About the Role
We are seeking a powerhouse Senior Data Platform Engineer to serve as our Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Data Platform and Lakehouse Architecture. In this role, you will be the architectural visionary and technical anchor of the infrastructure that powers our data ecosystem. You will not be building everyday data pipelines; instead, you will build the highly scalable, resilient, and self-service infrastructure that enables our Data Engineering and Analytics team to thrive. As a Lakehouse SME, you will bridge the gap between complex distributed systems and frictionless developer experiences, ensuring our platform is robust, cost-effective, and future-proof.
Key Responsibilities
Data Lakehouse Architecture & Strategy: Design, build, and optimize modern data lakehouse architecture from cloud native technologies, ensuring efficient separation of compute and storage.
Developer Enablement (Platform as a Product): Build self-service tools, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code (IaC) templates that empower Data Engineers to deploy, test, and manage their pipelines autonomously with minimal friction.
Data Platform Operations: Oversee the reliability, observability, security, and scaling of the core data platform. Implement robust monitoring and automated remediation for infrastructure bottlenecks.
Complex Problem Solving: Deconstruct deep technical challenges related to high-volume data processing, distributed compute limits, and query optimization into manageable, algorithmic solutions.
Technical Mentorship & SME Leadership: Serve as the definitive technical guide for the data organization. Evaluate new open-source or commercial technologies, design proofs-of-concept, and mentor engineers on platform best practices.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with Data Engineering, Cybersecurity Engineering, Product teams to gather requirements, understand their daily friction points, and co-design infrastructure that supports their roadmaps.
Cost Governance & Capacity Planning: Proactively monitor, alert, and optimize AWS data spend. Perform capacity planning to ensure the platform scales seamlessly with data volume growth.
About You
Basic Qualifications
Experience: 5+ years in data platform engineering, DevOps, or Data Infrastructure, with at least 2 years operating in a senior or lead capacity.
Lakehouse Expertise: 3+ years of hands-on experience building or migrating to modern data lakehouse architectures (Databricks, Snowflake, Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg)
AWS Cloud Native Data Infrastructure: 3+ years of production-level experience across the AWS data stack, specifically AWS EMR (Spark/Presto/Trino tuning), AWS Athena, S3 infrastructure, and AWS Lake Formation.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): 3+ years of experience writing, deploying, and maintaining infrastructure using Terraform or CloudFormation in production environments.
Data Warehousing Foundations: 3+ years of experience designing, administering, and optimizing modern cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, Databricks, or AWS Redshift) and cluster sizing/workload management experience is a plus
Other Qualifications
Languages: Advanced proficiency in SQL (performance tuning, query optimization) and Python or Bash for infrastructure automation.
Experience setting up multi-region data lakes, cross-account data sharing, or data mesh architectures.
Experience with open-source query engines like Trino or StarRocks.
Workday Pay Transparency Statement
The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.
Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston
Primary Location Base Pay Range: $159,600 USD - $239,400 USD
Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $144,400 USD - $258,000 USD
Additional Considerations
If performed in Colorado, the pay range for this job is $152,000 - $228,000 USD based on min and max pay range for that role if performed in CO.
The application deadline for this role is the same as the posting end date stated as below:
11/30/2026
Our Approach to Flexible Work
With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.
Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.
Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision-making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.
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