Senior Data Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with its EMEA HQ in Paris, Way is the category-leading B2B technology platform empowering brands to unlock the power of experiences. In a world where 76% of consumers prefer spending on experiences over material goods, Way enables brands to adapt to this shift with cutting-edge technology.

Founded in 2020, Way began as a solution for hospitality brands to drive brand loyalty and generate experiential revenue at scale. Industry leaders like Hyatt Hotels, Hilton, Trailborn, and Auberge Resorts Collection rely on Way’s all-in-one experiential platform to launch unforgettable experiences — from hot air balloon rides in Mexico City to truffle hunting in the French countryside.

Way has achieved significant milestones, including a $20 million Series A funding round in late 2022, led by Tiger Global and MSD Capital (Michael Dell), at a $100M valuation. As the company continues its rapid growth, we’re seeking visionary, driven team players to join our dynamic environment, where challenges are met with unmatched rewards as we transform the hospitality and experiences industry globally.

We are seeking an experienced Senior Data Engineer to establish and lead our data infrastructure as an early member of our data team. This role will be responsible for building our entire data platform from the ground up, implementing a comprehensive data lake and pipeline architecture, and establishing a culture of data-driven decision-making throughout our organization. The ideal candidate will serve as both a technical leader and data advocate, driving automation excellence while flexing into data science and analytics responsibilities as needed.

Key Responsibilities

Data Infrastructure & Pipeline Architecture

• Design and implement a comprehensive data lake architecture using modern cloud-native technologies
• Build scalable ETL/ELT pipelines for real-time and batch data processing across all data sources
• Establish data ingestion frameworks to collect data from application APIs, third-party services, and databases
• Architect automated data quality monitoring, validation, and alerting systems
• Create robust data warehousing solutions optimized for analytics and business intelligence
• Implement DataOps practices with automated testing and deployment pipelines (CI/CD for data)

Data Engineering & Analysis

• Develop and maintain Python-based data processing frameworks and utilities
• Build an automated data pipeline orchestration using Apache Airflow or similar tools
• Create streaming data processing solutions using Apache Kafka, Kinesis, or Pub/Sub
• Implement infrastructure as code for all data platform components (Terraform, CloudFormation)
• Establish feature stores and data models that support both operational and analytical workloads
• Optimize data storage costs and query performance across the entire platform
• Collaborate with product and business teams to identify key metrics, KPIs, and analytical requirements
• Build automated reporting dashboards and self-service business intelligence tools
• Support predictive modeling initiatives and A/B testing frameworks

Required Experience

• Minimum 5+ years of hands-on data engineering experience with increasing responsibility
• Preferred 7+ years in data engineering, analytics engineering, or data platform roles
• Proven track record of building data systems from scratch or leading data infrastructure transformations
• Experience working as a solo data engineer or in small, autonomous data teams

Required Technical Skills

• Python proficiency required - demonstrated experience building data pipelines, ETL frameworks, and automation scripts
• SQL expertise - advanced knowledge of complex queries, performance optimization, and data modeling
• Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and their data services
• Proficiency with data lake technologies (Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, or Apache Hudi)
• Experience with data orchestration tools (Apache Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, or similar)
• Knowledge of streaming data technologies (Apache Kafka, Kinesis, Pub/Sub)
• Familiarity with data warehouse technologies (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, Databricks)
• Understanding of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and infrastructure as code
• Experience with version control systems (Git) and collaborative development workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in real-time analytics and event-driven architectures
• Previous experience in startup or fast-paced environments
• Understanding of data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and security best practices
• Experience with performance monitoring and observability tools
• Knowledge of dimensional modeling and data warehouse design patterns

Benefits

• Compensation includes a highly competitive salary, generous equity, medical, dental, and vision coverage paid 100% by the company, 401K benefits, and other travel-related perks
• $500 Annual Experience Stipend (Can be used at any of our client partners)

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.