Senior Data Engineer

Aircapture; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Aircapture, a climate-tech startup in Berkeley, seeks a senior data platform engineer to own and evolve the end-to-end data pipeline that powers our DAC systems. You will turn sensor, process, and test data into actionable dashboards, partnering with controls and test engineering to ensure robust, real-time insights.

You have 6+ years of production data experience in hardware environments, strong SQL and Python, and hands-on with AWS, Ignition, dbt, Airflow, and Docker.

Qualifications

• 6+ years building and operating production data systems for hardware or physical products.
• Bachelor’s degree in CS/engineering/data science or equivalent; Master’s preferred.
• Strong SQL and Python with Git, CI/CD, and production workflows.
• Experience with AWS services: RDS, IAM, VPC, S3.
• Hands-on with dbt, Airflow, Docker; time-series sensor data.
• Experience with Ignition, ibaPDA, Keysight, or National Instruments.
• Excellent cross-functional collaborator and self-directed.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve Aircapture's end-to-end data platform, using both Ignition and AWS.
• Set technical direction for the data stack, evaluating tools, defining standards, and durable architectural decisions.
• Standardize engineering workflows across the data stack: version control, code review, CI/CD, testing, and documentation.
• Maintain and support on-prem server systems as part of the data infrastructure.
• Partner closely with controls engineering on Ignition rollout.
• Collaborate with test engineering to move telemetry into dashboards and reports.

Skills

SQL

Python

Time-series data

Data platform ownership

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytics

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

AWS

Ignition

ibaPDA

Keysight

National Instruments

Docker

Airflow

dbt

Git

CI/CD

Job description

At Aircapture, we're creating and scaling a circular carbon economy to solve what we believe to be the challenge of our lifetime: the climate crisis. We supply commercial and industrial customers with clean CO₂ captured directly from the atmosphere, transforming a climate threat into a valuable resource. Solving a challenge of this scale takes people with different backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking. We value those differences and believe they make us a stronger team.

You will shape the data foundation that runs our technology by owning the pipelines, models, and analyses that turn operational data from our Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems into the insights that our engineers and scientists rely upon. Partnering with our test and engineering teams, you'll turn the continuous stream of sensor, process, and test data from the physical equipment in the field and shop into actionable decisions. You have built and run production data systems in a hardware or physical product environment, and are comfortable with the realities of real-world sensor data, making durable architectural choices that hold up over time. If this sounds like you and you are excited to have a major impact at a groundbreaking climate technology startup, we want to hear from you!

This role is onsite at our development and production facility in Berkeley, California.

Salary: $180,000-$220,000 per year

What You'll Do Here

• Own and evolve Aircapture's end-to-end data platform, using both Ignition and AWS
• Set technical direction for the data stack, evaluating tools, defining standards, and making durable architectural decisions
• Standardize and enforce engineering workflows across the data stack, such as version control, code review, CI/CD, testing, and documentation
• Maintain and support on-prem server systems as part of the data infrastructure
• Partner closely with controls engineering on Ignition rollout
• Partner with test engineering to build the pipeline that moves test and operational telemetry, including sensor, DAQ, and historian data, into the dashboards and reports engineering relies on

Your Skills and Experience Include

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on industry experience, Master's preferred
• 6+ years building and operating production data systems that are mission critical to a hardware or physical product, gained in an industry such as automotive, aerospace, robotics, industrial equipment, energy, or semiconductor manufacturing. Hands-on hardware/physical-product experience required
• Solid experience with AWS and services such as RDS, IAM, VPC, S3
• Strong SQL and Python expertise combined with solid engineering fundamentals across Git, CI/CD, and production workflows
• Thorough background in dbt across the full model lifecycle, plus orchestration tools like Airflow and Docker for production deployment
• Hands-on experience with industrial historian or DAQ platforms such as Ignition, ibaPDA, Keysight, National Instruments, or similar, as well as fluency working with time-series and sensor data
• Working physical intuition for the systems generating your data - thermal, fluid, electrical, or mechanical - sufficient to sanity-check sensor readings, spot anomalies, and communicate credibly with test and controls engineers
• Strong analytical orientation toward data interpretation, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and adjust architectural decisions accordingly
• Effective cross-functional collaborator and communicator; able to translate ambiguity into scoped work and push back when needed
• Self-directed, resourceful, and highly ownership-oriented from scoping through delivery
• Bonus: BI tooling experience, climate/energy domain background, or prior experience partnering directly with a test or reliability engineering function

Aircapture strives to create a safe, inclusive, equitable and diverse workplace where everyone can do their best work. We hope you feel welcome here.