Senior Data Engineer

Robots and Pencils; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Robots and Pencils is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to design, build, and operate data pipelines and platforms powering analytics, AI, and product work. This role requires ownership of end-to-end pipelines and strong technical judgment.

You will design scalable pipelines, build data warehouses and lakes, and integrate data across systems while collaborating with experienced engineers to scale our data capabilities and governance.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of professional data engineering experience.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable data pipelines end-to-end.
• Build and manage data warehouses and data lakes.
• Optimize data processing workflows and integrate data from multiple systems.
• Implement data modeling and schema design for analytics.
• Implement data validation and monitoring for data quality, reliability, and availability.
• Design and build pipelines for production AI/ML systems (embeddings, vector stores, RAG, feature stores, training/inference data).
• Collaborate with analytics, AI, and product teams to align data work with business goals.
• Participate in code reviews and design discussions, providing constructive feedback.

Skills

SQL

Python/Scala

Cloud data platforms

ETL/ELT

Streaming data

Data modeling

Distributed systems

Data validation & observability

CI/CD for data systems

AI/ML pipelines

AI coding tools (Claude Cursor)

Tools

Claude

Cursor

embeddings

vector stores

RAG data prep

feature stores

training/inference data flows

Job description

We’relooking for aSeniorData Engineer to design, build, andoperatethe data pipelines and platforms that power analytics, AI, and product work. This role is ideal for an engineer with several years of experience who can confidently own pipelines end-to-end and bring strong technical judgment to the problems they take on.

In this role, you will work as a key contributor on a cross-functional team, designing scalable pipelines,buildingand managing data warehouses and data lakes, and integrating data from acrosssystems.You’llcollaborate with experienced engineers to enhance existing systems, deliver new capabilities, and contribute to the technical decisions that shape how our data work scales over time.

Why This Role Matters

At Robots & Pencils, we design AI systems fora humanworld. Our name says it all. Robots and pencilsmeansengineering paired with creativity, because every agent we shiphas towork for real people in real workflows. That balance is baked into how we operate. Every role here contributes directly to that mission. Here, you shape how AI systems integrate into enterprise operations, how teams move at real velocity, and how products create measurable impact for clients and the people they serve. We ship production-ready AI in 30 to45 days. That pace demands people who take ownership, lead with craft, and care deeply about what they put their name on.

What You’ll Do

Craft & Delivery

• Design and implement scalable data pipelines, taking ownership of features end-to-end
• Build and manage data warehouses and data lakes
• Optimizedata processing workflows and integrate data from multiple systems
• Implement data modeling and schema design that supports analytics and downstream use
• Implement data validation andmonitoringto ensure data quality, reliability, and availability
• Design and build data pipelines for production AI/ML systems, including embeddings, vector stores, RAG data preparation, feature stores, and training/inference data flows
• Bring an AI-forward coding mindset to your daily work, using tools like Claude, Cursor, and other modern AI assistants to ship higher-quality work at pace
• Collaborate closely with analytics, AI, and product teams to align data work with broader product and business goals
• Communicate technical tradeoffs and decisions clearly across functions, translating data architecture and constraints into terms others can act on
• Participate actively in code reviews and design discussions, raising concerns and offering constructive feedback

Leadership & Influence

• Contribute to data architecture decisions, bringing thoughtful perspective on tradeoffs and long-term implications
• Take ownership of meaningful pieces of work and follow through end-to-end, including the unglamorous parts of operating data systems
• Support data governance and compliance efforts, helping raise the bar on practices across the team

What You’ll Bring

• 5–7 years of professional data engineering experience
• Strong SQL and Python or Scala skills
• Working knowledge of cloud data platforms and enterprise data warehousing
• Hands-on experience with ETL/ELT frameworks and pipeline orchestration
• Experience with streaming platforms and real-time data processing
• Strong data modeling skills, including warehouse and lake schema design and data transformation
• Working knowledge of distributed systems
• Experience with data validation, quality, and observability
• Experience with CI/CD for data systems and container orchestration
• Experience building data pipelines for production AI/ML systems, including embeddings, vector stores, RAG data preparation, feature stores, and training/inference data flows
• Demonstrable, day-to-day usage of AI-forward coding tools such as Claude and Cursor
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to navigate ambiguous technical challenges with sound judgment
• Exposure to data mesh, data fabric, MLOps, or BI tool integration is a plus

Helpful Extras and Unique Skills

You’ll Do Well Here if You Are

• A doer. You see something broken and fix it.You'drather move on clarity than wait for certainty.
• A fast learner who knows youdon'tknow everything. The AI landscape changes weekly.You'resenior enough to know better and curious enough to keep learning anyway.
• Direct in a way that makes the work better. You give honest feedback.You'drather havethehard conversation thanblowsmoke.
• Obsessed withcraft. You know genius is in the details. You shipexceptional, notperfect, and youdon'tput your name onworkyouwouldn'tstand behind.
• Built for ownership. You honor commitments, admit mistakes fast, and back your teammates when a decision costs something. No handoffs, no finger-pointing.
• All in. You treat clients' businesses like your own. You take the work seriously without taking yourself seriously.
• Resourceful when the budget, timeline, or team is tight. Constraintsdon'tslow you down. They sharpen you.
• Glad to be in the room with people who care as much as you do. Our teams average fifteen-plus years of experience. We hire people who push each other to do better work.

The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $119,514USD -$164,899USD. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/visioninsuranceand 401(k) to eligible employees. An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission. We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.