Lead Data Engineer

Material • Los Angeles, CA

1d • $100,000 - $120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a Lead Data Engineer to help build and scale our core data infrastructure. This is a hands‑on technical leadership role for someone who can drive high‑quality engineering execution, contribute to architectural decisions, and support the development of junior team members. In this role, you’ll lead complex data engineering initiatives, design solutions end‑to‑end, and work closely with the VP of Engineering to align technical execution with broader platform strategy. You’ll take ownership of key data engineering projects, guide technical decision‑making, and collaborate with cross‑functional partners to translate business needs into well‑designed, scalable solutions. You’ll balance hands‑on development with leadership responsibilities, ensuring both high‑quality delivery and strong engineering practices across the team. This role is ideal for an engineer who enjoys hands‑on development, technical leadership, and shaping solutions.

Requirements

• 6–8 years of hands‑on experience in data engineering, building and maintaining production‑grade data pipelines and cloud‑native data systems
• Strong experience with AWS data services and cloud‑native data engineering patterns
• Proficiency in Python and SQL for building and maintaining data workflows
• Experience with Snowflake, including data modeling, performance optimization, and environment management
• Experience building or integrating APIs within data ecosystems
• Ability to lead projects, mentor engineers, and influence technical direction
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work with non‑technical stakeholders
• Comfort working directly with senior engineering leadership, including the VP of Engineering, on solution design and platform evolution

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines on AWS using services such as Step Functions, S3, Lambda, EMR, ECS, Athena, and SNS
• Support the architecture and operation of our Snowflake environment, including data modeling, performance tuning, and RBAC
• Develop SQL and Python workflows, and integrate APIs for ingestion and external system connectivity
• Contribute to the design of evolving data models that power analytics, BI, and downstream applications
• Champion data quality, reliability, observability, and best practices in version control, testing, and CI/CD
• Lead technical projects from concept through delivery, ensuring high‑quality execution and alignment with engineering standards
• Mentor junior and mid‑level engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and hands‑on guidance
• Partner closely with the VP of Engineering on architectural decisions, engineering priorities, and long‑term platform strategy
• Collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders to translate business requirements into clear, actionable engineering solutions

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed