Staff Data Engineer, Ads
Discord · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $279,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Lead ads data infrastructure vision and strategy.
- Build and maintain large-scale data pipelines.
- Collaborate with data science and product teams.
- Develop data quality and monitoring systems.
- Mentor engineers and drive technical initiatives.
About the role
Staff Data Engineer, Ads at Discord
Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there’s one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.
Discord seeks a seasoned technical leader to join our Data team as a Staff Data Engineer, focusing on our advertising products. In this role, you will drive technical vision and strategy for ads data infrastructure while building and maintaining sophisticated data pipelines, datasets, and analytical tools. You will lead cross-functional initiatives to transform our advertising products through data-driven insights and mentor fellow engineers to deliver exceptional results.
This role works heavily with Data Science, product, sales, and account management teams. If leading technical innovation, architecting scalable solutions, and empowering teams through data excites you, we encourage you to make a move!
What You'll Be Doing
- Create and maintain complex, enterprise-scale data pipelines and foundational datasets while defining technical strategy and architectural direction for advertising products
- Design and build sophisticated ETL processes, data models, and analytical frameworks using SQL, Python, and modern data stack technologies
- Build and maintain the data infrastructure that powers Ads ML - feature pipelines, label generation workflows, and training data systems that enable our ranking and delivery models
- Develop data quality frameworks, monitoring systems, automated anomaly detection, and alerting infrastructure that operates at massive scale
- Collaborate with data scientists, ML engineers, and product teams to identify high-impact data infrastructure opportunities, owning design through implementation
- Drive cross-functional technical initiatives solving sophisticated data engineering challenges
- Build scalable rubrics that help lead and mentor engineers through projects that accelerate launch velocity and harden data systems
- Navigate ambiguity and make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, balancing short-term delivery with long-term infrastructure investment
What You Should Have
- 7+ years of hands-on experience writing production code and architecting data pipelines with high-volume consumer data in advertising technology domains (eg. ad delivery, ranking, targeting, identity)
- 7+ years of direct implementation experience designing, coding, and maintaining complex data models and systems handling structured and unstructured data sources
- Expert-level coding abilities in SQL, Python, and modern data engineering frameworks with demonstrated ability to write performant, maintainable, and scalable code
- Digital advertising data engineering expertise with hands-on experience building high-throughput data pipelines for ad serving, conversion tracking, advertising measurement, or integrating and normalizing third-party advertising data from external platforms and partners
- Proven hands-on experience implementing and debugging data quality audits, monitoring systems, and automated remediation for massive datasets (billions+ rows)
- Strong technical communication abilities to explain complex implementations to stakeholders while thriving in rapidly-evolving technical environments
- Passion for solving complex problems through direct technical contribution and desire to work with exceptional engineers on challenging data infrastructure
- Hands-on collaboration experience implementing solutions with data science, ML engineering, and product teams through direct technical contribution
- Collaborative mindset with intellectual curiosity and commitment to technical excellence through hands-on delivery
Bonus Points
- Passion for Discord or gaming in general
- Hands-on integration experience implementing connections with external data sources, APIs, and third-party advertising platforms
- Experience with modern data storage and processing technologies (BigQuery SQL, Airflow, Dagster, DBT, or similar)
- Experience with data visualization and dashboarding technologies (Looker, Tableau, or similar)
- Experience with designing data architecture to power a variety of use cases, including experimentation
The US base salary range for this full-time position is $248,000 to $279,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.
Why Discord?
Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!
Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.
Please see our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy for details regarding Discord’s collection and usage of personal information relating to the application and recruitment process by clicking HERE.
Key skills/competency
- Data Engineering
- Data Pipelines
- SQL
- Python
- ETL
- Data Modeling
- Advertising Technology
- Big Data
- Cloud Data Warehousing
- Data Quality
Skills & topics
- Data Engineer
- Data Pipelines
- SQL
- Python
- ETL
- Data Modeling
- Advertising Technology
- Big Data
- Cloud Data Warehousing
- Data Quality
- Staff Engineer
- Senior Data Engineer
- Ads Data
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight 7+ years of experience in production code, data pipelines, and ad tech. Emphasize SQL, Python, and big data expertise.
- Showcase ad tech experience: Detail your work with high-volume consumer data, ad serving, or third-party data integration.
- Demonstrate problem-solving: Provide examples of debugging data quality issues and building monitoring systems for massive datasets.
- Highlight collaboration: Mention experience working with data science, ML engineering, and product teams on complex data challenges.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss your architectural designs, coding approach in SQL and Python, and experience with modern data stacks.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the role of a Staff Data Engineer at Discord focusing on Ads?
- As a Staff Data Engineer at Discord, you will be responsible for driving the technical vision and strategy for the ads data infrastructure. This involves building and maintaining sophisticated data pipelines, datasets, and analytical tools, as well as leading cross-functional initiatives to improve advertising products through data-driven insights. You will also mentor other engineers.
- What specific technical skills are most important for this Staff Data Engineer role at Discord?
- The role requires expert-level coding abilities in SQL and Python, along with experience in modern data engineering frameworks. Significant hands-on experience in architecting data pipelines for high-volume consumer data in advertising technology domains, designing complex data models, and implementing data quality frameworks and monitoring systems for massive datasets is crucial.
- How does Discord use data for its advertising products?
- Discord leverages data to power its advertising products by building the data infrastructure for Ads ML, including feature pipelines, label generation workflows, and training data systems. This data enables their ranking and delivery models, and insights derived from it drive improvements in advertising products.
- What kind of collaboration is expected in this Staff Data Engineer position at Discord?
- This role involves close collaboration with Data Science, ML Engineering, and Product teams. You will identify high-impact data infrastructure opportunities, own solutions from design through implementation, and contribute technically to cross-functional initiatives.
- Does Discord consider candidates with experience in modern data stack technologies for this role?
- Yes, experience with modern data storage and processing technologies such as BigQuery SQL, Airflow, Dagster, and DBT is considered a bonus and highly valuable for this Staff Data Engineer position.
- What is the compensation range for the Staff Data Engineer Ads role at Discord?
- The US base salary range for this full-time position is $248,000 to $279,000, in addition to equity and benefits. The specific salary within this range is determined by factors such as job-related skills, experience, and education.
- What does Discord look for in a candidate's background for the Staff Data Engineer Ads position?