Senior Data Engineer

Company: Wikimedia Foundation
Company: Wikimedia Foundation
Department: Product & Technology
Posted on: 2025-06-13 01:13
New Senior Data Engineer Remote Apply Senior Data Engineer Wikipedia and its sister projects reach billions of users monthly across 300+ languages and are powered by 200,000+ volunteer contributors. The Wikimedia Foundation's Data Platform team enables this global knowledge ecosystem through robust data capabilities that serve both our internal teams and the public through products like Wikistats , Wikimedia Analytics APIs and Data Snapshots . Our vision is a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all human knowledge– including access to data for research, feature development, and advancing artificial intelligence responsibly . As a Senior Data Engineer for our Data Platform, you will shape the future of how Wikimedia’s vast data ecosystem serves both our internal teams and the global community. You will help drive the Data Platform Engineering team’ s effort to unify data systems across the Wikimedia Foundation to deliver scalable solutions that support internal and external platform users and the open knowledge movement.  Experience 5+ years of data engineering experience , with a significant portion focused on on-premise systems (e.g., Hadoop, HDFS). Practical knowledge of engineering best practices with a strong emphasis on system robustness and maintainability . Hands-on experience in troubleshooting systems and pipelines for performance and scaling . Demonstrated consistency with tenure at companies (e.g., average of 2+ years, ideally including longer engagements). Desirable: Exposure to architectural/system design or technical leadership tasks. Desirable: Experience in data governance , data lineage , and data quality initiatives. Skills Core Technical Skills Expertise in tools like Airflow , Kafka , Spark , and Hive . Advanced proficiency in Python and Java/Scala , with deep knowledge of one language and its ecosystem. Advanced working knowledge of SQL and experience with various database/query dialects (e.g., MariaDB, HiveQL, CassandraQL, Spark SQL, Presto). Bonus Skills Familiarity with additional technologies such as Flink , Iceberg , Druid , Presto , Cassandra , Kubernetes , and Docker . Expertise in  AI development tooling and AI applications in data engineering and analytics. Other Skills Familiarity with stream processing frameworks like Spark Streaming or Flink . Strong communication and collaboration skills to interact effectively within and across teams. Ability to produce clear, well-documented technical designs and articulate ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Responsibilities Designing and Building Data Pipelines: Develop scalable, robust infrastructure and processes using tools such as Airflow , Spark , and Kafka . Monitoring and Alerting for Data Quality: Implement systems to detect and address potential data issues promptly. Supporting Data Governance and Lineage: Assist in designing and implementing solutions to track and manage data across pipelines. Data Platform Development: Contribute to the design and improvement of the shared data platform, enabling critical use cases such as product analytics, bot detection, and image classification. Enhancing Operational Excellence: Identify and implement improvements in system reliability, maintainability, and performance. Our work environment You’ll join a geographically distributed team and report to the Engineering Manager, Data Platform Engineering. We operate lean teams with significant maintenance scope and ambitious goals to scale the Wikimedia Foundation’s data capabilities. Our work directly impacts billions of users while advancing open knowledge accessibility. About the Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge, and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects, build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content, support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible, and advocate for policies that enable Wikimedia and free knowledge to thrive.  The Wikimedia Foundation is a charitable, not-for-profit organization that relies on donations. We receive donations from millions of individuals around the world, with an average donation of about $15. We also receive donations through institutional grants and gifts. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA. As an equal opportunity employer, the Wikimedia Foundation values having a diverse workforce and continuously strives to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people with a diverse range of backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon their race, traits historically associated with race, religion, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy or related medical conditions, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics. The Wikimedia Foundation is a remote-first organization with staff members including contractors based 40+ countries * . Salaries at the Wikimedia Foundation are set in a way that is competitive, equitable, and consistent with our values and culture. The anticipated annual pay range of this position for applicants based within the United States is US$ 113,082 t o US$ 175,725  with multiple individualized factors, including cost of living in the location, being the determinants of the offered pay. For applicants located outside of the US, the pay range will be adjusted to the country of hire. We neither ask for nor take into consideration the salary history of applicants. The compensation for a successful applicant will be based on their skills, experience and location.  *Please note that we are currently able to hire in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uruguay.  Our non-US employees are hired through a local third party Employer of Record (EOR).  We periodically review this list to streamline to ensure alignment with our hiring requirements.  All applicants can reach out to their recruiter to understand more about the specific pay range for their location during the interview process. If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at recruiting@wikimedia.org or +1 (415) 839-6885. More information U.S. Benefits & Perks Applicant Privacy Policy Wikimedia Foundation What does the Wikimedia Foundation do? What makes Wikipedia different from social media platforms? Our Projects Our Tech Stack News from across the Wikimedia movement Wikimedia Blog Wikimedia 2030   Apply for this job * indicates a required field First Name * Last Name * Preferred First Name * Email * Phone * Location (City) * Locate me Resume/CV * Attach Attach Dropbox Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Cover Letter * Attach Attach Dropbox Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf What will you bring to the team? * What technical accomplishment are you most proud of? * What does quality look like to you? * Are you legally authorized to work in the country with which you reside? * Select... Will you require sponsorship to work in the country with which you reside now or in the future? * Select... Please select your country of residence * Select... If you are based in the U.S. please provide your zipcode: * How did you hear about this job? * Are you currently an active member or contributor to any of our communities? * Select... Please enter preferred first and last name LinkedIn Profile I certify that the information in this application is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. I understand that providing false information is grounds for denial of employment, or termination of employment should I be hired. Please type your name to electronically sign this document. * I understand that the following questions below are intended for U.S.-based applicants only and are voluntary. * Select... Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Wikimedia Foundation’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. Gender Select... Are you Hispanic/Latino? Select... Race & Ethnicity Definitions If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Veteran Status Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. Submit application
View Original Job Posting