Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform

Airwallex; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial technology company is seeking a Staff Data Platform Engineer to oversee the architecture and operation of data and AI platforms in San Francisco. The role involves mentoring a high-performing team and driving technical excellence, with responsibilities such as solving platform challenges, providing technical direction, and fostering a culture of innovation. Candidates should have 8+ years of experience in Data Platforms, technical leadership, and collaboration skills, with a competitive compensation range of $185K - $300K.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Data Platform or equivalent.
• Experience leading company-wide initiatives and tech roadmap planning.
• Proven ability to balance execution with in-depth research.
• Demonstrated mentoring track record in tech roles.
• Experience maintaining multi-geographical data pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Identify and resolve data challenges using platform solutions.
• Provide technical direction and address complex problems hands-on.
• Advocate for best practices and innovation in the data platform.
• Mentor team members in technical and professional development.

Skills

Data Platform experience

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Collaboration

Data security

Workflow frameworks (Airflow, DBT)

Education

8+ years in a quantitative field

Tools

GCP

Databricks

BigQuery

Kubernetes

Spark

DataFlow

Google Cloud Storage

Kafka

Job description

Staff Data Platform Engineer (Real-time Data Platform) - Knowledge Platform Team

Hiring Location: San Francisco

Role Overview: As a high level architect (staff engineer), you will oversee the strategy, architecture, development, and operation of Airwallex's data and AI platforms. You will play a pivotal role in influencing data-driven and AI-powered decision-making processes. A key aspect of your role will also include building a high-performing team that excels in a fast-paced environment. Your leadership will be critical in mentoring the team, promoting a culture of innovation, and driving technical excellence.

Responsibilities

• Spearheaded the identification and resolution of Airwallex-wide challenges using cutting-edge data platform solutions.
• Provide visionary technical direction, fostering a community within Airwallex's data realm, and actively leading in solving complex problems hands-on.
• Advocate for best practices across the data platform, instilling a culture of craftsmanship and innovation.
• Mentor the data platform team, nurturing both technical and professional development.

Minimum Requirements

• A minimum of 8 years of experience in Data Platform or an equivalent combination of work and academic exposure in a quantitative field.
• Proven experience leading company-wide initiatives across multiple teams or influencing tech roadmap planning.
• Effective collaboration with diverse teams and stakeholders to drive tangible business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to balance execution and velocity with in-depth research, statistical understanding, and scalable design.
• Track record of mentoring and investing in the development of scientists, engineers, and peers.
• Experience providing technical leadership on significant projects, covering ETL frameworks, metrics stores, infrastructure management, and data security.
• Proficiency in building, deploying, and maintaining reliable multi-geographical data pipelines at scale.
• Familiarity with workflow or orchestration frameworks such as Airflow, DBT, etc.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on design experience in crafting data processing patterns for a modern Lakehouse architecture.
• Contribute to the design and development of standard framework modules, high-performance services, and client libraries for big data using tools like GCP, Databricks, BigQuery, DataProc, Kafka, Kubernetes, Spark, DataFlow, Google Cloud Storage, and Airflow.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills tailored for diverse audiences (leadership, users, company-wide).
• Ability to rapidly evaluate various technologies and conduct proof of concepts to drive architecture design.
• Experience thriving in a complex environment.

Equal Opportunity

Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don’t regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

Compensation

Compensation Range: $185K - $300K