Senior Data Engineer

About the Role

The role involves a mix of hands-on engineering, technical leadership, and strategic planning. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in data engineering, with experience in building and operating production-grade data platforms in modern product or technology environments. A key aspect of this role is the ability to drive engineering standards and champion data governance across the organization, ensuring that data quality, ownership, lineage, consistency, and documentation meet the highest standards.

Samsung Food operates at the intersection of AI, nutrition, behavior change, and digital health, offering a unique environment for data engineers to make a significant impact on people's lives. With a remote-first approach, the company has assembled a diverse team of over 100 professionals across more than 30 countries, united by a commitment to innovation and impact.

What You Will Do

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable batch and streaming data pipelines using Python, SQL, ClickHouse, Airflow, Kafka, dbt, and dlt.
• Model data for scale and usability, applying dimensional modeling and Kimball principles to enable self-serve analytics and consistent business metrics.
• Own transformation workflows, building and maintaining transformation layers in dbt, with a focus on improving testing, documentation, lineage, and reliability.
• Optimize data storage and query performance by designing efficient schemas and ensuring cost-effective access to high-volume datasets in ClickHouse.
• Improve platform reliability and operability by strengthening orchestration, observability, data quality, and failure recovery across pipelines and services running in Kubernetes.
• Drive engineering standards by establishing best practices for data development, testing, deployment, versioning, and monitoring across the platform.
• Champion data governance, helping define and implement data governance principles, including data quality, ownership, lineage, consistency, and documentation.
• Partner closely with product managers, analysts, data consumers, and software engineers to understand business needs and translate them into scalable technical solutions.
• Contribute to architecture decisions, mentor other engineers, raise the technical bar, and influence how data engineering is practiced across Samsung Food.

What We Are Looking For

• Strong experience (4+ years) in data engineering, with a proven track record of building and operating production-grade data platforms in modern product or technology environments.
• Experience using a variety of data technologies, including Python, SQL, ClickHouse, Airflow, Kafka, dbt, and dlt.
• Deep understanding of data modeling principles, including dimensional modeling and Kimball principles.
• Ability to design and optimize data pipelines for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms and containerization (Kubernetes).
• Strong understanding of data governance principles and practices.
• Excellent technical leadership and communication skills, with the ability to mentor and guide other engineers.
• Experience working in a remote-first environment, with a strong ability to collaborate and communicate effectively across different time zones.

Nice to Have

• Experience with machine learning or AI applications in a data engineering context.
• Knowledge of additional programming languages, such as Java or Scala.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies and version control systems like Git.
• Certifications in data engineering, cloud computing, or related fields.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and benefits package, tailored to the global market.
• Opportunity to work with a cutting-edge technology stack and contribute to the development of innovative products.
• Collaborative, remote-first work environment with a diverse team of professionals.
• Flexible working hours and the ability to work from anywhere, promoting a healthy work-life balance.
• Professional development opportunities, including training, conferences, and workshops.
• Access to the latest tools and technologies, ensuring you stay at the forefront of data engineering.
• Recognition and reward for outstanding performance and contributions to the company's mission.

• To stand out, ensure your resume and portfolio highlight specific examples of designing and implementing scalable data pipelines and platforms, especially using technologies like Python, SQL, and ClickHouse.
• Prepare for the interview by reviewing common data engineering concepts, such as data modeling, pipeline optimization, and data governance, and be ready to provide detailed examples of your experience.
• Showcase your ability to communicate complex technical ideas simply, as this is crucial for success in a role that involves partnering with non-technical stakeholders.
• When negotiating salary, consider the global market rate for Senior Data Engineers and be prepared to discuss your expectations based on your experience and qualifications.
• Be cautious of companies that do not prioritize data governance and ethical data practices, as these are critical aspects of a data engineer's role.
• Keep your portfolio up-to-date with your latest projects, and be ready to walk the interviewer through your problem-solving process and design decisions.