Senior/Staff Data Engineer

Umbra builds next-generation space systems that observe the Earth in unprecedented fidelity.

Our mission: Deliver global omniscience.

To stay ahead of climate change, geopolitical risk, and other major crises and issues, we need a global understanding of what is changing, where, and how fast. Umbra provides easy access to the highest quality commercial satellite data available, which is an indispensable tool for the growing number of organizations monitoring the Earth. We empower our customers to create the solutions that inform, inspire, and address our planet’s most pressing needs. We’re helping to create a brand new industry that has never meaningfully existed before. 

We are looking for a Senior/Staff Data Engineer to spearhead our data infrastructure architecture. This role involves collaborating with product owners and diverse engineering teams to design, develop, and maintain the data systems that underpin our autonomous satellite operations. As an early contributor, you will be instrumental in Umbra's mission to transform the way space radar data is utilized.

Our aim is to hire this position in to work in Umbra's Santa Barbara, CA or Arlington, VA office, in a Hybrid role.  However, we are open to considering Remote applicants.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines and infrastructure for processing and analyzing large volumes of satellite data.
• Develop and optimize data models, data warehouses, and data lakes to support internal analytics and machine learning applications.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand data requirements and ensure high standards of data quality, reliability, and performance.
• Implement best practices for data governance, security, and compliance.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 15+ years of professional experience as a Data Engineer or in similar roles.
• Strong proficiency in SQL and familiarity with data warehousing concepts and technologies.
• Experience with big data processing frameworks such as Apache Spark, Hadoop, or Flink.
• Proficient in developing data pipelines using Python or Scala.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) for data storage and processing.
• Proficiency with data visualization tools such as Grafana, Power BI, or Tableau.
• Familiarity with monitoring solutions like Datadog, Prometheus, New Relic, or Splunk.
• Strong communication skills, ability to work collaboratively, and a willingness to learn new technologies.
• Current security clearance or the ability to obtain one.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the aerospace industry.
• Familiarity with mission scheduling software or schedule optimization.
• Experience in developing image processing or formation applications.
• Knowledge of building custom GIS applications, STAC, or imagery catalog APIs.
• Experience with streaming data processing and real-time analytics.
• Understanding of data visualization tools and techniques.
• Familiarity with machine learning concepts and libraries like TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Experience with data versioning and lineage tracking tools such as DVC or MLflow.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution
• Stock Options

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

 

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) upon hire.

 

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable.

 

Pay Transparency
This job posting may span more than one career level. To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base ranges for all job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function and level benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Final offer amounts are determined by skills, responsibilities and relevant work experience.