Senior AI-First Data Engineer

Role Description

Data is becoming one of Smartcat’s most strategic assets. As a Senior Data Engineer, you will help build the intelligence layer that powers decision-making, AI agents, automation, and business operations across the company. This is not a traditional data engineering role focused solely on pipelines and dashboards.

You will help transform Smartcat’s data platform into an AI-native foundation where business data becomes discoverable, actionable, and consumable by both humans and AI agents. You will partner closely with Data, Product, Engineering, GTM, and AI teams to create a modern data ecosystem that enables self-service analytics, intelligent automation, and agent-driven decision support.

We're currently building a modern greenfield cloud data platform and transitioning from legacy on-premise and batch architectures toward cloud-native, streaming-first infrastructure. This is an opportunity to have a significant impact on how Smartcat scales its data capabilities over the next several years. The role aligns directly with Smartcat's transformation into an AI-native company and agentic platform.

Outcomes

• Evolve our architecture into Next Generation Data Platform
• Continue building our data architecture into scalable cloud-native AI-first architecture
• Lead the transition from batch-oriented pipelines to near real-time and streaming data systems
• Improve reliability, observability, governance, and performance across the data stack
• Establish engineering standards and best practices for data development

• Turn Business Data into AI-Ready Assets
• Build data products that can be consumed by AI agents, analytics systems, and business users
• Enable semantic layers, metadata management, and knowledge structures that make data more accessible and actionable
• Create foundations for agent-driven reporting, forecasting, and business intelligence
• Help transform business metrics from static dashboards into living operational systems

• Drive AI-First Data Engineering
• Use AI to accelerate development, testing, documentation, monitoring, and operational workflows
• Design systems that allow AI agents to query, understand, and act on business data safely
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and identify opportunities to increase productivity across the data organization
• Help establish Smartcat as an AI-native data organization, leveraging AI to increase productivity and talent density across the company.

• Improve Business Intelligence & Data Accessibility
• Make analytics simpler and more accessible for non-technical stakeholders
• Improve usability and adoption of BI tools such as Omni and future AI-powered analytics experiences
• Enable self-service analytics without sacrificing governance or data quality
• Reduce time-to-insight across Product, Revenue, Marketing, Customer Success, and Finance teams

• Lead Through Technical Excellence
• Raise the engineering bar through mentorship, code reviews, architecture leadership, and knowledge sharing
• Influence technical direction across Data Engineering and Analytics Engineering
• Partner with stakeholders to align platform investments with business priorities

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Analytics Engineering, or a related field
• Proven track record designing and operating modern cloud data platforms
• Experience in high-growth SaaS environments
• Experience working with both technical and business stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects from design through delivery

Technical Expertise

• Strong hands-on experience with:
• Databricks
• dbt
• Airflow
• Python for data engineering
• SQL and data modeling
• Data warehousing architectures
• Data quality frameworks
• Data governance practices
• Data orchestration and integration
• Experience with:
• Streaming architectures and event-driven systems
• Business intelligence platforms
• Product analytics platforms
• CRM and customer data platforms

AI-First Mindset (Required)

• AI-powered development workflows
• Automation of repetitive engineering tasks
• Use of AI for debugging, testing, architecture exploration, and documentation
• Experience integrating AI into data or analytics workflows
• Curiosity about agentic systems and the future of AI-enabled data platforms
• Evidence of measurable productivity gains through AI adoption

Benefits

• A global, connected team
• Be part of an AI Native Organization
• Innovating a $100 Billion industry
• Join the rocketship to scale-up 10x and beyond together

Smartcat Culture Code

At Smartcat, we are committed to building a culture that highlights respect and appreciation for each individual's unique background and perspective, while maintaining a strong focus on results and engagement. We believe in welcoming everyone and fostering an inclusive environment where team members can be their authentic selves at work. Our commitment to inclusion is steadfast, and we stand firmly against discrimination and harassment.