Principal Software Developer - Data

Rocket Companies • Seattle, WA

1d • $234,000 - $286,000

About The Position

Redfin is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to serve as the chief architect and technical leader for its enterprise data organization. The role will design and scale a unified data platform that serves the company, leading the transition to a modern, multi-tenant Data Lakehouse. The platform is intended to simplify infrastructure for data engineers and provide self-service access to data scientists, machine learning engineers, and AI agents. The Principal will partner with engineering directors and mentor Staff-level individual contributors to ensure the architecture scales securely across domains.

The position will design an open-format Data Lakehouse using Snowflake-managed Apache Iceberg on AWS S3; architect resilient batch, micro-batch, and real-time ingestion; and establish a domain-oriented data mesh within a single Snowflake environment. It will also lead deployment of a universal semantic layer over Gold-tier data, standardize Medallion data flows and ELT using dbt, PySpark, and Snowpark, and promote Terraform-based infrastructure as code.

As the technical escalation point for an organization of 60+ engineers, the Principal will mentor Staff and Senior individual contributors, lead architecture reviews, establish engineering practices, and collaborate with Principal Architects across the broader organization. The role will define integration contracts among transactional systems, the data platform, and downstream product applications.

The position may include participation in an on-call rotation supporting production reliability, including coverage during nights and weekends. Compensation is $234,000–$286,000 and the position may also be eligible for an annual bonus, incentives, medical, dental, and vision benefits, a 401(k) retirement plan, and paid time off.

Requirements

• 12+ years of software or data engineering experience, including at least 5+ years at Staff, Principal, or Lead Architect level.
• Deep, hands-on architectural experience with AWS, including S3, IAM, and EKS, and with Snowflake.
• Proven experience implementing open table formats, specifically Apache Iceberg.
• Deep expertise with modern data movement pipelines such as Fivetran or Airbyte and high-velocity event-streaming platforms such as Apache Kafka, AWS Kinesis, or Snowpipe.
• Expert understanding of modern data modeling, including Star Schema design for analytical reads and dimensional modeling for enterprise semantic layers.
• Advanced proficiency in SQL, Python, and distributed compute engines such as Spark, Ray, or native Snowflake compute.
• Extensive experience designing multi-tenant data architectures, implementing complex RBAC, and managing cross-domain security policies in highly regulated environments.
• Mastery of CI/CD pipelines such as Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions and infrastructure provisioning tools such as Terraform.

Nice To Haves

• Experience migrating legacy ETL platforms to modern, compute-optimized ELT architectures.
• A strong perspective on the evolving Modern Data Stack and the tradeoffs between vendor coupling and open-source flexibility.
• Experience integrating data platforms directly with machine-learning pipelines and AI workflows.
• A proven track record of influencing engineering culture and driving alignment across multiple engineering squads.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a unified, open-format Data Lakehouse using Snowflake-managed Apache Iceberg on AWS S3, transitioning away from legacy data silos.
• Architect and scale resilient, high-throughput data ingestion frameworks for batch, micro-batch, and real-time streaming from transactional databases, third-party APIs, and event logs.
• Design a domain-oriented data mesh within a single Snowflake environment, including delegated domain administration and role-based and row-access security policies.
• Lead deployment of a universal semantic layer over Gold-tier data and ensure business logic is defined as code for consistent metrics across BI tools, data apps, and AI agents.
• Define technical standards for Bronze, Silver, and Gold data flows and standardize ELT patterns using dbt, PySpark, and Snowpark.
• Drive infrastructure-as-code practices using Terraform for platform provisioning, networking, and security configurations.
• Serve as the technical escalation point for an organization of 60+ engineers; mentor Staff and Senior individual contributors, lead architecture reviews, and establish engineering best practices.
• Collaborate with engineering directors and Principal Architects across the organization.
• Define integration contracts and connection points among upstream transactional systems, the data platform, and downstream product applications.
• Participate in an on-call rotation if applicable to support production systems and service reliability.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for eligible team members.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Paid time off.
• Potential eligibility for an annual bonus, incentives, and other employment-related benefits.
• Support for the health and well-being of team members and their families.

What This Job Offers

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