Staff Software Engineer

Summary

Join Airbnb's Event Logging team as a Staff Software Engineer and lead critical initiatives shaping how Airbnb captures, processes, and leverages event data at scale. You will design and implement next-generation logging systems, drive architectural decisions ensuring data integrity, and build robust infrastructure powering data-driven decision-making. This role involves defining and executing the technical roadmap for Airbnb's logging infrastructure, unlocking new capabilities through improved event logging, and driving adoption of best practices. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor team members, and contribute to long-term strategies. The position offers a competitive salary and potential for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits and is US-Remote Eligible.

Requirements

• 9+ years of experience with a BS/Masters or 6+ years with a PhD
• Deep expertise in backend programming languages (Java, Kotlin, Scala, or Python)
• Proven experience with real-time event processing systems, particularly with large-scale distributed data processing frameworks like Spark or Flink and messaging frameworks like Kafka
• Hands-on experience with modern ETL frameworks like Airflow
• Understanding of data security, privacy principles, and regulatory compliance (GDPR, CCPA)
• Knowledge of observability and monitoring best practices
• Track record of translating complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Excellent communication skills with ability to influence both technical and business stakeholders
• Experience building trusted partnerships across diverse teams
• Strong mentorship and technical leadership capabilities

Responsibilities

• Design and implement next-generation logging systems that process billions of events daily
• Drive architectural decisions that ensure data integrity, efficiency, and compliance across Airbnb's data platform
• Build robust infrastructure that powers data-driven decision-making across the organization
• Define and execute the technical roadmap for Airbnb's logging infrastructure
• Unlock new capabilities through improved event logging for cross-functional teams
• Drive adoption of logging best practices across engineering teams
• Contribute to the development of long-term strategies and roadmaps, and influence the technical direction of our logging infrastructure
• Architect scalable solutions for real-time and batch event processing
• Drive technical discussions and decision-making across teams
• Design and implement robust data governance systems ensuring proper event ownership and lineage
• Optimize event ingestion pipelines handling billions of events per day
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements, assess logging needs, and design efficient solutions that align with business objectives
• Identify and implement automation opportunities to improve logging efficiency
• Mentor and coach team members, providing guidance and support to enhance their skills and performance

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in data governance and schema management
• Experience with high-throughput data pipelines

Benefits

• Bonus
• Equity
• Benefits
• Employee Travel Credits