Staff Data Scientist

Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence. This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk. The Auth0 Data Engineering Team Within Auth0, the Data Engineering team builds solutions to support analytics needs for the whole organization and is in charge of the Data Platform. It is divided into 3 groups: Pipeline team , sitting closer to the Platform team and data producers and in charge of the efficient data ingestion and provision of quick access to unmodeled data Warehouse team sitting closer to the business teams and data consumers and in charge of modeling the data in the data warehouse to abstract away the complexity for data consumers, simplifying the organization’s analysis, reporting and decision-making Interface team responsible for creating and managing connections between the data platform and various external systems (internal or external facing), making sure everyone has access to consistent and reliable data The Staff Data Engineer Opportunity Reporting to the manager of the Data Engineering Pipeline team, the Staff Data Engineer will serve as the technical leader for strategic platform initiatives, beginning with a critical mission: making our data platform FEDRamp compliant . Reporting to the manager of the Data Engineering Pipeline team, the Staff Data Engineer will serve as the technical leader for the architectural evolution of our core data platform. This is a high-impact, strategic role where you will not be focused on day-to-day operations. Instead, you will lead the discovery, design, and implementation of the next-generation architecture for our data systems, ensuring they are scalable, reliable, and secure. You will work across multiple data, platform, and security teams to define the architectural roadmap and drive its successful execution. We are looking for a seasoned engineer who thrives on solving complex, ambiguous problems and can drive technical alignment across the organization. Please note: Due to the strategic nature of upcoming projects, this position is open only to US citizens or Green Card holders currently residing in the United States. What you’ll be doing Lead the architectural design and evolution of our data platform, defining the roadmap for its future state. Drive technical strategy for large-scale platform enhancements, balancing long-term goals with incremental delivery. Collaborate deeply with engineers and leaders from other data, platform, and security teams to create a unified and secure architecture. Produce architectural artifacts, including design documents, threat models, and technical specifications, to create clarity and alignment for complex initiatives. Act as a technical mentor and force-multiplier for the Data Engineering team, elevating the performance of the group through guidance, code reviews, and sharing best practices. Implement foundational components of new architecture, proving out designs with hands-on coding and providing a model for other engineers to follow. What you’ll bring to the role A passion for building secure, reliable, and scalable data systems. 8+ years of software development experience, with at least 5+ years in a data engineering or data platform role. Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale, cross-functional technical projects. Extensive experience architecting and deploying data infrastructure in a cloud environment (AWS strongly preferred). Deep architectural knowledge of the modern data stack, including data warehouses (Snowflake), transformation tools (dbt), and orchestrators (Airflow). Strong proficiency in Python and SQL, with a high bar for code quality and system design. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to create clarity and drive decisions on complex technical topics. The ability to deal with ambiguity, define a path forward, and lead others to successful outcomes. And extra credit if you have experience in any of the following! Direct experience with security compliance frameworks like FEDRamp, SOC2, or HIPAA. Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (Terraform) and container orchestration (Kubernetes). Experience working in government cloud environments (e.g., AWS GovCloud). Familiarity with the Identity Access & Management (IAM) domain. We safeguard Okta from threats and vulnerabilities that could disrupt our business or erode our customers’ trust. The Defensive Cyber Engineering organization is responsible for the Security Data Platform, infrastructure, and tooling that enable Okta’s Detection and Response capabilities. The team also manages enterprise security tools and infrastructure that support XDR, DLP, and SSPM capabilities. The Role We are expanding this team to support Okta’s Public Sector roadmap by hiring a Staff Software Engineer in the DC area. You’ll work closely with Security, Business Technology Engineering, and Product teams to implement and manage security solutions, ensuring our core infrastructure applications protect our workforce, endpoints, and corporate data. To deliver on this vision, you will build data and infrastructure platforms by leveraging your software, data, and security engineering skills. You’ll use automation, policy-as-code, and cloud-native technologies to deliver scalable, resilient, and secure solutions. What you bring: 8+ years of strong coding and scripting experience, with a focus on building automation and custom tooling for infrastructure and data pipelines. Experience with Python is required; proficiency in other languages (e.g., Bash, PowerShell, Go) is a plus. Experience developing and maintaining ETL/ELT pipelines for onboarding security data into Okta’s security data lake. Experience working with security teams to integrate log sources and ensure seamless data ingestion. Ability to build and maintain scalable, fault-tolerant data pipelines to process security event data. Proven track record of automating security controls and workflows using a cloud-first approach. Experience with Terraform and other infrastructure-as-code tools to orchestrate security infrastructure. Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines for security automation and drift management. Strong communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with technical staff, support teams, executive leadership, and external vendors. 2+ years of experience building engineering solutions within highly regulated environments such as FedRAMP High, IL4, IL5, and/or IL6 is a plus. Current or previous Secret, Top Secret (TS), or Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance is a plus. What you’ll be doing Serve as a security subject matter expert (SME) for solution engineering and architecture reviews, preferably in the Detection and Response and/or enterprise security tooling space. Lead technical efforts to evaluate, design, and implement new enterprise security systems and feature enhancements. Build, maintain, and enhance custom automation and cloud infrastructure using Terraform or similar tools to support team workflows and enforce security controls. Develop integrations with APIs, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure), and security infrastructure to improve detection, response, and remediation. Write and maintain scripts and automations, with an emphasis on Python-based solutions, to streamline security operations. Establish monitoring and alerting for security posture, misconfigurations, and threats across endpoints, SaaS, and cloud workloads. Proactively identify and remediate security gaps; stay updated on emerging threats, solutions, and tooling across the industry. And extra credit if you have experience in any of the following! Advanced identity management technologies (MFA, SAML, OAuth, OIDC, WebAuthn) Deep understanding of Okta's ecosystem, including advanced configuration and integrations Experience with continuous compliance solutions (e.g., policy-as-code, automated evidence gathering) Additional requirements: This position requires the ability to access federal environments and/or have access to protected federal data. As a condition of employment for this position, the successful candidate must be able to submit documentation establishing U.S. Person status (e.g. a U.S. Citizen, National, Lawful Permanent Resident, Refugee, or Asylee. 22 CFR 120.15) upon hire. #LI-HYBRID #LI-SH1 P15265_3426903 Below is the annual base salary range for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, Illinois, New York and Washington. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: . The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in California (excluding San Francisco Bay Area), Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Washington is between: $174,000 - $238,700 USD The Okta Experience Supporting Your Well-Being Driving Social Impact Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one. Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation. Notice for New York City Applicants & Employees: Okta may use Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDT), as defined by New York City Local Law 144, that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated processes to assist in our recruitment and hiring process. In accordance with NYC Local Law 144, if you are an applicant or employee residing in New York City, please click here to view our full NYC AEDT Notice. 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