Senior AI/Data Engineer

WorkWave

22h • $160,000 - $180,000 • Remote

About The Position

We’re looking for a customer-centric Senior AI/Data Engineer to build and scale data systems that drive our “decision intelligence” products. You’ll work at the intersection of data engineering, product development, and AI/ML enablement—designing systems that empower customer-facing data products. This role requires not only deep technical expertise but also a strategic mindset, strong communication skills, and a high sense of ownership over how data supports the business. You will collaborate across teams to ensure data is a true product enabler.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Engineering & AI Enablement
AI/ML ownership: Build trusted AI/ML predictions and forecasts via feature pipelines, model input/output data flows, and robust data validation frameworks.
Pipeline Design: Design and implement reliable, scalable, and secure data pipelines that serve analytical and product use cases.
Leadership: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other data engineers and cross-functional collaborators, fostering a culture of engineering excellence.

Ecosystem Ownership & Strategy
Architecture & Evolution: Own the architecture and evolution of our data platform, ensuring it meets the performance, scalability, and agility needs of our growing business.
Governance & Observability: Implement data governance, quality, and observability best practices to ensure trustworthy insights, proactively managing data health before it impacts the business.
Infrastructure Optimization: Optimize cloud data infrastructure for cost, performance, and maintainability, treating the platform as a product rather than just a utility.

Collaboration & Translation
Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and customer stakeholders to understand context and needs, and help translate them into engineering solutions.
Customer-Centricity: Ensure engineering efforts are aligned with delivering clear business value and enhancing the customer experience.

WHO YOU ARE:
The ML Enabler: You are a Data Engineer who loves the complexity of AI. You understand that a model is only as good as the pipeline feeding it, and you take pride in building the infrastructure that brings AI to life.
The Product-Minded Architect: You don’t just move data from A to B; you build systems with the end-user in mind. You prioritize "Time to Insight" and usability as much as you prioritize code efficiency.
The Strategic Owner: You are comfortable working in an environment where you are expected to identify problems and fix them without waiting for a ticket. You view the data ecosystem as your product.
We know that great talent comes from many backgrounds. If you are a builder who cares about the "why" behind the code, we want to hear from you!

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in data engineering, with 1–2+ years in a senior or lead capacity.
• You possess a profound understanding of ML models and can articulate the trade-offs between different architectures (e.g., complexity vs. inference speed, accuracy vs. interpretability) to ensure the right tool is selected for the job.
• "Ninja-level" proficiency in Python for complex data structures and automation, alongside strong SQL expertise.
• Strong familiarity with Scikit-Learn and similar libraries, with specific experience building and maintaining associated feature engineering pipelines.
• High proficiency in MLOps practices and orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, dbt, Dagster) to manage model lifecycles and data dependencies.
• Solid experience with modern data platforms (e.g., Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, or Databricks).
• Strong understanding of data modeling, performance optimization, and cloud computing (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to work effectively across technical and non-technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Build trusted AI/ML predictions and forecasts via feature pipelines, model input/output data flows, and robust data validation frameworks.
• Design and implement reliable, scalable, and secure data pipelines that serve analytical and product use cases.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other data engineers and cross-functional collaborators, fostering a culture of engineering excellence.
• Own the architecture and evolution of our data platform, ensuring it meets the performance, scalability, and agility needs of our growing business.
• Implement data governance, quality, and observability best practices to ensure trustworthy insights, proactively managing data health before it impacts the business.
• Optimize cloud data infrastructure for cost, performance, and maintainability, treating the platform as a product rather than just a utility.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and customer stakeholders to understand context and needs, and help translate them into engineering solutions.
• Ensure engineering efforts are aligned with delivering clear business value and enhancing the customer experience.

Benefits

• Employees can expect a robust benefits package, including health and dental and 401k with company match
• Find your perfect work/life balance with our Flexible Time Off policy or generous PTO plan (role dependent) and paid holidays
• Up to 4 weeks paid bonding leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Robust Employee Assistance Program through TotalCare offering free counseling 24/7/365, plus financial counseling, legal guidance, adoption assistance services and much more!
• 24/7 access to virtual medical care with Teladoc
• Quarterly awards based on peer nominations
• Regional discounts and perks
• Opportunities to participate in charitable events and give back to the community

What This Job Offers

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