Department/Team: Engineering 
Clearance Requirement:  Not Required - Must be eligible
Location: Remote
Employment Type: Full-time, Salaried

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to design and build high-performance real-time data platforms that power analytics, machine learning, and operational intelligence. This role focuses on streaming data pipelines, distributed processing, and large-scale event data systems.

You will work on building and operating low-latency data pipelines using technologies such as Apache Flink, Apache Druid, Kafka, and modern data infrastructure, enabling real-time insights across large volumes of structured and unstructured data.

This role requires strong experience in stream processing architectures, distributed systems, and scalable data infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement real-time streaming data pipelines for high-volume event data. 
• Develop and operate distributed data processing systems using technologies such as:
• Apache Flink
• Apache Kafka
• Apache Druid

• Build scalable ingestion pipelines capable of handling millions of events per second.
• Design low-latency analytical data stores for operational dashboards and real-time analytics.
• Optimize data pipelines for performance, scalability, and fault tolerance.
• Work with product and analytics teams to translate business needs into real-time data models.
• Build and maintain data observability, monitoring, and reliability frameworks.
• Implement schema evolution and data quality controls across streaming pipelines.
• Contribute to data platform architecture decisions and infrastructure design.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote best practices in data engineering and distributed systems.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in data engineering or distributed systems development
• Strong experience building streaming data pipelines
• Hands-on experience with at least one major streaming framework
• Experience with real-time analytical databases 
• Experience with large-scale distributed systems
• Strong SQL skills and experience designing analytical data models
• Experience building fault-tolerant, highly scalable pipelines
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages:
• Java
• Python
• Experience with AWS 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating Apache Flink clusters in production
• Experience with Apache Druid real-time ingestion
• Experience building low-latency OLAP analytics systems
• Experience with Kubernetes-based data infrastructure
• Experience with Iceberg / Hudi / Delta Lake
• Experience with real-time ML feature pipelines
• Experience building observability for data platforms
• Experience with high-volume event streams (billions of events/day)

This position is subject to U.S. export control regulations. Only U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, naturalized citizens, and lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders) are eligible for consideration. Individuals requiring visa sponsorship or working under a temporary visa status (e.g., H-1B, L-1, F-1, OPT, CPT, etc.) are not eligible for this role.

As a Senior DevSecOps Engineer, you will play a crucial role in integrating security practices into the DevOps pipeline. You will be responsible for designing, implementing, and managing infrastructure and security processes that ensure our applications are secure, scalable, and highly available. You will work closely with development, operations, and security teams to automate and streamline our operations and processes.

Compensation:
$180,000–$200,000 base salary, plus equity, benefits, and other perks.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement security controls and processes in the CI/CD pipeline.
• Develop and maintain infrastructure as code (IaC) using tools such as Terraform, CloudFormation, or similar.
• Manage and optimize AWS environments, ensuring high availability and scalability.
• Implement and manage container orchestration using Docker, Kubernetes, and EKS.
• Develop and maintain scripts and automation tools using Python.
• Conduct security assessments and vulnerability management.
• Collaborate with development teams to ensure security best practices are integrated into the software development lifecycle.
• Monitor and respond to security incidents and threats.
• Perform regular audits and compliance checks to ensure adherence to security policies.
• Mentor and guide junior DevSecOps engineers.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a DevSecOps or similar role.
• Strong experience with AWS services and architecture.
• Proficiency in using GitLab for source control and CI/CD pipelines.
• Hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and EKS.
• Strong scripting skills in Python.
• Solid understanding of security principles and best practices.
• Experience with infrastructure as code (IaC) tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Active TS/SCI clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• AWS certifications (e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, AWS Certified Solutions Architect).
• Familiarity with IL 6/7 Environments 

About Privateer 🌴👩🏻‍🚀🌴 and Orbital Insight 🛰️🌎📈💡

Founded by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, tech entrepreneur Alex Fielding, and UT Austin Professor Dr. Moriba Jah, Privateer is pioneering a satellite sharing economy to ensure a sustainable future in space. 

Our Wayfinder platform helps satellite operators safely navigate increasingly crowded orbital highways, while our TerraScope application (part of our recent acquisition of Earth analytics leader Orbital Insight) utilizes advanced AI modeling to expand access to Earth observations from space. 

Together, these technologies aim to eliminate redundant hardware in orbit, enhance satellite safety, and promote efficient use of space resources.

About the Role 👩‍💼🧑‍💼👨‍💼

We believe that great talent is always welcome, which is why we invite you to submit your resume, even if we don’t have an active opening that matches your experience. We’d love to learn more about you and how you could contribute to our mission. Your skills and passion may be the perfect fit for future opportunities.

Successful Candidates 👩‍🚀🧑‍🚀👨‍🚀

First and foremost, successful candidates will be a fit for our unique culture. From our founders and executives down through the entire organization, we are passionate about our work and about having fun doing it.

When we’re looking for new members of our crew, we’re looking for these qualities (in no particular order):

• Resourceful
• Analytical
• Humble
• Proactive
• Collaborative
• Opinionated
• Respectful
• Diligent
• Optimistic
• Realistic
• Honest
• Open-minded
• Enthusiastic
• Empathetic
• Driven
• Intelligent