Senior Data Platform Engineer

BCforward; Jersey City (NJ); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

BCforward in Jersey City is seeking a senior platform engineer to design, build, and operate the low-latency data services stack. You will own end-to-end performance, from Cassandra data modeling to AWS-backed Java microservices, collaborating with application teams to meet SLA commitments.

The role emphasizes distributed systems, Terraform, Kubernetes, Kafka, Spark, and CI/CD practices, with a focus on latency, reliability, and security. Onsite location in Jersey City, NJ.

Qualifications

• Formal training or certification in software engineering concepts.
• 5+ years of applied experience with production systems.
• Deep hands-on Cassandra data modeling and performance tuning.
• AWS experience with ECS and Lambda in production.
• Java and/or Python with Spring Boot and gRPC.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the platform's data layer on Cassandra with schema design and capacity planning.
• Tune Cassandra for performance and stability, including compaction and read/write path tuning.
• Deliver system design, development, testing, and operational stability on AWS.
• Build and support Java microservices with Spring Boot and REST/gRPC APIs.
• Build data pipelines with Kafka and Spark; deploy on AWS with ECS, Lambda, Glue, S3; manage Kubernetes workloads.
• Define infra as code with Terraform; monitor latency and conduct load tests.
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to meet performance expectations.
• Contribute to platform reliability through CI/CD, observability, and incident response.
• Leverage AI coding assistants to improve productivity and code quality.

Skills

Cassandra data modeling

Performance tuning

AWS (ECS, Lambda)

Java

Python

Spring Boot

Kafka

Spark

Kubernetes

Terraform

CI/CD

Latency & SLAs

Education

Software engineering fundamentals training

Tools

Apache Cassandra

Apache Kafka

Apache Spark

Terraform

Kubernetes

AWS ECS

AWS Lambda

Spring Boot

Java

Python

Job description

**Presently we are unable to sponsor and request applicants to apply who are authorized to work without sponsorship**

Location: Jersey City, NJ – Onsite

Role Summary

You will design, build, tune, and operate the services and infrastructure behind our low-latency platform. You’ll own performance end to end, from Cassandra data models and compaction strategy to the AWS services and Java microservices on top. You’ll work closely with application teams and stakeholders to make sure the platform meets agreed SLAs.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the platform’s data layer on Apache Cassandra, including query-driven data modeling, schema design, and capacity planning.
• Tune Cassandra for performance and stability, including compaction strategy optimization, read/write path tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Deliver system design, application development, testing, and operational stability for services running on AWS.
• Build and maintain backend microservices using Java and Spring Boot, with REST and gRPC APIs.
• Build and support data pipelines and ETL processes using Apache Kafka and Apache Spark.
• Deploy and operate workloads on AWS, primarily Amazon ECS and AWS Lambda, Glue, S3, as well as containerized workloads on Kubernetes.
• Define and manage infrastructure as code using Terraform.
• Monitor, analyze, and improve P50/P99 latency; run load and performance tests; and drive root-cause analysis for regressions.
• Partner with customers and internal consumers to understand requirements and deliver against performance expectations.
• Contribute to platform reliability and security through CI/CD, observability, alerting, runbooks, resiliency practices, and incident response.
• Use AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot) to improve productivity and code quality.

Required Qualifications

• Formal training or certification in software engineering concepts, plus 5+ years of applied experience.
• Strong platform engineering background, with a track record of supporting or building production systems with strict performance requirements.
• Deep hands‑on experience with Cassandra: data modeling, performance tuning, and compaction optimization.
• Hands‑on experience delivering system design, application development, testing, and operational stability within AWS, including Amazon ECS and AWS Lambda.
• Advanced proficiency in Java and/or Python.
• Experience building services with Spring Boot and gRPC APIs.
• Expert‑level experience with data engineering technologies and tools such as Apache Kafka, Apache Spark, Cassandra, and ETL processes.
• Experience with distributed systems, microservices, Kubernetes, and containers.
• Experience with Terraform and infrastructure‑as‑code practices.
• Advanced understanding of agile methodologies and modern engineering practices, including CI/CD, application resiliency, and security.
• Demonstrated proficiency in software applications and technical processes within a technical discipline (e.g., cloud, AI/ML).
• Demonstrated experience meeting strict latency and SLA targets and delivering against customer expectations.
• Experience using or supporting low‑latency platforms (strongly preferred).
• Experience with AI coding assistants such as Claude or Copilot.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with OLAP databases.
• Experience with GCP APIs.
• Prior experience supporting high‑performance, low‑latency systems in production.