Senior Data Engineer I

SpotHero is a fast-growing company on a mission to modernize the parking industry through innovative technology. Our platform connects drivers nationwide with convenient, affordable parking options via our mobile app and website, while helping parking providers reach new customers and optimize their operations. As part of our continued growth, we are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join our Data Engineering team. This role focuses on backend application development and building reusable infrastructure services that enable various stakeholders—including Data Science, Marketing, Engineering, and Business Analysts—to efficiently model, store, access, process, and analyze data. You will design, deploy, and maintain both AWS-managed and open-source infrastructure services, influencing technology choices for data-heavy workloads across SpotHero.

Key Responsibilities
- Collaborate with Analytics, Data Science, Marketing, and other teams to understand their data storage and processing requirements.
- Lead the design and implementation of data platform solutions, from infrastructure to API layers.
- Develop scalable, reliable data pipelines to ensure data availability and accuracy.
- Create frameworks and tools that empower other teams to build their own data pipelines in a self-service manner.
- Conduct performance testing and engineering to maintain system scalability.
- Act as a hands-on contributor to the implementation and operation of the data platform.

Required Qualifications
- Proven ability to design and implement high-quality software in Python.
- Strong experience with SQL for data querying and management.
- Familiarity with ETL scheduling tools such as Airflow, Luigi, or Prefect.
- Experience provisioning and managing infrastructure using infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform preferred, but CloudFormation, Pulumi, or SaltStack are acceptable).
- Hands-on experience with multiple data platforms and tools (e.g., Airflow, Hive, Kafka, Postgres, Redshift, S3, Spark, Trino, Airbyte), including deployment, monitoring, and maintenance.
- Skilled in developing software (pipelines, services, client libraries) that runs in Docker containers, with automated testing via continuous integration and version control using git.
- Ability to deploy containerized applications in Kubernetes or similar platforms such as Apache Mesos or Amazon ECS.
- Demonstrated experience designing technology solutions intended for use by other stakeholders.
- Strong communication skills, capable of discussing both technical and business topics effectively.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits
- Experience with message-driven or streaming architectures like Kafka, Spark, or Flink.
- Familiarity with relational databases such as Postgres or MySQL.
- Knowledge of MPP databases like Redshift or Presto.
- Experience with JVM languages such as Kotlin, Java, or Scala.
- Exposure to cloud data pipeline services like dbt Cloud, Airbyte, or Hightouch.
- Familiarity with modern AI tooling (e.g., Claude, Codex).

Technology Stack
Our data ecosystem includes Postgres and Redis for caching, Redshift as the data warehouse, and S3 as the data lake queried via Trino. We use Apache Airflow, Python, dbt, and Apache Spark for ETL processes. Streaming data is handled through Apache Kafka with Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, and Spark Streaming. Machine learning work is done in Python using the PyData ecosystem. Business intelligence is supported by Looker internally and Amazon Quicksight externally.

Location
This position is based in Chicago, Illinois.

Compensation and Benefits
The base salary range for this role is $136,000 to $153,000, depending on experience, along with a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package. Benefits include generous medical, dental, and vision coverage, company-sponsored life insurance, short-term disability, AD&D coverage, a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting and matching, flexible PTO, and strong work-life balance support. Additional perks include a weekly UberEats lunch stipend for in-office days, a personal learning budget with Udemy access, an annual parking stipend, and wellness programs supporting physical and mental health. SpotHero fosters an inclusive culture with Employee Resource Groups, allyship initiatives, and programs for professional growth such as mentorship and leadership development.

SpotHero is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We provide reasonable accommodations during the hiring process for candidates with disabilities. Please note this position does not offer visa sponsorship; applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.