand different perspectives and effectively conveying technical ideas. You are eager to contribute to a high-performing team and are driven to continuously learn and grow in the ever-evolving world of Distributed Systems, Data Engineering, and Machine Learning.

Basic Qualifications: (Required)

• BSc or MSc in Computer Science/Computer Engineering or equivalent experience
• 10 + years of experience in Software Engineering, Distributed Systems or a related field
• 6+ years proficiency in at least two of the following programming languages: Java, Scala, Python
• 6+ years in data engineering or related field(s)
• Working knowledge of cloud-based infrastructure and managed services (AWS, GCP)
• Experience with at least one of these data engineering technologies: Apache Spark, Apache Iceberg, Apache Avro, Apache Kafka, Apache Flink

Other Qualifications

• Experience in delivering a service from writing code to deploying in production: continuous integration (Jenkins), virtualization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes, Terraform)
• Experience creating scalable service endpoints to retrieve data
• Track record of working with logging, monitoring, metrics, stats technologies, such as: Grafana, Prometheus, Kibana, Hive, etc
• Proficient collaborating with teammates to design, maintain and improve sophisticated object-oriented software following clean code standard methodology
• A testing/quality approach – unit, system/integration and end-to-end testing, TDD, feature toggles, and canary deployments
• Exposure to operating system concepts covering memory and storage, threading and concurrency, networking and sockets, and process management
• An understanding and experience with topics related to performance and scale, security, availability, deployment and operations
• Experience being responsible for a service in production with experience of production triage and on-call

Workday Pay Transparency Statement

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. Primary Location: USA.GA.Atlanta Primary Location Base Pay Range: $182,400 USD - $273,600 USD Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $173,300 USD - $309,600 USD

Our Approach to Flexible Work

With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you’ll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision-making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or otherwise provided under applicable law. Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodations, exercising a privacy right and cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation, you may email [e-mail], as far in advance as possible.

We do not accept resumes from headhunters, placement agencies, or other suppliers that have not signed a formal agreement with us.

Workday is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace. Individuals seeking employment at Workday are considered without regards to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Further, pursuant to applicable local ordinances, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Workday will never ask candidates to apply to jobs through websites that are not Workday Careers. Please be aware of sites that may ask for you to input your data in connection with a job posting that appears to be from Workday but is not. In addition, Workday will never ask candidates to pay a recruiting fee, or pay for consulting or coaching services, in order to apply for a job at Workday.