Data Engineer

Job Description

Data Engineer

SMART Compliance | Remote | Full-time

About SMART Compliance

SMART Compliance builds software that helps California cities and counties comply with environmental regulations. More than 100 jurisdictions use our platforms to collect, track, and report the data they are required to report annually.

The data behind that work is extensive. Haulers, jurisdictions, and third parties send us tonnage reports, route records, inspection logs, and enforcement data in spreadsheets, PDFs, exports from other systems, and various other formats. Our job is to turn all of it into numbers a city can defend to a state regulator. Every figure in a submitted report has to trace back to the record that produced it.

About the role

We are hiring a Data Engineer to own the pipelines that move data from our customers and their partners into our systems, and to make sure what comes out the other end is correct, complete, and auditable. You will work with our development team, our customer success staff, and directly with jurisdiction and hauler contacts when a data question needs a human answer.

This is a hands-on role. You will spend most of your time in Python, SQL, and PostgreSQL, and you will see the results of your work in reports that go to the state.

What you'll do

• Build, maintain, and optimize ETL pipelines that ingest hauler, jurisdiction, and third-party data from spreadsheets, PDFs, APIs, and other sources
• Write per-source adapters and handle schema drift as customer data formats change from quarter to quarter
• Design and maintain PostgreSQL schemas, indexes, and JSONB models that keep the platform fast as our customer base grows
• Own data quality: build validation rules, reconciliation checks, and audit trails that tie every reported number back to its raw source record
• Support the migration of legacy customer data into our current platform and reconcile results between the two
• Apply AI tools to hard data problems such as document extraction, entity resolution, and mapping unfamiliar schemas, and know when the output needs a second look
• Investigate and explain data discrepancies to customers who are not technical, in writing and on calls
• Write tests, review code, and document what you build so the rest of the team can maintain it
• Contribute to our security and compliance practices, including controls around how customer data is stored, accessed, and processed

What we're looking for

Experience

• At least 2 years of professional experience as a Data Engineer or in a closely related role
• Strong Python, SQL, and Linux skills. These are the three things we care about most.

SQL and PostgreSQL

• Writing and optimizing advanced SQL queries
• Data modeling: ER diagrams, normalization, relational design
• Indexing and query performance tuning
• JSONB modeling in PostgreSQL
• Database security fundamentals

Pipeline engineering

• Python for data work (pandas or Polars, SQLAlchemy)
• Tests, code review, and version control with git
• ETL construction and optimization
• Schema drift handling and per-source adapters
• Excel and CSV parsing at production quality, including merged cells, multi-row headers, and footnote rows
• PDF and document extraction
• Fuzzy matching and entity resolution
• JSON and XML processing
• Using and writing REST APIs

Data quality

• Declarative validation (Pandera, Great Expectations, dbt tests, or similar)
• Reconciliation logic across sources and across system versions
• Auditability: knowing which raw record produced which number in a submitted report

Communication

• Explain technical problems clearly to people who are not technical, including city staff and hauler contacts
• Write documentation that other engineers can follow
• Comfortable working directly with customers when a data issue needs a conversation

Nice to have

None of these are required. If you have a few, tell us.

• Familiarity with SB 1383, CalRecycle reporting, or solid waste and recycling data
• Experience with public-sector or government data
• ArcGIS, Survey123, or other geospatial data tools
• AWS infrastructure (EC2, RDS, S3, IAM)
• Docker and container-based deployment; Kubernetes
• Terraform or other infrastructure-as-code tools
• Multi-tenant and single-tenant database architecture
• Table partitioning strategies at scale
• MongoDB or other document stores
• API documentation with OpenAPI/Swagger
• Analytics and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar)
• Snowflake or other cloud data warehouses
• Ontologies, taxonomies, and knowledge graphs (RDF, SPARQL, SHACL)
• Security practices relevant to SOC 2 or similar frameworks

Security and data handling

Our customers are public agencies, and the data we handle on their behalf is sensitive. We are building toward SOC 2 compliance, and this role follows our security practices for access control, data handling, and use of third-party tools, including AI tools. [A background check is required as a condition of employment.]

Compensation and logistics

• Location: Remote within the U.S.
• Employment type: Full-time
• Reports to: Product Development Manager and CTO
• Salary range: 80-125k
• Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401k matching, and PTO once in a Full Time role.
• Start Date: Contingent on Availability

Equal opportunity

SMART Compliance is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.