Senior Data Engineer (AI-Native) — Data Layer in Little Switzerland, North Carolina at Jobgether

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Data Engineer (AI-Native) — Data Layer based in Switzerland.

This role offers the opportunity to build and scale the core data infrastructure behind an AI-powered platform transforming a major global industry.
You will own the architecture, pipelines, and systems that ensure data is accurate, reliable, and ready to power intelligent products.
The position combines deep technical ownership with innovation, requiring both strong engineering fundamentals and an AI-native approach to development.
You will work on complex data challenges involving multiple sources, large-scale processing, and modern cloud technologies.
Your contributions will directly influence how businesses leverage data and AI to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.
This is an opportunity for an experienced engineer who thrives in a fast-moving environment and enjoys building foundational systems from the ground up.

The Senior Data Engineer will own the development and evolution of the Data Layer, ensuring that all data systems are scalable, trustworthy, and optimized for AI-driven applications. This role requires end-to-end ownership, strong technical judgment, and the ability to design solutions that support both current products and future growth.

• Own the Data Layer architecture, including ingestion pipelines, medallion-style data models, and serving layers.
• Design, build, and maintain reliable ingestion and transformation pipelines across various data sources.
• Integrate and reconcile complex real-world data from file-based systems, streaming events, and APIs.
• Develop data models across raw, refined, and curated layers to ensure data quality and accessibility.
• Build systems that guarantee data reliability through validation, reconciliation, lineage tracking, backfills, and incremental processing.
• Improve the scalability, performance, and tooling of the data platform as requirements evolve.
• Leverage AI-powered development tools to accelerate engineering workflows while maintaining high standards for code quality and reliability.
• Define and maintain data contracts in collaboration with backend, AI, product, and customer-facing teams.
• Troubleshoot complex data issues and ensure downstream systems and AI applications receive accurate information.
• Take ownership of projects from concept through production, making thoughtful decisions on architecture and implementation.

The ideal candidate is an experienced data engineer with strong production ownership, excellent technical foundations, and a passion for building AI-enabled systems. You should be comfortable working independently, solving complex data challenges, and collaborating across engineering and product teams.

• 7+ years of hands-on experience as a data engineer with proven ownership of production-scale data systems.
• Strong programming and SQL skills, with the ability to design efficient pipelines, schemas, and analytical models.
• Deep understanding of data engineering principles, including query optimization, debugging, and data correctness.
• Experience building reliable ingestion and ELT pipelines from complex and varied data sources.
• Hands-on experience with cloud data warehouses and major cloud platforms.
• Experience working with multiple data source types, including files, event streams, and APIs.
• Strong understanding of data consistency challenges such as partial loads, schema changes, late-arriving data, and idempotency.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, or similar solutions in daily engineering workflows.
• Ability to structure AI-assisted workflows, validate outputs, and apply strong engineering judgment.
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to move quickly, prioritize effectively, and make pragmatic technical decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• English proficiency at C1 level or above.

Additional experience with the following is highly valued:

• Advanced experience with cloud data warehouses and modern data transformation frameworks.
• Streaming and event-driven data ingestion at scale.
• Medallion architecture or lakehouse implementations.
• Enterprise system integrations, including ERP or ecommerce platforms.
• Building data platforms that support AI/ML applications, retrieval systems, or model data pipelines.
• Previous experience in an early-stage SaaS or high-growth technology environment.

• Fully remote work environment across Europe.
• Flexible working arrangements with meaningful overlap with international teams.
• Opportunity to build foundational AI-powered systems with significant business impact.
• High ownership role with autonomy to influence architecture and technical direction.
• Collaborative environment with experienced engineers, product teams, and AI specialists.
• Opportunity to work with modern cloud technologies and AI-native development tools.
• Professional growth opportunities in a fast-growing technology company.