Staff Data Engineer

NinjaHoldings; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

NinjaHoldings seeks a (Sr.) Staff Data Engineer to define the technical strategy for enterprise data systems. This role demands both strategic vision and hands-on execution, focusing on scalable data solutions using Snowflake and dbt. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience with cloud platforms and data governance while driving data excellence within the organization.

Benefits

Competitive salary and benefits package

Flexible, remote work

Fun, fast-paced work environment

Dynamic start-up culture

Convenient downtown Chicago office

Qualifications

• 10-12 years experience in data architecture or related fields.
• 5+ years with Snowflake; expertise in SQL and cloud platforms.
• Demonstrated leadership and experience in Agile environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural design across data engineering teams.
• Partner with stakeholders for enhancing the data stack.
• Mentor team members in cloud data architecture.

Skills

Data Architecture

Data Engineering

SQL

Data Governance

Cloud Data Platforms

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Snowflake

dbt

AWS

Azure

Fivetran

Airflow

Job description

NinjaHoldings was founded in 2017 by a team seeking to revolutionize the way everyday Americans interact with financial services. Through our CreditNinja and NinjaCard brands, we empower people overlooked by traditional financial institutions to take control of their finances via a full suite of digital banking and lending products, providing incentives and rewards along the way as we guide them on a path to financial improvement. Through our NinjaEdge brand, we help companies better understand their customers by offering a package of bespoke underwriting, fraud detection, and analytics services. With offices in Chicago, Miami, and around the world through the power of remote work, we are a lean and innovative team always seeking like-minded talent to join us in our fight to disrupt consumer finance.

Job Summary:

As a (Sr.) Staff Data Engineer, you will define the technical strategy for enterprise data systems, leveraging Snowflake and dbt to ensure scalability and extensibility aligned with the organization’s long-term business roadmap. You will provide architectural leadership while remaining a highly effective individual contributor (IC), directly building and optimizing data pipelines, Snowflake environments, and dbt transformations. Your role combines strategic vision with hands-on execution, requiring you to design robust data solutions and independently implement critical components to support analytics, reporting, and operational needs. You will lead through analysis, design, collaboration, and mentorship, driving data excellence across the organization.

You may work in the following Data Domains, each comprising multiple systems:

• Analytics & Reporting: Systems enabling business intelligence, dashboards, and data-driven insights.
• Data Integration: Managing data ingestion, transformation, and sharing across platforms.
• Governance & Compliance: Systems ensuring data quality, security, and regulatory adherence.
• Operational Data: Supporting real-time and batch processing for business operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide architectural leadership across interdependent data engineering teams, systems, and business units, focusing on Data Platform solutions.
• Design and connect data systems to deliver clean, discoverable, and high-quality data across analytics, operations, and product teams using scalable data sharing and modular transformation practices.
• Partner with business stakeholders to enhance the data stack, addressing needs such as data governance, compliance, performance optimization, and advanced analytics.
• Elevate your teammates’ expertise in cloud data architecture, transformation workflows, and data modeling best practices.
• Contribute to the design and review of critical data components, including schemas, models, and data pipelines.
• Provide critical thinking, technical innovation, and meticulous attention to detail as a trusted advisor and mentor to your team.
• Support quality assurance, validation, and performance testing to ensure data system reliability, functionality, and efficiency.

Requirements:

• 10-12 years of experience in data architecture, data engineering, or related fields, with a focus on designing enterprise data systems, including hands-on experience building data pipelines or optimizing data platforms.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with modern cloud-based data platforms, preferably Snowflake, including expertise in SQL scripting, virtual compute resources, data ingestion pipelines, change data capture mechanisms, task orchestration, and data sharing capabilities.
• 3+ years of experience with modern data transformation frameworks, preferably dbt, focused on modular data modeling, incremental processing, automated testing, and comprehensive documentation.
• Demonstrated experience contributing in an Agile environment, building cloud-based data solutions (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) with Snowflake as the core platform.
• Proven track record of leading data projects from inception to completion and mentoring data engineers or analysts.
• Deep understanding of building scalable data architectures, including data lakes, warehouses, and lakehouses.
• Experience designing and implementing well-documented data pipelines and integrations with tools like Fivetran, Airflow, or Matillion.
• Strong knowledge of data governance, security practices, and compliance frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) within Snowflake and dbt.
• Data-driven, analytical, and an effective communicator who grasps the big picture while maintaining focus on critical details.
• Natural problem solver who starts with the “why,” applying first principles to define meaningful solutions.

Additional Pluses, but not requirements:

• Experience in industries with complex data needs, such as fintech, healthcare, or e-commerce.
• Familiarity with additional cloud data tools (e.g., AWS Redshift, Google BigQuery, Azure Synapse) or BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
• Snowflake SnowPro Core/Advanced Architect or dbt Analytics Engineering Certification.
• Enjoyment of working in growth-stage companies and building data systems from the ground up.
• Exceptional leadership with an ownership mentality.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary and benefits package
• Flexible, remote work
• Fun, fast-paced work environment
• Dynamic start-up culture
• Ability to make an immediate impact in a growth stage company
• Convenient downtown Chicago office located in the heart of the city
• Equal opportunity employer

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Please carefully review communications to ensure that they are from the official Breezy applicant tracking platform (@breezy-mail.com) or an official NinjaHoldings brand email: @ninjaholdings.com, @creditninja.com, @ninjacard.com, or @edgescore.com. If you have been contacted regarding a job opening at NinjaHoldings from any other email address, including similar email variations, this is NOT a trusted source. We recommend that you refrain from responding to suspicious emails and file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Compliant Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov. For questions or to confirm the authenticity of a communication, please email hr @ ninjaholdings.com.