Senior Software Engineer, Data Authoring Platform
Airbnb · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $230,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Build data platform infrastructure at Airbnb.
- Solve semantic layer and data transformation challenges.
- Empower 4,000+ internal data producers and consumers.
- Improve data accessibility and quality for decision-making.
- Work on cutting-edge data engineering problems.
About the role
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.The Community You Will Join
Airbnb’s Data Authoring Platform exists to turn raw data into decision-grade insight — fast, reliable, and at scale. We provide a single, paved path for 4,000+ internal data producers and consumers to model, transform, and serve trustworthy data and metrics that power everything from A/B experimentation to executive dashboards.What We Own
- The end-to-end data-authoring framework that cuts through pipeline boiler-plate and accelerates iteration, pipeline testing, and validation.
- Airbnb’s semantic layer & metrics platform, ensuring one definition of truth across the company.
- Tooling for reliability, governance, and cost-efficiency including automated testing, anomaly detection, and right-sized materialization.
The Difference You Will Make
As a member of this team you would be working with talented engineers on building infrastructure to solve cutting edge semantic layer and data transformation problems. Our platform provides democratized access to data.You will make it easier for thousands of internal users to build and consume high quality data models, data pipelines, and business critical metrics to enable tactical and strategic decision making at all levels of Airbnb across product, finance, operations and other areas.
In particular, engineers, designers and other product leaders will leverage the tools you work on to explore and develop new product experiences from ideation to implementation at scale. They will be able to experiment with product concepts and make the correct choice about what is right for our customers.
We believe data is the voice of our customers at scale. The tools you build will help improve the Airbnb product for every guest and host.
A Typical Day
- Build and extend the capabilities of our query rewriting service.
- Research the latest semantic layer techniques and database engine features to determine what Minerva’s priorities should be.
- Partner with teams across the company to improve the impact of data, especially by making it easier to query data.
- Participate in all phases of software development from architecture/design through implementation, testing, and on-call.
Your Expertise
- 5+ years in a hands-on software engineering role, shipping high quality code to production.
- Experience with at least one modern, general programming language.
- Experience at the boundary between data engineering and software engineering.
- Experience with a data platform with multiple abstraction or semantic layers.
- A deep understanding of OOP and API design patterns.
- Experience working closely with other engineering teams across complex interfaces.
- Strong communication skills and a track record of leading projects across teams.
- [Bonus points] Proficiency authoring DSLs or APIs that abstract data transformations (e.g., dbt, Airflow Providers, custom compilers)
- [Bonus points] Experience with data warehouse technologies
Your Location
This position is US - Remote Eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. While the position is Remote Eligible, you must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Click here for the up-to-date list of excluded states. This list is continuously evolving, so please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list . If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from.Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging
Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com. Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process.
We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.
How We'll Take Care Of You
Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.Pay Range
$196,000—$230,000 USD
Key skills/competency
- Data Platform Engineering
- Semantic Layer
- Data Transformation
- Software Engineering
- API Design
- Data Modeling
- Query Rewriting
- Data Warehousing
- Production Code
- Distributed Systems
Skills & topics
- Senior Software Engineer
- Data Platform
- Data Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Semantic Layer
- Data Transformation
- API Design
- OOP
- Production Code
- Remote
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight 5+ years of software engineering experience, data platform work, and OOP/API design skills. Emphasize projects where you led cross-team initiatives.
- Showcase relevant experience: Detail your experience with modern programming languages, data platforms with abstraction layers, and any DSL or API authoring for data transformations.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss system design, data modeling, query optimization, and problem-solving scenarios related to data platforms.
- Demonstrate communication skills: Highlight your ability to collaborate effectively with diverse engineering teams and lead projects.
- Express interest in Airbnb's mission: Connect your passion for data's role in customer experience to Airbnb's values.
Technical preparation
Master modern programming languages and OOP principles.,Deepen understanding of semantic layers and data modeling.,Practice designing and implementing data transformation APIs.,Prepare for system design and query optimization questions.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex cross-team project you led.,How do you ensure data quality and reliability?,How would you approach abstracting complex data transformations?,Discuss a time you improved a data platform's efficiency.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary focus of the Data Authoring Platform at Airbnb?
- The Data Authoring Platform at Airbnb focuses on transforming raw data into reliable, decision-grade insights at scale. It provides a unified framework for internal users to model, transform, and serve data and metrics that support A/B experimentation and executive dashboards.
- What kind of problems will a Senior Software Engineer on the Data Authoring Platform solve?
- A Senior Software Engineer on this platform will tackle cutting-edge problems related to the semantic layer and data transformation. This includes building and extending infrastructure that makes it easier for thousands of internal users to create and consume high-quality data models and pipelines.
- What is the expected experience level for this Senior Software Engineer role at Airbnb?
- This role requires a minimum of 5 years in a hands-on software engineering role, with experience shipping production code. Essential experience includes working at the intersection of data engineering and software engineering, and familiarity with data platforms featuring multiple abstraction or semantic layers.
- Is this Senior Software Engineer position remote?
- Yes, this position is US Remote Eligible. However, candidates must reside in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites may be required, as agreed upon with the manager.
- What are the bonus points for this role?
- Bonus points for this Senior Software Engineer role include proficiency in authoring DSLs or APIs that abstract data transformations (like dbt or Airflow Providers) and experience with data warehouse technologies.
- How does Airbnb ensure data quality and consistency with its semantic layer?
- Airbnb's Data Authoring Platform owns the semantic layer and metrics platform, ensuring a single definition of truth across the company. This platform facilitates reliable data modeling and transformation, supported by tooling for testing, governance, and cost-efficiency.
- What programming languages are preferred for this role?
- While the job description mentions experience with 'at least one modern, general programming language,' specific languages are not listed. Candidates should highlight their proficiency in languages relevant to data engineering and software engineering.