Data Engineer

Robots & Pencils

Staff Data Engineer designing AI-ready data platforms for Robots and Pencils, an applied AI engineering firm. Leading pipelines, governance, modernization, and production AI/ML data systems.

Posted 8/10/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLeadWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in data architecture, platform strategy, and building scalable data pipelines, with a strong focus on data governance, quality standards, and compliance frameworks. Proficient in leading data engineering initiatives and mentoring teams while utilizing modern AI tools for enhanced productivity.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Data ArchitecturePython ProficiencyData Pipeline OrchestrationCloud-Native Data PlatformsCI/CD for Data Systems

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

PythonScalaSQLData Pipeline OrchestrationData ModelingData TransformationStreaming PlatformsContainer OrchestrationData QualityData Governance

Soft Skills

LeadershipTechnical MentoringStakeholder CommunicationProblem-SolvingJudgment

Tools & Technologies

KafkaKinesisPub/SubClaudeCursorData MeshData FabricLakehouse Architectures

Certifications & Qualifications

Certified Data Engineer – Associate

Industry Keywords

Data Governance FrameworkHealthcare DataData Quality StandardsCompliance Frameworks

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudKafkaPythonScalaSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define data architecture and platform strategy across pipelines, warehouses, and data lakes
Build and optimize scalable batch and real-time data pipelines
Define and enforce data governance, quality standards, and compliance frameworks
Build monitoring, logging, and alerting for data pipelines and services
Contribute to CI/CD workflows for data deployment and automation
Drive data platform modernization for performance, cost, and scalability
Use Claude, Cursor, and other modern AI assistants to ship higher-quality work
Design and implement data contracts and event flows with backend, platform, and engineering teams
Lead data pipelines for production AI/ML systems, including embeddings, vector stores, RAG data preparation, feature stores, and training/inference data flows
Integrate data services with APIs, middleware, and third-party systems
Partner with leadership on data strategy
Collaborate with engineering, analytics, AI, and product teams
Advocate for data quality, governance, and platform best practices
Establish data engineering standards across the team
Mentor junior and mid-level engineers
Make high-stakes architectural decisions with clear ownership and consideration of long-term tradeoffs

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years of professional data engineering experience, including leading complex data platform initiatives
Strong system architecture background and expertise in distributed data systems
Expert proficiency in Python, Scala, and SQL
Deep expertise with cloud-native data platforms and enterprise data warehousing
Strong expertise in data pipeline orchestration and processing
Strong experience with streaming platforms and real-time data processing, such as Kafka, Kinesis, or Pub/Sub
Strong data modeling expertise and experience with data transformation
Strong experience with data quality, governance, and compliance frameworks
Strong experience with container orchestration and CI/CD for data systems
Strong experience building data pipelines for production AI/ML systems, including embeddings, vector stores, RAG data preparation, feature stores, and training/inference data flows
Demonstrated leadership and technical mentoring experience
Strong stakeholder communication skills and ability to translate technical depth across audiences
Demonstrable day-to-day usage and expert knowledge of AI-forward coding tools such as Claude and Cursor
Excellent problem-solving skills and sound judgment in ambiguous technical and business challenges
Experience with data mesh or data fabric concepts, lakehouse architectures, or governance framework implementation is a plus
Experience handling and modeling healthcare-industry data is a plus
AWS certifications, such as Certified Data Engineer – Associate, are strongly preferred
Employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation

Benefits

Comp & perks

Potential employment offer conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation
Equal employment opportunity commitment