Software Engineer, Data

About The Company Ladder is a forward-thinking insurance technology company dedicated to transforming the life insurance industry through innovative digital solutions. Recognizing the traditional barriers such as lengthy application processes, extensive paperwork, and the necessity for in-person meetings, Ladder was founded to streamline and democratize access to life coverage. Inspired by the personal motivation of our CEO, Jamie, who aimed to simplify insurance for families after losing his father at a young age, Ladder leverages cutting-edge AI-driven real-time underwriting technology. Our platform reduces the months-long process of obtaining life insurance to just minutes, providing instant decisions that enhance user experience. With a customer-centric approach, Ladder has successfully provided over $74 billion in coverage, earning praise from users reflected in Trustpilot and Google reviews. Our mission is to make life insurance accessible, quick, and reliable for everyone, supported by a talented team committed to innovation and excellence. About The Role We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Software Engineer specializing in Data Platform development. In this role, you will take ownership of our most complex backend systems and data infrastructure challenges, focusing on building scalable, resilient, and high-performance data pipelines. Your primary responsibility will be to bridge our transactional database (Datomic) with our analytical and streaming infrastructure (BigQuery, Kafka, Flink, DBT), ensuring seamless data flow and transformation. You will architect robust ETL/ELT pipelines capable of handling massive volumes of data from diverse sources, including third-party APIs and legacy systems. Your expertise in functional programming, especially in Clojure, will be crucial in designing immutable, reliable data structures that support our real-time machine learning models and analytics needs. This is a remote position available in select states, offering an opportunity to lead technical strategy, mentor engineering teams, and collaborate cross-functionally to advance Ladder’s data initiatives. Qualifications Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or related field. 8+ years of professional experience in software or data engineering roles. Proven experience operating at a Staff or Principal level, defining technical strategy and mentoring teams. Deep expertise in Clojure and JVM-based backend system architecture. Minimum of 4+ years designing and managing high-volume ETL/ELT pipelines at scale. Hands-on experience with cloud data warehouses, particularly BigQuery. Extensive knowledge of streaming infrastructure such as Kafka, Apache Beam, Flink, or Spark. Strong understanding of data lake architecture, including layered data modeling (Raw/Bronze, Silver, Gold). Proficiency in advanced dbt modeling and data normalization techniques. Experience integrating and transforming unstructured data from third-party APIs and legacy sources. Ability to design event-driven, distributed systems with fault tolerance and scalability. Excellent problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. Responsibilities Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines that reliably transfer and transform data across Datomic, Kafka, and BigQuery. Architect fault-tolerant ETL/ELT systems, leveraging frameworks like DBT to ensure high data quality and consistency. Optimize streaming data processing performance to support real-time analytics and machine learning models. Lead technical decisions related to backend architecture, ensuring systems are scalable, reliable, and maintainable. Mentor and guide engineering team members, promoting best practices in software and data engineering. Collaborate closely with Data Science, Product, and Business teams to align data infrastructure with evolving business needs. Establish and enforce standards for code quality, security, and performance in data engineering projects. Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends to continuously improve data platform capabilities. Benefits Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families. Flexible paid time off policies, including a dedicated winter holiday closure. Competitive stock option packages to share in the company's growth and success. 401(k) retirement plan with up to 4% company match. Ladder Fit Program with monthly wellness expense reimbursements. Pre-tax commuter benefits and free parking for office-based team members. Modern, well-designed office space in downtown Palo Alto, equipped with technology and amenities to support hybrid work. Paid parental leave, including maternity, paternity, adoption, and fostering leave, to support new families. Work-from-home flexibility with stipends for home office setup and internet costs. Engaging company-wide events, both virtual and in-person, fostering team bonding and fun. Equal Opportunity Ladder is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. We celebrate differences and are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and better serve our mission to make life insurance accessible and efficient for everyone. We encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply and look forward to learning how your unique experiences can contribute to our team’s success.