Data Acquisition Engineer

Abaka AI•Mountain View, CA

About The Position

As a Data Acquisition Engineer at Abaka AI, you will own and scale our raw data supply ecosystem by combining technical systems building with hands-on supplier sourcing and management. This is a 0→1 builder role focused on creating scalable, AI-native infrastructure for discovering, evaluating, onboarding, and managing data suppliers globally. You will design and implement automation, internal tools, and AI-driven workflows to increase sourcing leverage—while also directly identifying, engaging, and managing external data partners. You will work closely with leadership to develop commercial instincts and supplier negotiation skills as you take full ownership of the data supply pipeline. This is a high-impact role at the intersection of engineering, growth, and operations.

Requirements

Strong technical foundation (engineering, data, scripting, automation, or systems building)
Experience building projects, tools, or pipelines from 0→1
Comfortable using AI-native tools (e.g., LLM agents, Cursor, automation platforms, workflow builders)
High ownership mindset with the ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Interest in AI, machine learning, and data infrastructure
Growth-oriented mindset with bias toward experimentation and rapid iteration

Nice To Haves

Experience in startup or high-growth environments preferred
Exposure to data pipelines, scraping, APIs, or automation workflows is a strong plus
Prior vendor management experience is not required

Responsibilities

Build automated pipelines and AI-driven workflows to discover and evaluate new raw data sources
Design and implement internal tooling for supplier tracking, scoring, and performance management
Experiment with scraping, APIs, enrichment tools, and automation platforms to increase sourcing efficiency
Aggressively identify and outreach to new data suppliers across global markets
Evaluate supplier quality, reliability, and scalability in partnership with internal teams
Manage ongoing vendor relationships, ensuring quality, cost, and delivery standards are met
Track supplier performance using quantitative metrics and continuously improve processes
Collaborate cross-functionally with Data Engineering, Research, Product, GTM, Legal, and Finance to align supply with business needs
Support commercial discussions and contract processes with guidance from leadership
Build scalable systems that increase data throughput without increasing headcount