Principal Software Engineer, Data Processing OSS

NetApp, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 228,000 - 339,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

Retirement or Pension Plans

Paid Time Off

Performance-Based Incentives

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Restricted stocks (RSU)

Job summary

NetApp seeks a Senior/Principal Data Processing Engineer - OSS to advance open-source platforms like Apache Gluten, Velox, Spark, and Flink within the DataPelago engine. You will enhance architecture, performance, and reliability, contributing upstream and downstream to scale production deployments.

You will engage with OSS communities, design and implement high-performance components, and drive improvements across CI/CD, testing, and code reviews.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant experience in data processing and OSS.
• 3+ years in developing components for Spark, Flink, or related platforms.
• Experience optimizing the performance of data processing engines.
• Strong knowledge of Spark, Flink, Presto/Trino.
• Excellent C/C++ and Java programming skills.

Responsibilities

• Architect integration with open-source platforms.
• Lead design of performance enhancements with Glue/Velox and integration with our engine.
• Core development of the data processing engine components.
• Analyze technology roadmaps to identify differentiation opportunities.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, OSS communities and customer success teams.
• Drive CI/CD, testing, and code reviews to ensure high quality.

Skills

C/C++

Java

Linux

Analytical thinking

Performance optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Master's degree in CS or related

Tools

Apache Spark

Apache Flink

Apache Gluten

Velox

Apache DataFusion

Data processing engines

Job description

Job Summary

DataPelago is at the forefront of revolutionizing data processing for traditional analytics and cutting-edge GenAI preprocessing. We are building an innovative data processing engine that is transforming how Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Ray and others operate on diverse, large-scale data. Our team of engineers drive and adopt advances in hardware-accelerated computing, parallel processing of large-scale data, query optimization, distributed systems, compilers, machine learning, and cloud-native computing. We are looking for specialists to join our engineering team and shape the future of accelerated data processing.

DataPelago Nucleus is a universal data processing engine that is designed to accelerate the processing of diverse data – structured through unstructured – with any parallel processing framework – e.g., Apache Spark – on any infrastructure – including vectorized CPU and GPU. DataPelago Accelerator for Spark (DPA-S), our product based on DataPelago Nucleus, is running large-scale production applications of many globally renowned customers.

The Opportunity:

As a Senior/Principal Data Processing Engineer - OSS, you will be a key individual contributor in adopting and advancing capabilities of open-source software (OSS) platforms such as Apache Gluten, Velox, Apache Spark, and Apache Flink in the context of DataPelago’s data processing engine. You will enhance functional breadth, performance, scale, and reliability of the DataPelago engine through downstream and upstream contributions. You will have the opportunity to engage with community working on these platforms. This is a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on a category-defining product and work with a talented team of engineers.

What You'll Do:

• Architect: Influence the architecture of how our data processing engine interfaces with open-source platforms and engines.
• Design: Lead design of functional and performance enhancements to open-source platforms such as Apache Gluten and Velox and their integration with our data processing engine.
• Core Development: Individually design, implement, test, optimize, and maintain components of the data processing engine.
• Innovation and Differentiation: Analyze technology roadmap of Apache Gluten, Velox, and equivalent platforms and identify opportunities for our engine to enhance technology and product leadership.
• Collaboration: Partner effectively with engineering, product management, open-source community and customer success teams.
• Continuous Improvement: Foster best practices in design and code reviews, testing, CI/CD, and issue resolution to maintain highest product quality, security, efficiency, & productivity.

What You'll Bring

• 15+ years of relevant experience, Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, or a related field OR a Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• 3+ years of deep technical experience in developing core components of Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Apache Doris, Apache Gluten, Velox, Apache DataFusion, Apache DataFusion Comet, or equivalent platforms designed for large-scale data processing.
• 3+ years of deep technical experience in instrumenting, analyzing, and optimizing the performance of data processing engine components on benchmark and customer workloads.
• Sound knowledge of the architecture and internal operation of one or more of Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Presto/Trino.
• Demonstrated experience in the design, development, and successful release of high-performance data processing engines for large production deployments.
• Exceptional programming skills in C, C++, and Java.
• Extensive development experience in Linux environments.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a passion for performance optimization.

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is 227,800 - 338,800 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one.

AI Disclosure

For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.