Lead - Data Engineer Zeta - Basking Ridge, NJ, US

Lead - Data Engineer

Founded in 2015, Zeta is a provider of next-gen credit card processing platform. Zeta's cloud-native and fully API-enabled stack offers a comprehensive range of capabilities, including processing, issuing, lending, core banking, fraud detection, and loyalty programs.

About us: Build the future of banking. Zeta is a next-generation banking technology company providing cloud-native, fully stackable processing and core banking platforms for issuers. With a focus on scalability, compliance, and innovation, Zeta empowers financial institutions to modernize their technology infrastructure and deliver secure, seamless digital banking experiences. Our impact runs at real-world scale. Today, over 25 million cards are live on Zeta-powered platforms across 7 countries, supported by a passionate team of 1,700+ Zetanauts across India, the US, EMEA, and Asia. Backed by SoftBank Vision Fund, Mastercard, and other reputed strategic investors, we reached a valuation of $2 billion in 2025. Our focus is on establishing product lines that focus on key outcomes by addressing real customer pain points, modernizing legacy systems, and strengthening core fundamentals. As a result, our systems and platforms support a wide range of banking and payments capabilities, including: 1. Tachyon, our cloud-native banking stack built for population-scale systems 2. Cipher, our unified authentication platform for secure, high-volume banking environments 3. Digital Credit as a Service, enabling banks to launch credit lines on UPI 4. Elena, our intelligent and conversational AI platform for banking 5. Pixel, India's first digital-native credit card, launched in partnership with HDFC Bank, for whom we also revamped their PayZapp mobile app: Winner of the Celent Model Bank Award for Payments Innovation 2024 6. Sparrow, the leading card experience for non-prime cardholders in the US …and more across cards, payments, lending, and core banking.

We are an engineering-first organization that values ownership, bias for action, and long-term thinking. Together, we solve some of the hardest problems in banking tech. Our culture is built around trust, collaboration, and creating the conditions for you to drive impact proportionate to your potential. Reinforcing our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, we have been consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work.

If you want to build cutting-edge banking tech that enables banks to serve millions reliably, securely, and at a population scale, Zeta is your playground.

Responsibilities

• Planning and strategy - Work with the Client counterparts to understand the overall scope of the program, timelines, bottlenecks etc. and come up with a high-level migration strategy and plan to convert the existing volumes from the Bank onto the Tachyon Cor
• Program execution and governance - Contribute heavily to the overall migration execution. Ensure all the rituals are followed religiously, risks are identified well in advance and called out, work on the mitigation plans, and ensure that the async updates are shared with relevant stakeholders without fail. Participate in the daily and weekly cadences as well as the governance calls with the senior client counterparts.
• Platform understanding - Develop a deep understanding of the Tachyon platform and associated functional and technical concepts including various types of product and policy configurations, platform capabilities around integration and extension mechanisms, data transmission and data migration. Be hands-on and try out the various platform capabilities including APIs etc. to build a first-hand understanding and know-how of the platform.
• Data Migration Strategy - Preparing Data and Database Migration Strategy documents which will include Data transfer approach, Reconciliation approach, Quality assurance, number of mock runs/Dress rehearsals planned, Data storage/transfer/retention/deletion plan, impact of migration on bank's surround systems like core banking, data warehouse, mobile app etc.
• Cut-over/Go live Migration - ensure smooth cutover by closely working with various stakeholders like payment schemes, bank's teams (like marketing, operations, call center), regulators, auditors etc. Ensure that migration of Keys and related cryptographic data is accomplished
• Liaising with Product teams - Liaising with various product and program managers of Zeta to analyze and understand the Tachyon data Architecture as well as preparation of the migration script for the ETL from legacy systems
• Technical problem solving - Work closely with our clients and assist them in migration and using our platform and solutions in an effective manner. Provide assistance with integrations using APIs, Events, batch files and data extracts. Help debug client issues using your domain, technical and platform understanding and using standard debugging practices.
• Migration Scripting - develop data migration pipelines using ETL tools, scripting languages, and code. Lead Mock migration exercise to ensure that the scripts are able to handle all the migration requirements without any issues

Skills

• Data-oriented
• Bias for action
• Logically strong first principles thinker
• Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills especially with external stakeholders
• Rigorous attention to detail
• Ability to comprehend complex technical products/solutions and prioritize/reason out trade-offs
• Ability to solve an abstract requirement by breaking it into smaller problems sets and marrying it with what's supported in the product
• Product mindset to effectively capture functional requirements and map them to the Product landscape/technical specifications
• Excellent documentation skills - should be able to create detailed documents with relevant content (Data flow diagrams, flow charts, etc.)
• Strong stakeholder relationship management skills – able to influence and manage the expectations of senior executives internally and externally.
• Hands-on, i.e. 'roll-up-your sleeve' attitude

Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in engineering (computer science, information systems)
• 10+ years of experience in Technology and Delivery roles combining more than one of-
• Data and Database Architecture
• Software Development and Data Engineering and Database Administration
• Implementation and Data and Database Migration or Data Conversion
• Must have been involved in the data migrations of few large sized clients
• Prior experience in a client-facing role with medium to large clients
• Good experience in conducting workshops with large senior management groups and presenting solutions to a large audience

Equal Opportunity Zeta is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities to apply and believe that a diverse workforce is key to our success