Software Engineer, Data Platform

Block; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Block is hiring an experienced software engineer to own the data platform that helps teams access trusted data at scale.

You will design, build, and operate data warehousing, orchestration, BI tooling, and governance, while delivering Python services and developer tools for data products. The role requires leadership across teams and hands-on experience with modern data platforms.

Qualifications

• Senior-level software engineer with production systems experience.
• Hands-on data platform experience and data-practitioner collaboration.
• Experience with Snowflake/Databricks or comparable platforms.
• Knowledge of Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate core data-platform capabilities including warehousing and governance.
• Develop Python services and developer-facing tools for data products.
• Implement scalable infrastructure as code with Terraform.
• Establish patterns for petabyte-scale data with strong governance and security.
• Partner with data engineers, analysts, scientists, and product teams to deliver platform capabilities.
• Evaluate agentic workflows to improve data work with observability.
• Set technical direction and mentor other engineers.

Skills

Python

Kotlin

System design

Production systems

Tools

Snowflake

Databricks

Apache Iceberg

Apache Airflow

dbt

Terraform

Buildkite

GitOps

DataHub

Anomalo

Looker

Omni

AWS

Job description

Block builds simple, powerful tools that make progress towards an economy that’s truly open to all.

Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we’re helping build a financial system that is open to everyone. Join us.

The Role

We're hiring an experienced software engineer to build and own the data platform that helps teams across the company work with trusted data at scale. This role shapes the foundations for data warehousing, orchestration, business intelligence, governance, and Block's agentic workflows. You'll combine strong software engineering with hands-on experience working closely with data, building platforms that make it safer and faster for data practitioners to discover, produce, transform, govern, and use data.

You Will

• Design, build, and operate core data-platform capabilities, including data warehousing, orchestration, business intelligence tooling, and data governance.
• Build reliable Python services and developer-facing tools that improve how teams create and operate data products.
• Develop scalable infrastructure as code with Terraform.
• Establish patterns that let teams manage petabyte-scale data while maintaining strong governance, security, reliability, and usability.
• Partner with data engineers, analysts, scientists, and product teams to turn their needs into durable platform capabilities.
• Evaluate and build agentic workflows that make data work more effective, while maintaining appropriate controls and observability.
• Set technical direction, raise engineering standards, and mentor other engineers.

You Have

• Senior-level software engineering experience, with strong Python skills and a record of designing, shipping, and operating production systems.
• Hands-on experience building or operating data platforms, data products, or large-scale data infrastructure.
• Experience with Snowflake, Databricks, or comparable modern data platforms.
• Experience with Terraform and infrastructure-as-code practices.
• A practical understanding of the tradeoffs involved in managing petabyte-scale data: performance, cost, reliability, access controls, lineage, quality, and governance.
• Experience collaborating directly with data practitioners, and empathy for the workflows they use to turn data into decisions.
• Strong technical judgment, clear communication, and the ability to lead across teams.

Technologies We Use and Teach

• Languages: Python, Kotlin
• Data platforms: Snowflake, Databricks, Apache Iceberg
• Orchestration & transformation: Apache Airflow, dbt, Prefect
• Infrastructure as code & CI/CD: Terraform, Buildkite, GitOps
• Catalog, lineage & data quality: DataHub, Anomalo
• BI & analytics: Looker, Omni
• Cloud: AWS

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.

We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page.

While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.

Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate’s starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

To find a location’s zone designation, please refer to this resource. If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information.

Zone A:

$180,000 - $270,000 USD

Zone B:

$171,000 - $256,600 USD

Zone C:

$162,000 - $243,000 USD

Zone D:

$153,000 - $229,600 USD