Staff Data Architect
Everyone is welcome at Handshake. We know diverse teams build better products and we are committed to creating an inclusive culture built on a foundation of respect for all individuals. We strongly encourage candidates from non-traditional backgrounds, historically marginalized or underrepresented groups to apply.
Want to learn more about what it's like to work at Handshake? Check out these interviews from our team members!
Your impact
At Handshake, we are building a team of engineers dedicated to creating impactful, high-quality products. As a Staff Data Architect, you will drive the architectural vision, strategic direction, and evolution of our advanced data platform. Your leadership and expertise will directly influence how millions of students discover meaningful career opportunities, breaking down barriers related to education, network, and resources.
Our core objective is to build robust pathways on top of our base data platform that enables cross-functional teams to create data-driven features while ensuring accurate, timely, and secure data access across the organization. Your role will be central to realizing this vision by establishing resilient, scalable data architecture pathways that guide the company in making data-informed decisions.
Your role
In this role, you will be responsible for:
- Technical Leadership and Strategy: Leading the data engineering function at an architectural level. Defining best practices and setting long-term vision for the data ecosystem. You will mentor, guide, and collaborate with the data and product engineering teams, helping to elevate their technical capabilities while fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Data Architecture and Solution Design: Architecting scalable, reliable, and efficient data pipelines, services, and products that meet diverse business needs. Building on the foundations we have built, and leveraging deep knowledge of emerging technologies, you’ll make strategic recommendations and implement systems aligned with industry best practices to ensure the scalability, security, and resilience of our data platform.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Partnering with product managers, engineering leads, and other stakeholders to define data architecture requirements that align with business goals. You will ensure data solutions are well-integrated into the broader technology landscape and drive the development of innovative, data-driven features.
- Performance and Optimization: Leading efforts to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, ensuring data processing systems are highly optimized for both performance and cost-effectiveness.
- Data Quality, Governance, and Compliance: Establishing and implementing data governance frameworks to ensure data reliability, security, and regulatory compliance. You will lead initiatives to monitor, enforce, and enhance data quality across the platform, and help build out a strategy that solves data access across all facets of our organization
Your experience
To excel in this role, you should possess:
- Deep Data Engineering and Architecture Expertise: Extensive experience in architecting and implementing complex, large-scale data platforms, including data warehousing solutions and scalable data services. Mastery of data engineering tools, technologies, and best practices, with a demonstrated ability to design end-to-end data ecosystems.
- Cloud Platform Proficiency: Significant hands-on experience with cloud-based data technologies, preferably within Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including BigQuery, DataFlow, BigTable, and related tools.
- Strategic Problem-solving Skills: Strong analytical abilities and a track record of tackling complex data challenges with innovative, strategic solutions that enhance the efficiency, reliability, and scalability of data platforms.
- Influential Collaboration: An ability to engage and influence both technical and non-technical stakeholders through clear communication and a team-oriented approach, ensuring alignment across departments.
- Strong Programming and Data Modeling Skills: Proficiency in Python and SQL, with a strong understanding of data modeling principles and the ability to implement complex transformations in support of analytics and business intelligence needs.
Bonus areas of expertise
Experience in any of the following areas would be advantageous:
- Advanced Technologies: Proficiency with Go programming language, dbt for data transformations, containerization (Docker), and orchestration (Kubernetes).
- Data Analytics Solutions: Designing and implementing analytic solutions for both internal and external customers of the data platform, working across departments to drive large initiatives forward
- Machine Learning Collaboration: Experience with machine learning teams, interfacing and facilitating infrastructure and pipelines to accelerate our ML efforts
Compensation range
$235,000 - $260,000
For cash compensation, we set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. In order to be compliant with local legislation, as well as to provide greater transparency to candidates, we share salary ranges on all job postings regardless of desired hiring location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including geographic location as well as candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
About us
Handshake is the career platform for Gen Z. With a community of over 17 million students, alumni, employers, and career educators, Handshake’s network is where career advice and discovery turn into first, second, and third jobs. Nearly 1 million companies use Handshake to build their future workforce—from Fortune 500 to federal agencies, school districts to startups, healthcare systems to small businesses. Handshake is built for where you’re going, not where you’ve been.
