Senior Data Engineer

NextDay AI is a privately held company specializing in applying artificial intelligence (AI) engineering and creative innovation in B2C entertainment products. Our mission is to leverage the power of Large Language Models (LLM) and generative AI (Gen AI) to create innovative consumer products that push the boundaries of entertainment and companionship. With over 65 millions+ messages per day and 1M+ daily users, our products are revolutionizing the way people entertain themselves. This is a unique opportunity to participate and make a real difference in a company actively working to shape the future of AI applications for consumers. Position Summary We are seeking an accomplished Senior Data Engineer to lead the design, optimization, and evolution of our data ecosystem. The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience in large-scale data engineering and holds an engineering or computer science degree. You will architect and maintain robust, cost-efficient, and high-performing data platforms — aggregating data from multiple, disconnected sources into well-structured warehouses built for scalability and reliability. You will also act as a technical leader, mentoring peers, shaping standards, and ensuring that data infrastructure consistently meets performance and governance requirements. Key Responsibilities Architect, develop, and optimize data pipelines for ingestion, transformation, and aggregation of large and disparate datasets using Databricks, Spark, and AWS S3. Design, build, and maintain scalable data lakes and warehouses ensuring efficient schema design, partitioning, and lifecycle management. Build and support dashboards for various stakeholders. Lead and implement end-to-end delivery of data components — from design and automation to testing and deployment. Implement and monitor ETL/ELT frameworks, ensuring reliability, simplicity, and transparency in data flow. Oversee cloud cost optimization initiatives and maintain efficient use of compute and storage resources. Ensure data governance, security, and quality through rigorous validation, metadata management, and policy enforcement. Collaborate with cross‑functional teams (engineering, product, analytics) to translate business requirements into scalable technical solutions. Develop and evolve CI/CD frameworks for data systems, automating testing and deployment workflows. Promote emerging technologies, tools, and industry best practices to continuously improve the data platform. Mentor and provide technical leadership to data engineers, fostering collaboration and high performance. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical field. 8+ years of hands‑on experience in data engineering, data architecture, or platform development. Proven expertise with Databricks, Apache Spark, and distributed data systems. Advanced proficiency in AWS S3, data lakehouse architecture, and cost management. Deep knowledge of ETL/ELT design, data modeling (Star/Snowflake), and SQL performance tuning. Strong programming experience in Python, Java, or Scala. Proficient with data orchestration and workflow management tools (Airflow, Dagster, dbt). Experience with CI/CD automation (GitHub, Jenkins, AWS CodePipeline). Familiarity with data visualization and BI integration (Tableau, Power BI, Looker). Working knowledge of data governance, quality assurance, and security. Hands‑on experience with streaming platforms (Kafka, Kinesis). Expertise in cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP. Experience building self‑serve data frameworks for analysts and stakeholders. Key Attributes Deep systems thinker with a pragmatic engineering mindset. Passionate about performance, scalability, and cost efficiency in cloud environments. Solid understanding of infrastructure‑as‑code, DevOps, and data observability practices. Values clean design, automation, and governance over quick fixes. Naturally collaborative and enjoys mentoring and enabling others. Committed to building robust, future‑proof data ecosystems that empower the entire organization. Why Join Us? Real 100% remote work (we don't have physical offices to go to "once per week"). Flex‑time / Manage your schedule Policy (we are looking for teamwork and results, not hours). Unlimited Vacations Policy. Competitive salary and benefits package. A dynamic and supportive work environment. Opportunity to work closely with leadership and gain cross‑functional experience in a fast‑growing company at the forefront of the AI revolution. This is a unique opportunity to participate and make a real difference in a company actively working to shape the future of AI applications for consumers. If you're passionate about AI and innovation and want to be at the forefront of the conversational AI revolution and join a team on the first few years of a great journey, apply today We might have a seat for you on our rocketship Seniority level Mid‑Senior level Employment type Full‑time Job function Information Technology Industries Entertainment Providers Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at NextDay AI by 2x. #J-18808-Ljbffr