Senior Data Engineer: Python & Spark Lead

KKR; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Professional growth opportunities

Job summary

KKR is seeking an Assistant Vice President, Software Engineering to join our Operations Systems team in New York. You will design and deliver robust backend services and data pipelines, mentoring junior engineers while shaping technical direction toward a lead or VP level.

The ideal candidate brings 4–7 years of backend-focused software engineering, expert Python, Spark, and Terraform experience, and strong data modeling and ETL/ELT skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• 4–7 years of professional software engineering experience with a strong backend focus.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python for building production services and data pipelines.
• Strong hands-on experience with Apache Spark for distributed data processing at scale.
• Proficiency with Terraform for infrastructure-as-code and cloud resource management.
• Deep data engineering fundamentals including data modeling, ETL/ELT design, and data distribution patterns.
• Solid command of relational and non-relational data stores and SQL.
• Experience with version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and modern software development practices.
• Demonstrated ability to own complex workstreams and mentor other engineers.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate across technical and business teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own scalable backend services and data pipelines primarily in Python.
• Develop and optimize large-scale data processing workflows using Apache Spark for batch and near-real-time use cases.
• Lead data modeling and schema design decisions that support reliable analytics and downstream consumption.
• Architect and maintain robust ETL/ELT workflows with strong data quality, lineage, and observability.
• Design and implement data distribution patterns to serve data efficiently across internal systems and consumers.
• Provision and manage cloud infrastructure using Terraform and infrastructure-as-code best practices.
• Own delivery of significant workstreams end‑to‑end, from technical design through production and operations.
• Drive engineering quality through design reviews, code reviews, and clear technical standards.
• Mentor and support the growth of analysts and junior engineers on the team.
• Partner with product, data, and platform leaders to shape roadmap and translate requirements into scalable solutions.
• Lead root‑cause analysis for complex production issues and drive continuous improvements in reliability and performance.

Skills

Python

Spark

Terraform

Data modeling

ETL/ELT

SQL

Git

CI/CD

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

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

Tools

Terraform

Airflow

Dagster

Kafka

Docker

Kubernetes

Palantir Foundry

Job description

KKR is seeking an Assistant Vice President, Software Engineering to join our Operations Systems team in New York. You will design and deliver robust backend services and data pipelines, mentoring junior engineers while shaping technical direction toward a lead or VP level.

The ideal candidate brings 4–7 years of backend-focused software engineering, expert Python, Spark, and Terraform experience, and strong data modeling and ETL/ELT skills.