
Sr. Staff Software Engineer, Data Product Platform
Pinterest · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $315,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Lead data warehouse, analytics, and governance strategy.
- Architect solutions for massive data scale and AI.
- Drive adoption and business impact across products.
- Mentor engineers and elevate technical standards.
- Collaborate with Product, Data Science, Engineering.
About the role
About Pinterest
Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.
Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible.
At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI.
Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.
The Data Product Platform
The Data Product Platform is mission-critical to accelerating data-driven decision-making at Pinterest on the foundation of 100s of thousands of tables and an Exadata-scale data warehouse. We strive to provide effortless, efficient, and reliable data products and platforms that power the entire company. We achieve this by investing in three core areas:
- Data Warehouse: Building and managing the foundational data warehouses that enable key analyses across both our core engagement and monetization products.
- Analytical Velocity: Creating powerful analytical tools that empower internal data users to leverage our vast data assets and capable infrastructure effectively.
- Data Governance: Defining and implementing the data governance policies and tools necessary to ensure the responsible, efficient and compliant storage and handling of all data.
We are seeking a Sr. Staff Software Engineer to provide technical leadership and direction across these three pillars. In this role, you will be instrumental in architecting and driving solutions that handle increasing data volume, navigate business complexity, accelerate analytical velocity, and build the foundation for our next generation of AI analytics products. If you are passionate about building world-class data ecosystems at massive scale, we invite you to lead our efforts.
What You’ll Do
- Spearhead the definition and design of Pinterest's data warehouse architecture, storage, governance, and usage.
- Set the strategic direction for world-class data analytics tools, including experimentation platforms, ad hoc analysis systems, data visualization, data pipeline authoring, and AI-assisted data analytics capabilities.
- Define, design, and drive the adoption of comprehensive data governance policies and tooling to ensure data quality, promote responsible data handling, and maximize efficiency.
- Lead ambiguous, highly challenging, and cross-functional initiatives across the data ecosystem, expertly managing trade-offs among unique requirements and constraints (e.g., usability, efficiency, and compliance) to deliver a cohesive user experience.
- Drive measurable adoption and significant business impact across the entire product portfolio through platform and tooling initiatives.
- Mentor and elevate the technical bar for engineers, providing leadership on complex technical design, execution strategies, and critical trade-off decisions.
- Collaborate with stakeholders across Product, Data Science, and Engineering teams to understand user needs, drive alignment and drive progress.
What We’re Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 12+ years of relevant industry experience with large scale data warehouses, data tools and platforms.
- 5+ years experience building data warehouses and tools around the data ecosystem with technologies such as Spark, Trino, Flink, Airflow, Querybook, Superset, DataHub, etc.
- Ability to work with cross-functional partners across multiple organizations.
- Hands-on experience building tools and data pipelines leveraging AI coding tools, e.g. Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, etc.
- Hands-on experience building AI tools and platforms to accelerate data pipeline authoring, data analytics and engineering productivity.
Relocation Statement
This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.
In-Office Requirement Statement
We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role. This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times/quarter, and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.
Salary Range
At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.
Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.
US based applicants only
$208,592—$429,454 USD
Our Commitment To Inclusion
Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support.
By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.
Key skills/competency
- Data Warehouse Architecture
- Data Governance
- Analytical Velocity
- Spark
- Trino
- Flink
- Airflow
- DataHub
- AI Tools
- Technical Leadership
Skills & topics
- Sr. Staff Software Engineer
- Data Product Platform
- Data Warehouse
- Big Data
- Cloud Data Warehouse
- Data Engineering
- Spark
- Trino
- Flink
- Airflow
- Data Governance
- AI
- Machine Learning
- Technical Leadership
- Software Engineering
- US
- Remote
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 12+ years of experience with large-scale data warehouses, data tools, and platforms, emphasizing Spark, Trino, Flink, Airflow, and AI tools. Quantify your achievements.
- Showcase AI expertise: Detail your hands-on experience building data pipelines and tools leveraging AI coding assistants and platforms that accelerate productivity.
- Understand Pinterest's culture: Research their mission, values, and commitment to AI integration. Align your application with their focus on inspiration, creativity, and data-driven decision-making.
- Prepare for technical and behavioral interviews: Be ready to explain your thought process, especially regarding AI collaboration, and demonstrate your leadership in complex, cross-functional initiatives.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the work arrangement for a Sr. Staff Software Engineer at Pinterest?
- This role has a hybrid work arrangement, requiring 1-2 in-office collaboration days per quarter. The role can be situated anywhere in the country, offering flexibility while ensuring in-person teamwork.
- What technologies are essential for the Sr. Staff Software Engineer, Data Product Platform role at Pinterest?
- Key technologies include experience with large-scale data warehouses and platforms, specifically mentioning Spark, Trino, Flink, Airflow, Querybook, Superset, and DataHub. Hands-on experience with AI coding tools and AI platforms for data analytics is also crucial.
- How does Pinterest use AI in its recruiting process for this Sr. Staff Software Engineer role?
- Pinterest emphasizes an AI interview philosophy where candidates explain their approach. They assess foundational skills and how candidates collaborate with AI, aiming to understand not just what you know but how you think.
- What is the expected salary range for a Sr. Staff Software Engineer at Pinterest?
- The base salary range for this position in the US is $208,592 to $429,454 USD annually, in addition to potential equity. The final salary depends on factors like location, experience, and specific skills.
- What are the core areas of focus for the Data Product Platform at Pinterest?
- The Data Product Platform focuses on three core areas: Data Warehouse (building and managing foundational data warehouses), Analytical Velocity (creating powerful analytical tools), and Data Governance (defining and implementing policies for responsible data handling).
- Does Pinterest offer relocation assistance for this Sr. Staff Software Engineer position?
- No, this position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Candidates are encouraged to learn more about Pinterest's working model on their PinFlex page.
- What is the minimum experience required for the Sr. Staff Software Engineer role?
- The role requires 12+ years of relevant industry experience with large-scale data warehouses, data tools, and platforms, including at least 5 years of experience building data warehouses and tools within the data ecosystem.