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Founding Data Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Shaped

Data Engineer

Brooklyn, NY · Remote

$130K - $200K/yr

You will be a founding engineer working to reliably ingest customer data (both with batch and real-time processing) into our our state-of-the-art AI discovery engine. As one of Shaped's early ...

Shaped

Data Engineer

Brooklyn, NY · On-site

$130K - $200K/yr

You will be a founding engineer working to reliably ingest customer data (both with batch and real-time processing) into our our state-of-the-art AI discovery engine. As one of Shaped's early ...

Cognition

Data Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$125K - $150K/yr

Among our founding team, we have world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and leaders ... About the Role We're hiring a technical Data Engineer to own our full data stack - from database ...

Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.

Lead Data Engineer

Mclean, VA · On-site

$170K - $185K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Lead Data Engineer Location: McLean, VA (position allows 100% full remote work anywhere in the U.S ... founding vision: to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality. Our award-winning ...

PACCAR

Data Engineer

Denton, TX · On-site

$107K - $128K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Peterbilt has reigned as America's premium quality truck manufacturer since the company's founding ... Data Engineers present their work to senior executives, helping shape not only Peterbilt's current ...

New

Wag Art

Staff Data Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

$130 - $160/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

This is a team-founding, tech lead role : you'll lay the technical foundation, establish data engineering standards and culture, hire your team, and scale the data platform alongside the company. You ...

New

Weyerhauser Co

Data Engineer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Sustainability is the founding concept of our business and our values drive every decision to ... About the Role Weyerhaeuser's Data & Analytics team is looking for a Data Engineer to build and ...

Weyerhaeuser Company

Data Engineer

Seattle, WA

$130K - $156K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Sustainability is the founding concept of our business and our values drive every decision to ... About the Role Weyerhaeuser's Data & Analytics team is looking for a Data Engineer to build and ...

UNISSANT

SeniorPalantir Data Engineer

Herndon, VA · Hybrid

$117K - $141K/yr

This founding role has significant influence over technical standards and hiring as the practice ... Five (5) or more years of data engineering experience, including three (3) or more years of hands ...

Smarty

Data Engineer

Orem, UT · On-site

$100/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are looking for a skilled Data Engineer to join our Business Intelligence team at Smarty, a ... About Smarty Since its founding in 2011, Smarty has become a recognized industry leader in address ...

Effective AI

Data Product Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$210 - $270/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

What You'll Do As a Founding Data Product Engineer, you will be a crucial part of our initial team, playing a pivotal role in designing and building from the ground up the layer through which ...

Clera

Founding Engineer

New York, NY · Remote

$150K - $220K/yr

... a Founding Engineer to own the entire technical execution of the platform. You will partner ... Build evaluation and training loops that improve the system from simulation runs, test data ...

Clera

Founding Engineer

New York, NY · On-site

$150K - $220K/yr

... a Founding Engineer to own the entire technical execution of the platform. You will partner ... Build evaluation and training loops that improve the system from simulation runs, test data ...

Qventus

Senior Data Engineer

$108K - $147K/yr

  • PTO

We're inspired to work with healthcare leaders on our founding vision and unlock world-class medicine through world-class operations. #LI-MB1 Qventus is looking for a Senior Data Engineer to pioneer ...

Vori, Inc

Forward Deployed Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$134K - $162K/yr

As one of the Founding Forward Deployed Data Engineers , you won't just be implementing processes-you'll be defining them from the ground up . You'll create the playbooks, data pipelines, and ...

EffectiveAI

Data Product Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$210K - $270K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

What You'll Do As a Founding Data Product Engineer, you will be a crucial part of our initial team, playing a pivotal role in designing and building from the ground up the layer through which ...

Socket.dev

Machine Learning Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$180 - $250/hr

Role Description Founding Data Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer We're looking for a highly ambitious Data Scientist to help build the predictive intelligence layer behind nowfluence. This is not ...

