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Founding Data Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

GlobalGiving Foundation

Head of Data & Analytics

$135K - $150K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... engineering, or data science roles, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead capacity * Proven experience operating as a one-person or founding data team - someone who has owned the full stack from ...

NxT Level

Founding Backend Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

Founding Senior Backend Engineer (Data Platform / Integrations) Location: New York City - In-Person The Opportunity Our client is hiring a Founding Senior Backend Engineer to own the data platform ...

NxT Level

Founding Backend Engineer

Manhattan, NY · On-site

Founding Senior Backend Engineer (Data Platform / Integrations) Location: New York City - In-Person The Opportunity Our client is hiring a Founding Senior Backend Engineer to own the data platform ...

NxT Level

Founding Backend Engineer

Manhattan, NY

Founding Senior Backend Engineer (Data Platform / Integrations) Location: New York City -- In-Person The Opportunity Our client is hiring a Founding Senior Backend Engineer to own the data platform ...

NxT Level

Founding Backend Engineer

Manhattan, NY

Founding Senior Backend Engineer (Data Platform / Integrations) Location: New York City -- In-Person The Opportunity Our client is hiring a Founding Senior Backend Engineer to own the data platform ...

Zip

Senior/Staff Data Scientist, EPD

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180K - $220K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

Your Role As a founding Data Scientist for Procure-to-Pay (P2P) at Zip, you'll collaborate ... Strong command of SQL and Python programming languages * Solid foundation in statistical methods ...

Clera

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

As a Founding Engineer , you'll own problems end-to-end, work directly with founders, and make ... Data pipelines that structure large volumes of unstructured web data for novel product experiences

Clera

Founding Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

As a Founding Engineer , you'll own problems end-to-end, work directly with founders, and make ... Data pipelines that structure large volumes of unstructured web data for novel product experiences

ZipHQ, Inc.

Senior/Staff Data Scientist, EPD

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180 - $220/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • PTO

Your Role As a founding Data Scientist for Procure-to-Pay (P2P) at Zip, you'll collaborate ... Strong command of SQL and Python programming languages. * Solid foundation in statistical methods ...

Premier Nutrition

Data Engineer

Emeryville, CA · On-site

$132K - $159K/yr

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... founding in 1997. We start with an organization powered by our company purpose-Changing Lives with ... As a Data Engineer, you will help our company solve their most challenging problems and drive ...

Collectors Universe, Inc.

Staff Data Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than ... We're looking for a Staff Data Engineer to serve as the senior technical leader for our data ...

Collectors Universe, Inc.

Staff Data Engineer

Long Beach, CA · On-site

$165 - $250/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than ... We're looking for a Staff Data Engineer to serve as the senior technical leader for our data ...

New

Collectors Holdings, Inc.

Staff Data Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than ... We're looking for a Staff Data Engineer to serve as the senior technical leader for our data ...

Collectorsuniverse

Staff Data Engineer

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than ... We're looking for a Staff Data Engineer to serve as the senior technical leader for our data ...

Unissant

Senior Palantir Data Engineer

Herndon, VA · On-site

$114K - $196K/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 ...

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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?

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

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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.

Sr. Data Engineer - FCP Tech

Federal Capital Partners

Chevy Chase, MD • On-site

$95K - $105K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 2 days ago

Job description

Real estate private equity is an exciting industry with the power to shape communities and change the built environment. FCP's technology team is at the forefront of this transformation, leveraging AI, automation, and modern data platforms to drive smarter investment decisions and operational excellence. This role offers a unique opportunity to work directly with firm leadership, industry experts, and cutting-edge tools to make a measurable impact on the business.
FCP is a leading real estate investment company that has invested in or financed more than $12.5 billion in assets since its founding in 1999. We are seeking an experienced Sr. Data Engineer to join our Washington, DC team. This is a rare opportunity to help build and scale a modern data and AI platform at a high-performing real estate private equity firm.
YOUR IMPACT:
As a Sr. Data Engineer, you will support our business lines, clients and investment decisions by:
  • Design and develop AI-assisted data pipelines, semantic models, and Power BI reports to support investment decisions and operations
  • Build, automate, and maintain data ingestion pipelines using Microsoft Fabric Data Factory and Python
  • Develop automated financial data analysis workflows and reporting solutions that leverage AI and machine learning capabilities
  • Integrate and govern disparate financial and operational data sources within FCP's Microsoft Fabric lakehouse environment
  • Lead data quality, reconciliation, and lineage initiatives across investment, financial, and asset management datasets

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Bachelor's degree or advanced degree in Engineering or Computer Science with excellent academic credentials
  • Minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience building and deploying data engineering solutions on cloud platforms (Azure preferred)
  • Minimum of 2 years of relevant data analytics work experience
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience with python and associated data libraries
  • Minimum of 2 years of experience with databases & queries
  • Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative information and translate into strategic deliverables
  • Ability to work independently and within a team
  • Experience working in Microsoft Azure and/or Microsoft Fabric; familiarity with AI services such as Azure OpenAI strongly preferred
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills
  • Experience in presenting ideas and analysis to groups and leadership
  • Motivated self-starter with effective time management skills and strong attention to detail
  • A desire to work within a fast-paced, collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment
  • Experience or previous interest in Real Estate strongly preferred
  • Required Technical Skills:
    • Excel (Complex Formulas, PivotTables, Formatting)
    • Microsoft Fabric (Lakehouse, Data Factory, Notebooks)
    • Python
    • SQL
    • Power BI & DAX
  • Preferred Technical Skills:
    • Azure OpenAI & AI Services
    • Databricks
    • JavaScript/HTML/CSS
    • LangChain or other AI/LLM orchestration frameworks
    • Financial Modeling

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