Principal Software Engineer – Data Lakes

Principal Software Engineer – Data Lakes

Company: Fivetran Location: Remote (EMEA, Germany) Employment Type: Permanent Seniority: Senior

Fivetran's mission is to make data access as simple and reliable as electricity. We are building data pipelines to power the modern data stack for thousands of companies.

About the Role

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join our senior engineering team and contribute to the technical architecture, design, and development of Fivetran’s Managed Data Lake product offering. You will partner with product and engineering teams to build scalable, high-performance systems, advance open-source technologies, and set technical standards that elevate the entire organization. This is a full-time, remote position based in Germany.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with product teams to understand requirements and design innovative capabilities for our customers.
• Design, develop, implement, and operate highly reliable, large-scale data lake systems in partnership with a dedicated data lake engineering team.
• Contribute to open-source projects such as DuckDB and Polaris.
• Embrace and integrate Fivetran innovations with open-source standards and toolsets.
• Analyze and resolve challenges related to fault tolerance, high availability, performance, and scale.
• Ensure operational excellence of services, meeting customer commitments for security, reliability, availability, and performance.
• Define technical directions and influence cross-functional teams.

Technologies You’ll Use

• Languages & Databases: Java, C++, Postgres, Temporal, gRPC
• Cloud Platforms: AWS, GCP, Azure
• Infrastructure & Orchestration: Kubernetes, Grafana
• Data Lake Technologies: Iceberg, Polaris, Delta Lake, Parquet, DuckDB

Requirements

• 6+ years of hands-on or research experience with high-performance relational data management systems.
• Deep understanding of infrastructure and software optimizations, with a proven ability to drive significant improvements in performance, latency, and availability.
• Demonstrated track record of leading and delivering large, complex projects.
• Strong development skills in Java and C++.
• Solid experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Demonstrated knowledge of columnar storage formats.
• A growth mindset and enthusiasm for seeking innovative solutions to challenge the status quo.
• Excellent team player who consistently elevates those around them.

Bonus Skills

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, with a focus on database management and/or storage engines, is strongly preferred.

What We Offer

• 100% employer-paid medical insurance*
• Generous paid time-off (PTO), sick time, inclusive parental leave, holidays, and volunteer days off.
• Restricted Stock Unit (RSU) stock grants*
• Professional development and training opportunities.
• Company virtual happy hours, free food, and team-building activities.
• Monthly cell phone stipend.
• Access to an innovative mental health support platform for employees and their dependents, offering therapy, coaching, and mindfulness resources.

*Benefits may vary by country and worker type. Please consult with your recruiter for specific details.

Fivetran is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We believe that diverse teams build a world-class company and better serve our customers, people, and communities. We are honored to be valued at over $5.6 billion and proud of our core values: Get Stuck In, Do the Right Thing, and One Team, One Dream.

We are committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in our interview process. If you require accommodations due to a disability or other circumstances, please submit your request via the provided form, and we will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations.