Staff Data Engineer, Enterprise Data @ Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies; Myrtle Point (OR); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is seeking a Staff Data Engineer to lead the enterprise data and AI platform. You will design trusted data products, set architecture standards, and solve complex problems across ingestion, transformation, governance, and AI-powered analytics.

You will stay hands-on while guiding initiatives across multiple domains and partnering with senior leaders to ensure secure, certified data and explainable AI insights.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in Data or Software Engineering with SQL and Python skills.
• Experience with dbt and Databricks for semantic modeling and data quality.
• Hands-on GenAI, LLM agents, or RAG architectures and guardrails.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement ELT pipelines and semantic models with dbt, SQL, Python on Databricks.
• Develop a unified executive analytics portal using React and embedded analytics.
• Build AI agents over enterprise data with RAG and guardrails.
• Partner with Finance, People, Privacy, and Legal to align data products.
• Define engineering standards and CI/CD, IaC, and governance across domains.

Skills

SQL

Python

System design

Data engineering

Education

B.S./M.S. in CS/Engineering/Math

Tools

dbt

Databricks

Streamlit

React

Tableau/Power BI

Job description

ABOUT THE TEAM

Enterprise Data is transforming how leaders at RV Tech access information and make decisions.

We are building a trusted enterprise data and AI platform that brings together critical information across People, Finance, Privacy, and Legal. Our goal is to move beyond fragmented reports and dashboards toward a unified experience where leaders can explore certified data, understand the context behind key metrics, and ask complex business questions using natural language.

The team owns the data foundations, semantic models, AI capabilities, and analytical experiences that make this possible.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a Staff Data Engineer to provide technical leadership for our enterprise data and AI platform.

You will design and build trusted data products, establish architecture and engineering standards, and solve complex problems spanning ingestion, transformation, semantic modeling, governance, and AI-powered analytics. You will remain hands-on while setting the technical direction for initiatives that cross multiple business domains and systems.

This role requires more than building pipelines. You will work closely with senior leaders and domain experts to understand how the business operates, turn ambiguous questions into durable data products, and ensure that AI-generated insights remain accurate, explainable, secure, and grounded in certified enterprise data.

You will have the opportunity to shape both the platform and the engineering culture behind one of RV Tech's most visible internal data products.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Certified Data Backbone: Design and implement scalable ELT pipelines and semantic models using dbt, SQL, and Python on Databricks. Own the end-to-end data lifecycle—including ingestion, transformation, governance, certification, semantic modeling, data quality, observability, and lineage to deliver enterprise-grade certified datasets that power executive decision-making.
• Executive Analytics Applications: Architect and contribute to a unified, React-based executive analytics portal, transitioning the C-suite experience from fragmented dashboards to a centralized, application-driven environment with embedded analytics, AI-assisted insights, and trusted enterprise access.
• Agentic AI & Context Engineering: Design and deploy conversational AI agents over enterprise data products by building metadata and semantic frameworks, implementing RAG pipelines and reasoning engines, and establishing guardrails that ensure safe, compliant, and context-aware AI interactions with certified data.
• Cross-Functional Executive Partnership: Serve as the primary technical partner to senior leaders across Finance, People, Privacy, and Legal, translating strategic priorities into scalable data products, aligning diverse stakeholders, and influencing executive analytics strategy.
• Strategic Engineering Leadership: Define and uphold end-to-end engineering standards across the Enterprise Insights domain, including scalable architecture, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), CI/CD, version control best practices, operational SLAs, and a culture rooted in AI-native design, disciplined experimentation, and operational excellence.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Full-Stack Technical Mastery: 8+ years of experience in Data or Software Engineering with expert-level SQL and Python skills, including advanced query design, performance tuning, data manipulation, and scalable automation. Strong system design and architecture expertise, with a proven ability to build efficient, maintainable, and scalable data systems.
• Modern Analytics & Data Platform Engineering: Deep proficiency with dbt and modern cloud data platforms (Databricks preferred), including semantic layer modeling, business logic abstraction, and implementation of robust data quality, governance, and lineage frameworks.
• AI & Intelligent Systems: Hands‑on experience implementing GenAI systems, LLM agents, or RAG architectures, with strong knowledge of context engineering, reliability frameworks, guardrails, and evaluation methodologies for enterprise AI solutions.
• Application & Visualization Expertise: Proven track record of building production-grade interactive applications using Streamlit or React to solve complex business problems, along with mastery of at least one major BI tool (Tableau, Qlik, Power BI, Hex). Strong data storytelling skills with the ability to design impactful visualizations and communicate insights that influence executive leadership.
• Engineering Excellence & Collaboration: Expertise in collaborative software development practices, including testing frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and version control (Git/GitLab/GitHub). Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to partner effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership & Influence: Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguity into structured roadmaps, influence executive stakeholders, and lead or mentor engineers while fostering high standards of technical and operational excellence.
• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field.

TOTAL REWARDS

We build the exceptional - and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees - including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs Learn more.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an