Senior Staff Software Engineer, Data Platform

Summary

Join Discord's dynamic team as a Senior Staff Software Engineer and lead the Data Platform team. You will design, develop, and maintain data infrastructure and services, collaborating with cross-functional teams. Responsibilities include defining the technical vision for the data platform, building scalable data systems, and developing innovative data architectures. You will also build monitoring systems, partner with other teams to align solutions with business goals, and mentor junior engineers. This role requires 8+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on large-scale distributed systems or data infrastructure, expertise in building data platforms, and proficiency in programming languages like Python or Java. The position offers a competitive salary and benefits package.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on large-scale distributed systems or data infrastructure
• Expertise in building and maintaining scalable data platforms, including data ingestion pipelines, stream processing, and batch processing systems
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, Rust, or similar
• Proficiency with open source data projects and experience working with open source communities
• Hands-on experience with modern data technologies such as Kafka, Spark, Flink, Airflow/Dagster, or similar
• Deep understanding of database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL, columnar storage) and data modeling principles
• Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure), containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes), and microservices architecture
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated ability to collaborate and influence across teams and levels
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the technical vision for Discord's data platform, enabling scalable, reliable, and performant data systems
• Design, implement, and optimize data infrastructure to process and analyze petabytes of data across millions of users
• Develop innovative data architectures to support analytics, machine learning, and operational insights
• Build monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to ensure the health and performance of data services
• Partner with data scientists, data engineers, product managers, and leadership to align technical solutions with business goals
• Promote and drive best practices in data governance, security, and compliance across the organization
• Provide technical leadership, mentor junior engineers, and foster a culture of excellence and continuous improvement
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies in data platform

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong passion for Discord and gaming
• Open source contributions to data-related projects

Benefits

• Equity
• Benefits