Senior Data Engineer

Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.

Your impact

At Handshake, we are assembling a team of dynamic engineers who are passionate about creating high-quality, impactful products. As a Senior Data Engineer, you will play a key role in driving the architecture, implementation, and evolution of our cutting-edge data platform. Your technical expertise will be instrumental in helping millions of students discover meaningful careers, irrespective of their educational background, network, or financial resources.

Our primary focus is on building a robust data platform that empowers all teams to develop data-driven features while ensuring that every facet of the business has access to the right data for making informed conclusions. While this individual will work closely in collaboration with our ML teams, they will also be supporting our businesses data needs as a whole.

Your role

• Technical leadership: Taking ownership of the data engineering function and providing technical guidance to the data engineering team. Mentoring junior data engineers, fostering a culture of learning, and promoting best practices in data engineering.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams: Working closely with product managers, product engineers, and other stakeholders to define data requirements, design data solutions, and deliver high-quality, data-driven features.
• Data architecture and design: Designing and implementing scalable and robust data pipelines, data services, and data products that meet business needs and adhere to best practices. Staying abreast of emerging technologies and tools in the data engineering space, evaluating their potential impact on the data platform, and making strategic recommendations.
• Performance optimization: Identifying performance bottlenecks in data processes and implementing solutions to enhance data processing efficiency.
• Data quality and governance: Ensuring data integrity, reliability, and security through the implementation of data governance policies and data quality monitoring.
• Advancing our Generative AI strategy: Leveraging your Data Engineering knowledge to design and implement data pipelines that support our Generative AI initiatives, advising and working in collaboration with our ML teams.

Your experience

• Extensive data engineering experience: A proven track record in designing and implementing large-scale, complex data pipelines, data warehousing solutions, and data services. Deep knowledge of data engineering technologies, tools, and frameworks.
• Cloud platform proficiency: Hands-on experience with cloud-based data technologies, preferably Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including BigQuery, DataFlow, BigTable, and more
• Advanced SQL skills: Strong expertise in SQL and experience with data modeling and database design conventions.
• Problem-solving abilities: Exceptional problem-solving skills, with the ability to tackle complex data engineering challenges and propose innovative solutions.
• Collaborative mindset: A collaborative and team-oriented approach to work, with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Bonus areas of expertise

• Machine learning for data enrichment: Experience in applying machine learning techniques to data engineering tasks for data enrichment and augmentation.
• End to end data service deployment, comfortable with product alignment of data-driven initiatives
• Containerization and orchestration: Familiarity with containerization technologies like Docker and container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes.
• dbt: Experience with dbt as a data transformation tool for orchestrating and organizing data pipelines.

Compensation range

$173,000-$213,580

For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

About us

Handshake is the #1 place to launch a career with no connections, experience, or luck required. The platform connects up-and-coming talent with 750,000+ employers - from Fortune 500 companies like Google, Nike, and Target to thousands of public school districts, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. In 2022 we announced our $200M Series F funding round. This Series F fundraise and valuation of $3.5B will fuel Handshake’s next phase of growth and propel our mission to help more people start, restart, and jumpstart their careers.

When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look here at Handshake. With our Hub-Based Remote Working strategy, employees can enjoy the flexibility of remote work, whilst ensuring collaboration and team experiences in a shared space remains possible. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, New York, London, and Berlin and teammates working globally. 

Check out our careers site to find a hub near you!

What we offer

At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.

Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.

• 💰 Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
• 🍼 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
• 💝 Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
• 💻 Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
• 📚 Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
• 💰 Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
• 🛜 Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
• 🚃 Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
• 🥗 Free lunch provided twice a week across all offices.
• 🤝 Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.

(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 🏦 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
• 🏝 All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 8 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
• 🍼 Lactation support: Handshake partners with Milk Stork to provide a comprehensive 100% employer-sponsored lactation support to traveling parents and guardians.

(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section) 

• 🏦 Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
• 🏝 Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
• 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
• 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.

(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)

• 🏝 25 days of annual leave + we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
• 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
• 🧘 Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
• 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.

For roles based in Romania: Please ask your recruiter about region specific benefits.

Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.

Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at people-hr@joinhandshake.com.