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Showing results 21-40

All JobsTechnology JobsData JobsData Software Engineer JobsFounding Data Engineer Jobs

Founding Data Engineer information

See salary details

$44.5K

$129.7K

$177.5K

How much do founding data engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding data engineer in the United States is $129,716.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $114,500.00 and $137,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding data engineer?

Founding Data Engineers are among the first technical hires at a startup, responsible for designing, building, and scaling the company's data infrastructure from the ground up. They work closely with founders and early team members to define data architecture, set up data pipelines, and ensure data quality and accessibility for product development and business insights. This role often requires a blend of software engineering, data modeling, and strategic decision-making skills, as well as the flexibility to adapt to rapidly changing priorities in a startup environment.

What are the unique challenges and opportunities of being a founding data engineer at an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Data Engineer, you'll face the challenge of building data infrastructure from scratch, often with limited resources and evolving requirements. You’ll work closely with founders and cross-functional teams to define data strategies, implement pipelines, and ensure data quality. This role offers significant influence over technical decisions and architecture, and you'll likely wear multiple hats, contributing to both backend engineering and data analytics. The fast-paced environment fosters rapid skill development and provides substantial opportunities for career growth as the company scales.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founding data engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founding Data Engineer, you need strong expertise in data architecture, database design, and software engineering, often backed by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with cloud platforms (like AWS or GCP), ETL frameworks, programming languages (such as Python or Scala), and data warehousing tools is typically required. Exceptional problem-solving, adaptability, and collaboration skills set standout candidates apart in this role. These abilities are crucial for building scalable data systems and shaping the technical foundation of an early-stage company.

What is the difference between Founding Data Engineer vs Data Engineer?

AspectFounding Data EngineerData Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS, experience in startup environmentsBachelor's or higher in CS, relevant data tools experience
Work EnvironmentEarly-stage startups, high flexibility, broad responsibilitiesEstablished companies, specialized roles, structured teams
Employer & Industry UsageFounding teams, startups, tech companiesTech firms, finance, healthcare, large organizations
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding startup data roles, early-stage responsibilitiesStandard data engineering roles, career progression

The main difference between a Founding Data Engineer and a Data Engineer lies in their work environment and responsibilities. Founding Data Engineers typically work in startups, handling broad tasks and building data infrastructure from scratch, while Data Engineers in established companies focus on specific data pipelines within structured teams. Both roles require similar technical skills and educational backgrounds, but their scope and context differ significantly.

More about Founding Data Engineer jobs

What cities are hiring for Founding Data Engineer jobs?

Cities with the most Founding Data Engineer job openings:

What states have the most Founding Data Engineer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Founding Data Engineer jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Founding Data Engineer jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Founding Data Engineer jobs are:

Founding Data Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Founding Data Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,716 per year, or $62.4 per hour.

Data Engineer

Shaped

Brooklyn, NY • Remote

$130K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 20 days ago

Job description

Company Description

Shaped is an API for developers to seamlessly add personalized ranking and recommendation into their products. These frictionless discovery experiences help end-users find what they want faster, and, consequently, grow conversion and engagement business metrics.

We're a seed stage start-up backed by top-tier investors (e.g. Y-Combinator, Susa Ventures, Tribe Capital etc...) and executives (e.g. Google, Amazon, Uber, Dropbox etc...). Our team comes from Meta, Google, Apple and Uber. We're a remote team but have a small office in Brooklyn, New York.

Job Description

We are looking for a data engineer to design, build and optimize Shaped's real-time and batch streaming infrastructure. You will be a founding engineer working to reliably ingest customer data (both with batch and real-time processing) into our our state-of-the-art AI discovery engine. As one of Shaped's early employees you will help shape our product, culture and vision.

We're excited to work with you. Come build the future of AI with us!

Qualifications
  • 6+ years experience
  • Skills should include Python, Data Warehouses (such as Clickhouse, Snowflake, or BigQuery)
  • Nice-to-have skills should include DBT, Meltano, Airflow, and Apache Flink (or other stream processing frameworks)
Additional Information
  • Salary $130K - $200K 
  • Equity 0.10% - 0.50%

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