Staff Data Lake Engineer

WEX

121d • $135,000 - $180,000

About The Position

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Data Lake Engineering team, you will be a key technical leader in developing our enterprise data platform. Your mission is to build a unified, intelligent data infrastructure using a data lakehouse architecture that boosts developer productivity and establishes standardization across the organization. In this role, you will be a vital link between the Data Engineering community and our strategic solutions. You will manage stakeholder relationships, translating their business requirements into technical roadmaps and guiding execution. This is a hands-on position where you'll not only drive the development of scalable, secure, and high-performing systems, but also provide technical mentorship to junior engineers. Your work will directly impact the business by enabling crucial self-service capabilities for data engineers, building a robust business catalog for strong data and AI governance, and implementing systems for data quality and lineage that empower business analysts. This is an opportunity to solve complex, large-scale problems and make a significant impact on both the team and the business.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in software design and development, with a focus on building large-scale, distributed systems.
• Strong hands-on experience in software development, architecture, deployment, and production operations, preferably with Java / J2EE (Spring/Spring Boot).
• Proficiency in languages like Python is highly desirable.
• Deep expertise in building and operating Big Data platforms and large-scale data lakes.
• Experience with Data Lakehouse formats such as Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi, or Delta Lake is a significant plus.
• Strong understanding of modern data processing tools and services (e.g., Spark, AWS Glue, dbt, Apache Polaris).
• Extensive experience with cloud architecture and services, including AWS (S3, EMR, Kubernetes, Lambda) and Azure.
• Deep understanding of CI/CD automation, modern development tools, and frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead and guide engineering teams, acting as a technical mentor and thought leader.
• Excellent analytical skills with a proven ability to identify and resolve complex technical problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a philosophy of continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

• A higher degree in a related field.
• Experience within the payments industry.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical vision, architecture, and strategy for the Data Lake platform.
• Drive the development roadmap to deliver a platform that meets both near-term business needs and long-term strategic goals.
• Design and lead the implementation of our data lake platform and services.
• Challenge the status quo, championing innovative technical solutions that leverage data, AI, and modern engineering practices.
• Partner closely with solutions architecture, product, and engineering teams to deeply understand business needs and design effective solutions.
• Collaborate with information security to ensure data privacy and access controls are a core part of the platform's design.
• Serve as a technical mentor to engineers, providing guidance on engineering principles, best practices, and skills.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and accountability for quality results.
• Report on the status of development, quality, and system performance to management and partners.
• Advise senior leadership on complex technical initiatives and drive projects to achieve defined OKRs.

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurances.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Paid time off.
• Health savings account.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Life insurance.
• Disability insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees