Staff Software Engineer Data - DC Tech Lead

Role Description

As a Staff Data Engineer, on the Distribution Center (DC) Solutions team, you’ll play a technical lead role in building and scaling the data integrations needed to support our suite of DC products. You will design and implement ETLs that reliably process large volumes of customer-provided data and build tools/improve the platform to make customer integrations faster, more accurate, and more scalable. Your work will have a direct and visible impact on our ability to onboard customers more easily and quickly and power our machine learning grocery solution.

What You’ll Do

• Engineering & Data Pipelines:
  • Design, build, and optimize robust ETLs using PySpark and DBT to process large-scale customer datasets.
  • Develop tools and frameworks to streamline data integrations and improve scalability.
• Technical Leadership & Strategy:
  • Define the technical vision for DC data architecture.
  • Mentor engineers and manage external contractors to ensure the team delivers high-quality, practical solutions for current and future needs.
• Cross-functional Collaboration:
  • Partner with product, engineering, and applied science teams to scope work and deliver data solutions that address real-world challenges in customer data quality and product feature requirements.

Qualifications

• Significant experience designing and maintaining ETLs that process large-scale datasets.
• Proficiency with Python, PySpark, SQL, and experience working on platforms/tools like Databricks, Snowflake, or DBT.
• 2+ years experience in a technical lead role (e.g. Tech Lead or Engineering Manager), with a willingness to mentor and help others grow.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work with ambiguous or incomplete requirements to deliver concrete, impactful solutions.
• A focus on practical outcomes—skilled at balancing technical rigor with the need to get things done.
• Experience working directly with complex, unclean datasets and finding innovative ways to process and analyze them.
• A knack for identifying areas where tooling or automation can simplify workflows and reduce manual effort.
• Excellent communication skills—able to explain ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

• This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.
• Salary Range in CAD: $148K - $242K.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family, with the majority of premiums covered by Afresh.
• Dedicated mental health support and counseling services.
• Competitive base salary, meaningful equity (U.S. employees), and a 401(k) program with a generous company match.
• Home office stipend and "Coworking Wallets" for flexible workspace access.
• Annual professional development budget to master new skills and grow your career at Afresh.
• Monthly stipends for "Betterment" (wellness/lifestyle) and telecommunications.
• Flexible paid time off to recharge.

Company Description

Founded in 2017, Afresh is using AI to tackle the #1 solution to curb climate change: reducing food waste. By building AI specifically for the intricacies of grocery—from the fresh perimeter to the center store—we help grocers minimize waste and maximize sales.

• Afresh sits at an incredible intersection of positive social impact, rocket ship financial growth, and cutting-edge technology.
• Our best-in-class AI research has been published in top journals, including ICML.
• Our investors include Al Gore’s Just Climate, former Whole Foods Market CEO Walter Robb, and Eric Schmidt's Innovation Endeavors.
• Join us as we continue to build a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive team that embodies our company’s values of proactivity, kindness, candor, and humility.