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Senior Data Engineer

Washington, DC Metropolitan Area

Resonate is a leading provider of high-quality, AI-powered consumer data, intelligence, and technology, empowering marketers to create a more personalized world that increases customer acquisition and lifetime value. Our SaaS platform, Ignite, and our Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) offerings provide unparalleled insights into consumer motivations, values, and behaviors, enabling our clients to connect with their target audiences in more meaningful and effective ways. We are a dynamic and fast-growing company seeking passionate and innovative individuals to join our team!

We’re looking for a Senior Data Engineer who combines deep technical expertise with strong communication skills and a proactive mindset. You’ll design, build, and optimize complex data pipelines in a cost-conscious environment while actively collaborating with your squad. This role is ideal for engineers who love sharing their work, navigating ambiguity, and understand that “it runs” is not the same as “it runs efficiently.” Thriving here means taking ownership, balancing innovation with operational excellence, and proactively seeking out opportunities for optimization.

Key Responsibilities

  • Design and develop high-performance data pipelines using Scala/Spark on AWS EMR.

  • Build new features and data products while maintaining operational excellence.

  • Optimize pipelines for both performance and cost efficiency.

  • Debug complex distributed system issues using appropriate tools and methodologies.

  • Implement comprehensive monitoring and observability from day one.

  • Write efficient Snowflake/Snowpark procedures across multiple languages.

  • Balance new development with continuous improvement of existing systems.

Qualifications & Experience Requirements

  • Technical Requirements:

    • 5+ years of hands-on experience with Apache Spark using Scala exclusively (no PySpark).

    • Proven track record of optimizing large-scale data pipelines for performance and cost.

    • Strong AWS EMR experience, including fleet management and instance optimization.

    • Proficiency in AWS Step Functions.

    • Deep understanding of distributed computing principles and resource management.

    • Experience debugging and tuning multi-terabyte daily workloads.

    • Comfort working across Scala, Python, and SQL as needed.

    • Experience with probabilistic data structures for high-cardinality data processing.

  • Critical Skills:

    • Advanced troubleshooting abilities in distributed systems.

    • Strong understanding of data skew mitigation strategies.

    • Metrics-first mindset—measuring before and after optimization.

    • Root cause analysis expertise, preventing issues rather than just fixing them.

  • Mindset Requirements:

    • Cost-conscious, treating company money like your own.

    • Balance between innovation and operational excellence.

    • Proactive in optimization—seeing inefficiencies as opportunities.

    • Communicate early and often, especially around risks and blockers.

    • Ability to interpret needs beyond stated requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience designing large-scale, observable, and maintainable systems.

  • Proven ability to balance building new capabilities with perfecting existing systems.

  • Strong track record of mentoring and knowledge sharing.

  • Background in cost/performance tradeoff decision-making.

  • Passion for environments where initiative and ownership are rewarded.

Resonate Attributes 

At Resonate, we care about more than your experience on paper. We look for teammates who bring the right mindset and ways of working to help us do great work, together. The Resonators who thrive here embody these qualities: 

  • Ownership: You take initiative, follow through, and hold yourself accountable. 
  • Collaboration: You value working with others and building strong, respectful relationships. 
  • Adaptability: You stay steady through change and adjust when needed. 
  • Growth Mindset: You’re open to learning, feedback, and trying new things. 
  • Customer Focus: You keep the end user in mind and aim for impact. 
  • Clear Communication: You express ideas simply and listen to understand. 
  • Integrity & Empathy: You act with honesty and consider the people around you. 
  • Strategic Thinking: You focus on what matters most and work with purpose. 
  • Drive: You show up motivated and ready to move things forward. 
  • Readiness: You bring the skills to contribute meaningfully from day one. 

These attributes are the foundation of how we work and grow together! 


Benefits

Besides the opportunity to work alongside smart, fun, and hard-working colleagues at Resonate, you'll also enjoy uncapped growth potential, the chance to have a meaningful impact on the company, and the opportunity to work on cutting-edge, AI-powered marketing data and identity solutions that are forever changing the industry. From a competitive 401(k) match to an Open PTO policy that encourages real time off, we’re committed to creating an environment where our team members can thrive both inside and outside of work. Our comprehensive benefits package is designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. A full list of benefits is shared with candidates following their initial conversation with our HR team, so you’ll have a clear understanding of the support and resources available to you as part of the Resonate team.

Location

At Resonate, we take a remote-first approach to work, offering a flexible environment that empowers our team to collaborate seamlessly across different locations. While we embrace remote work, we also encourage thoughtful and intentional in-person collaboration to foster connection and teamwork when needed. Whether you're working from home or joining us in one of our state-of-the-art offices, you'll have the tools and resources you need to succeed.

Resonate is headquartered in Reston, VA, with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. 

Our EEO Statement:

Resonate is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outline by federal, state, or local laws.

Find out more about our story at www.resonate.com.  

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