Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform

Axion; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch stipend

Generous time off

Competitive compensation

Equity

Supportive leadership

Job summary

Axion in San Francisco is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to own and scale our production data ingestion systems. You will handle ingestion pipelines, schema mapping, and ensure data integrity across dozens of enterprise sources, aligning with product leadership to shape the roadmap.

You will build and harden backend services using Python, Postgres, and Kubernetes, mentor junior engineers, and elevate data quality with validation, lineage, monitoring, and alerting.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of backend software engineering experience with Python.
• Strong cloud architecture experience with Kubernetes and containerized workloads.
• Deep PostgreSQL and relational data modeling skills.
• Proven track record solving complex data integration problems.
• Data First philosophy and data-driven decision making.
• Experience mentoring engineers on architecture and systems.

Responsibilities

• Own technical architecture for our data ingestion system, including pipelines, mapping, validation, transformation, and orchestration from source to production-ready dataset.
• Build and harden backend services and cloud infrastructure (Python, Postgres, Kubernetes).
• Solve integration challenges at the source: warranty, telematics, ERP, and service systems with heterogeneous schemas.
• Establish data quality and reliability standards (validation, lineage, monitoring, alerting).
• Partner with Engineering, Product, and customer-facing teams to shape the technical vision and roadmap.
• Raise engineering standards through code review, design docs, and technical direction.
• Mentor engineers on data architecture and system design, removing blockers.

Skills

Python

Cloud architecture

PostgreSQL

Data integration

Mentorship

Ownership

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

Job description

About Us

Founded in 2021, Axion is at the forefront of transforming product quality and customer satisfaction in manufacturing. Our cutting-edge AI-powered platform empowers manufacturers to swiftly identify, thoroughly investigate, and effectively resolve quality issues while simultaneously elevating customer experiences and outcomes. As trailblazers in end-to-end quality intelligence, we're setting new industry standards. Our innovative approach enables industrial, aerospace, consumer, and medtech manufacturers to harness the power of quality and post-market data, driving down costs and boosting business performance. Our vision extends beyond mere problem-solving; we're committed to reshaping the future of manufacturing. By seamlessly integrating advanced AI technology with deep industry expertise, Axion is paving the way for smarter, safer, and more efficient production processes across diverse sectors. Backed by leading investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Amplo, Boeing, and RTX Ventures, Axion is poised to lead the quality revolution in manufacturing.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Backend Engineer to build and scale the production data ingestion systems that brings customer data into the Axion platform. This is a senior individual contributor role with direct architectural ownership and product impact. The ideal candidate has strong experience working in early-stage companies, building and scaling complex, data-intensive backend systems. In this role, you would work with customer, service, field, telematics, warranty, and aftermarket data from dozens of enterprise systems, often in incompatible formats and with little structure or connection between sources. Getting data onboarding right is essential because everything downstream depends on the integrity of that data. You’ll work closely with both Engineering and Product leadership to define and improve how manufacturer data is ingested, mapped, validated, and prepared for use across the platform.

Key Responsibilities

• Own technical architecture for our data ingestion system, including ingestion pipelines, schema mapping, validation, transformation, and the orchestration that carries customer data from the source to production-ready dataset.
• Build and harden the backend services and cloud infrastructure (Python, Postgres, and Kubernetes) that make onboarding a new manufacturer fast, repeatable, and observable, rather than a bespoke engineering project every time.
• Solve integration challenges at the source: enterprise warranty, telematics, ERP, and service systems with inconsistent schemas, unreliable delivery, and no shared vocabulary between them.
• Establish rigorous data quality and reliability standards (validation, lineage, monitoring, and alerting) so that pipeline degradation is caught by us before it's noticed by a customer.
• Partner across Engineering, Product, and customer‑facing teams to shape the technical vision and roadmap for data onboarding workflows.
• Raise engineering standards through code review, design docs, and the technical direction others build on.
• Mentor engineers on data architecture and system design, unblocking hard problems and sharing context generously.

Requirements

• Minimum 5+ years of backend software engineering experience, with deep, recent, hands‑on fluency in Python.
• Strong cloud architecture experience - designing, deploying, and operating distributed services in production, with Kubernetes and containerized workloads.
• Demonstrated depth with Postgres and relational data modeling, including performance, migrations, and schema design under real production load.
• A track record of solving genuine data integration problems: heterogeneous sources, messy real-world inputs, and turning all of it into something reliable that downstream systems can depend on.
• A pragmatic, tools-not-platforms approach to the data ecosystem—you pick the right technology for the problem rather than building an identity around a single proprietary stack.
• A track record of technical mentorship; you make the engineers around you better without needing formal authority.
• A firm believer in a "Data First" philosophy who can make sound decisions in ambiguous, fast-moving situations.
• A strong executor in fast-paced environments who can balance shipping MVPs with a commitment to production-grade systems.

Who You Are

• You’re a builder and operator who thrives in fast-moving, high-accountability environments. You take pride in getting things done — thoughtfully, efficiently, and without drama. You’re energized by ambiguity, skilled at bringing clarity, and comfortable flexing between strategy and execution.
• You value feedback — giving it, receiving it, and acting on it — and you see collaboration as a competitive advantage, not a burden. You’re low-ego but high-agency: you care about winning as a team more than being right individually. You move quickly, communicate directly, and make decisions grounded in impact and data.
• You don’t need constant direction — you create momentum. You take ownership for outcomes, and you expect the same from those around you.

How We Operate

• We move fast, work smart, and hold ourselves to a high bar. Axion is a place for people who take pride in their craft and are motivated by meaningful work. We respect time off and boundaries, but we’re also realistic: hard problems sometimes require weekend pushes or late-night thinking sessions. We support that balance - intensity with respect for recharge.
• We stay highly collaborative and connected throughout the day - much of our communication happens over Slack. We move quickly, share feedback often, and keep discussions open so decisions and context flow freely. If you value crisp communication, rapid iteration, and a steady hum of collaboration, you’ll fit right in.

We

• Collaborate deeply. Feedback is part of how we build — everyone has a voice, and ideas win on merit.
• Leave ego at the door. Titles don’t define value; contribution does.
• Bias toward action. We iterate fast and favor progress over perfection.
• Communicate with clarity. Direct, transparent, and always in service of the mission.
• Act like owners. Everyone is accountable for outcomes, not just tasks.
• Sustain excellence. We push hard but don’t glorify burnout — we’re in this for the long game.

What We Offer

• Work with cutting-edge AI technology making a tangible impact in manufacturing
• Collaborative, mission-driven team and supportive leadership
• Generous time off
• Competitive compensation, equity, and benefits
• Lunch stipend…. And much more

Axion is an Equal Opportunity / Aff… employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity, or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.