Staff Software Engineer – Infinia Data Engineer

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." – IDC 

“The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments” - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA 

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence. 

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management. 

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage. 

We are looking for a highly skilled Staff Software Engineer to join our Data Engine team. In this pivotal role, you will design, develop, and optimize the core components of Infinia, DDN’s advanced distributed intelligent data platform. Your work will involve creating the systems for processing, storing, and executing complex distributed data queries using state-of-the-art open-source technologies such as Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, and Apache Spark.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Management:

• Design and enhance the core components of Infinia to run open-source technologies with high performance and scalability.
• Create and implement optimized execution plans to run on Infinia, leveraging its high-performance and scalability capabilities.
• Optimize data storage and retrieval using Parquet, ORC, HDFS, and other formats
• Contribute to the open-source community when appropriate by collaborating on projects and integrating new features.
• Solve complex data processing challenges at scale, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with distributed data platforms.
• Work closely with the wider Infinia organization, including data scientists and other engineers, to deliver high-quality solutions.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 8+ years of software engineering experience, with 5+ years in big data technologies
• Strong expertise in Scala, Java, and Python
• Proven expertise with Apache Spark, Apache Iceberg, and Delta Lake.
• Hands-on experience with Parquet, ORC, HDFS, Avro, and other data formats

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with real-time data processing and streaming frameworks
• Previous experience as Apache committer to relevant open-source projects
• Proven ability to lead technical projects and mentor other engineers

This role offers an exceptional opportunity to participate in a high-impact engineering organization at the core of DDN’s cutting-edge storage solutions. If you are passionate about solving complex technical challenges and driving innovation in high-performance systems, we encourage you to apply.

Our team is highly motivated and focused on engineering excellence.

We look for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

Engineers are encouraged to work across multiple areas of the company.

We operate with a flat organizational structure.

All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission.

Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills.

They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

Interview Process: After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 30-minute interview (“phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask some basic questions. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of four technical interviews:

• Coding assessment in a language of your choice.
• Systems design: Translate high-level requirements into a scalable, fault-tolerant service.
• Systems hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session.
• Project deep-dive: Present your past exceptional work to a small audience.
• Meet and greet with the wider team.
• Our goal is to finish the main process within one week.
• We don’t rely on recruiters for assessments.
• Every application is reviewed by a member of our technical team.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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