Principal Data Engineer

Job description

Principal Data Engineer Remote, USA About SERHANT. SERHANT. is the most followed real estate brand in the world, calibrated for the marketplace of tomorrow, delivering proven results for buyers, sellers, and developers. SERHANT. revolutionizes the traditional brokerage model by innovating through media and content creation and is powered by a full-service in-house film studio as well as an amplification platform that puts our properties in front of more people than anyone else. About the Role We’re looking for a Principal Data Engineer who builds data infrastructure with velocity and precision. You’ll design pipelines, architect lakehouse solutions, and create the foundation that powers our products—leveraging modern AI tools to move faster without sacrificing quality. You bring deep experience with ClickHouse, open-source data tooling, and modern lakehouse patterns. Our Stack • Analytics Database: ClickHouse • Primary Database: Postgres • Languages: Python, TypeScript • Infrastructure: Azure, event-driven architecture Responsibilities • Design and implement lakehouse architecture using open-source technologies • Build and optimize ClickHouse deployments for high-performance analytical workloads • Develop custom data transforms and ETL/ELT pipelines using well-supported open-source tools • Create data models that bridge our Postgres application databases with ClickHouse analytics layer • Partner with product and engineering to define data models that serve both analytical and operational needs • Write specifications before writing code—defining contracts, schemas, and expected behaviors upfront • Use AI-assisted coding tools daily to accelerate development and reduce toil • Establish data quality frameworks and observability across the pipeline • Optimize for performance, cost, and reliability at scale • \*The company reserves the right to add or change duties at any time. Qualifications • 5+ years of experience in data engineering, analytics engineering, or related roles • Deep expertise with ClickHouse - deployment, optimization, schema design, and materialized views • Strong experience with Postgres and understanding of when to leverage transactional vs. analytical databases • Strong experience with lakehouse architecture patterns (Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi) • Proficiency building ETL/ELT pipelines with open-source tools (Airflow, Dagster, dbt, Prefect, or similar) • Hands-on experience with streaming and batch processing frameworks (Kafka, Flink, Spark) • Strong SQL and deep proficiency in Python • TypeScript proficiency for integration with application services • Demonstrated fluency with AI coding assistants (Cursor, Copilot, Claude, etc.) as part of your daily workflow • Experience using LLMs for data transformation, validation, or pipeline generation • A spec-first mindset - you document what you’re building before you build it • Experience with real-time analytics and sub-second query requirements • Familiarity with data contracts, schema registries, and data mesh principles • Contributions to open-source data projects • Background working in cross-functional product teams Skills • Relentlessly curious - you dig into new tools and technologies before they have comprehensive documentation • High agency - you don’t wait for permission or detailed instructions; you figure things out and drive forward • Comfortable with ambiguity - you can pick up bleeding-edge LLM tools and make them productive without hand-holding • Self-directed - you identify what needs to be done and do it Compensation Actual compensation within the pay range listed below will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, skills, prior relevant experience, and specific work location. The national base pay range for this position within the United States is $180,000.00 USD. Your Location This position is remote eligible for candidates based in the United States. The role may include occasional work at additional SERHANT. offices or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. Candidates must live within the United States. Hiring Statement SERHANT. is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination or harassment. We expect every member of the SERHANT. community to do their part to cultivate and maintain an environment where everyone has the opportunity to feel included and is afforded the respect and dignity they deserve. Decisions related to hiring, compensating, training, evaluating performance, or terminating are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and staff. We examine our unconscious biases and take responsibility for always striving to create an inclusive environment that makes every employee and candidate feel welcome. Recruiting Fraud Notice Please be aware that fictitious job openings, consulting engagements, solicitations, or employment offers may be circulated on the Internet in an attempt to obtain privileged information, or to prompt you to pay a fee for services related to recruitment or training. SERHANT. does not charge any application, processing, or training fee at any stage of the recruiting or hiring process. All genuine job openings will be posted here on on our Careers page or Linkedin, and all communications from the SERHANT. recruiting team and/or hiring managers will be from an @serhant.com email address. Visa Sponsorship Notice Thank you for your interest in working with us! At this time, we are not able to offer H-1B visa or any other work authorization sponsorship. To be considered for any of our open roles, candidates must be currently authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship now or in the future.