When it comes to our workforce strategy, we’ve thought deeply about how work-life should look at Handshake. With our hybrid-work model, employees benefit from collaboration and shared team experiences three days per week in our vibrant offices, and enjoy the flexibility of remote work two days per week. Handshake is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, and Berlin.
What we offer
At Handshake, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure.
Benefits below apply to employees in full-time positions.
- 💰 Equity and ownership in a fast-growing company.
- 🍼 16 Weeks of paid parental leave for birth giving parents & 10 weeks of paid parental leave for non-birth giving parents.
- 💝 Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision policies including LGTBQ+ Coverage. We also provide resources for Mental Health Assistance, Employee Assistance Programs and counseling support.
- 💻 Handshake offers $500/£360 home office stipend for you to spend during your first 3 months to create a productive and comfortable workspace at home.
- 📚 Generous learning & development opportunities and an annual $2,000/£1,500/€1,850 stipend for you to grow your skills and career.
- 💰 Financial coaching through Origin to help you through your financial journey.
- 🛜 Monthly internet stipend and a brand new MacBook to allow you to do your best work.
- 🚃 Monthly commuter stipend for you to expense your travel to the office (for office-based employees).
- 🥗 Free lunch provided twice a week across all offices.
- 🤝 Referral bonus to reward you when you bring great talent to Handshake.
(US-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 401k Match: Handshake offers a dollar-for-dollar match on 1% of deferred salary, up to a maximum of $1,200 per year.
- 🏝 All full-time US-based Handshakers are eligible for our flexible time off policy to get out and see the world. In addition, we offer 8 standardized holidays, and 2 additional days of flexible holiday time off. Lastly, we have a Winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off.
- 🍼 Family support: We partner with Milk Stork to provide comprehensive 100% employer-sponsored lactation support to traveling parents and guardians. Parental leave coaching and support provided by Parentaly.
(UK-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏦 Pension Scheme: Handshake will provide you with a workplace pension, where you will make contributions based on 5% of your salary. Handshake will pay the equivalent of 3% towards your pension plan, subject to qualifying earnings limits.
- 🏝 Up to 25 days of vacation to encourage people to reset, recharge, and refresh, in addition to 8 bank holidays throughout the year.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake UK employees.
(Germany-specific benefits, in addition to the first section)
- 🏝 25 days of annual leave + 5 days of a winter #ShakeBreak, a one-week period of Collective Time Off across the company.
- 🤝 Regular offsites each year to bring the team together + opportunity to travel to our HQ in San Francisco once a year.
- 🧘 Urban sports club membership offering access to a diverse network of fitness and wellness facilities.
- 🛍️ Discounts across various high street retailers, cinemas and other social activities exclusively for Handshake Germany employees.
Looking for more? Explore our mission, values and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers.
Handshake is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at people-hr@joinhandshake.com.
Average salary estimate
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As a Staff Data Architect at Handshake, you'll play a crucial role in shaping our advanced data platform, directly impacting how millions of students connect with meaningful career opportunities. At Handshake, we believe diverse teams create innovative solutions, and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Your responsibilities will span technical leadership and strategy, where you will guide our data engineering function and set the long-term vision for our data ecosystem. You'll work closely with product managers and engineers to ensure our data architecture aligns with business goals, helping to build scalable, reliable data pipelines that drive impactful features. Collaboration is key, and your ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders will be vital. You’ll also focus on performance optimization, ensuring our data systems are cost-effective while maintaining the highest quality standards. At Handshake, we pride ourselves on our inclusive culture, and your contributions as a Staff Data Architect will be instrumental in enhancing our data governance and compliance measures. If you're looking for a place to elevate your career while making a significant difference, Handshake is the right fit for you!
By
Handshake
Our mission at Handshake is to give all students the chance to build the career they want, no matter where they’re from or what school they attend.
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