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Startup Data Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Brevian.ai

Data Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$134K - $161K/yr

Job title Data Engineer Position overview We are looking for an experienced Data Engineer to join ... You get to experience the 0-1 of building a startup, working with talented engineers from ...

Sigma Computing

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA

$140K - $180K/yr

Data Engineer, Data Platform About the Role We are building out our Data Platform team at Sigma ... Startup experience Qualifications We Want (also, skills you'll learn!) * A drive to continuously ...

Horizon Surgical Systems, Inc.

Data Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$123K - $148K/yr

  • PTO

Open Position - Data Engineer Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. Horizon Surgical Systems Inc. is ... This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-tech startup that is poised to revolutionize ...

Allocate

Sr. Data Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$145K - $220K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Allocate is looking for a Senior Data Engineer to help build out the data infrastructure that ... As a fintech startup on a mission to make investing in top-tier private markets more accessible, we ...

Allocate

Sr. Data Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · Remote

$220K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Allocate is looking for a Senior Data Engineer to help build out the data infrastructure that ... As a fintech startup on a mission to make investing in top-tier private markets more accessible, we ...

Swish Analytics

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$145K/yr

Company Overview Swish Analytics is a sports analytics, betting and fantasy startup building the ... The Swish Analytics team is seeking Data Engineers based in Europe to have a direct impact on the ...

Swish Analytics

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site +1

$160K/yr

Company Overview Swish Analytics is a sports analytics, betting and fantasy startup building the ... The Swish Analytics team is seeking Data Engineers to have a direct impact on the infrastructure ...

Rad AI

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$145K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join our engineering team. With our rapid client growth ... Experience working at an early stage startup. * Experience in a HIPAA compliant environment.

Rad AI

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$134K - $162K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are seeking a Senior Data Engineer to join our engineering team. With our rapid client growth ... Experience working at an early stage startup. * Experience in a HIPAA compliant environment.

Sigma Computing

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$140K - $180K/yr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

Data Engineer, Data Platform About the Role We are building out our Data Platform team at Sigma ... Startup experience Qualifications We Want (also, skills you'll learn!) * A drive to continuously ...

Elve Inc

Data Engineer

Davis, CA · On-site

$85K - $150K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

Who is Elve? Elve, Inc is a deep-tech startup in Davis, CA, specializing in the design and ... The Data Engineer will design and deploy data pipelines and databases, statistical analysis tools ...

Vibrant Planet

Data Engineer

Truckee, CA · Remote

$200K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

As a startup, we are building an engineering culture that is collaborative, innovative, and ... Develop and drive data quality standards, including validation checks, monitoring, and alerting, to ...

Elve Inc

Data Engineer

Davis, CA

$85K - $150K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

Who is Elve? Elve, Inc is a deep-tech startup in Davis, CA, specializing in the design and ... The Data Engineer will design and deploy data pipelines and databases, statistical analysis tools ...

Elve Inc

Data Engineer

Davis, CA · On-site

$85K - $150K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

Who is Elve? Elve, Inc is a deep-tech startup in Davis, CA, specializing in the design and ... The Data Engineer will design and deploy data pipelines and databases, statistical analysis tools ...

Swish Analytics

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$145K/yr

Company Overview Swish Analytics is a sports analytics, betting and fantasy startup building the ... The Swish Analytics team is seeking Data Engineers based in Europe to have a direct impact on the ...

Swish Analytics

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$145K/yr

Company Overview Swish Analytics is a sports analytics, betting and fantasy startup building the ... The Swish Analytics team is seeking Data Engineers based in Europe to have a direct impact on the ...

TMS

Software Engineer, ML Data Reliability

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$141K - $169K/yr

Full Time Permanent Role On W2 We're looking to hire our first data software engineer client is Looking for a startup-minded eng who works closely with our ML and optimization teams to ingest and ...

New

Ambience Healthcare

Senior Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

We're backed by Oak HC/FT, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), OpenAI Startup Fund, and Kleiner Perkins ... As a Senior Data Engineer, you'll build and run the pipelines that ingest clinical and operational ...

New

Swish Analytics

Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$160K/yr

Company Overview Swish Analytics is a sports analytics, betting and fantasy startup building the ... The Swish Analytics team is seeking Data Engineers to have a direct impact on the infrastructure ...

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All JobsStartup Data Engineer JobsStartup Data Engineer Jobs in California

Startup Data Engineer information

What are the typical challenges faced by a startup data engineer, and how is the work environment different from larger companies?

As a Startup Data Engineer, you may encounter unique challenges such as building data systems from scratch, managing ambiguous requirements, and wearing multiple hats due to smaller team sizes. The work environment is often fast-paced and dynamic, with frequent changes in project priorities and high expectations for proactive problem-solving. You’ll likely collaborate closely with engineers, analysts, and founders, gaining hands-on experience with the entire data pipeline and direct influence on core business decisions. This setting offers excellent opportunities for rapid skill growth, creativity, and career advancement, but requires comfort with ambiguity and a strong sense of ownership.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a startup data engineer?

To thrive as a Startup Data Engineer, you need strong programming skills (especially in Python or Scala), experience with data modeling, ETL pipelines, and a solid understanding of database management. Proficiency with tools like SQL, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and frameworks such as Apache Spark or Airflow is typically expected, while data engineering certifications are a plus. Adaptability, problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical team members are crucial soft skills in this environment. These attributes are essential for efficiently building data infrastructure and collaborating with fast-moving startup teams to enable data-driven decision-making.

What is a startup data engineer?

A Startup Data Engineer is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining data infrastructure in an early-stage company. They work on developing ETL pipelines, managing databases, and ensuring data is accessible and reliable for analytics and machine learning. Unlike in larger companies, they often operate with limited resources, requiring them to balance scalability, cost-efficiency, and speed. They may also take on DevOps and software engineering tasks to support the startup’s evolving data needs. Adaptability and problem-solving skills are crucial in this role.

What are the most commonly searched types of Startup Data Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Startup Data Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Startup Data Engineer jobs in California?

For Startup Data Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Startup Data Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Startup Data Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Startup Data Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Startup Data Engineer job openings:

Startup Data Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Startup Data Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Senior Data Engineer

Stealth Social Media Startup

San Jose, CA • On-site

$124K - $168K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:
Kai is a stealth social media startup focused on rebuilding cybersecurity through AI technology. They are looking for a Senior Data Engineer to design, build, and optimize data pipelines and infrastructure for their security platform, ensuring high-speed data processing and reliability.
Responsibilities:
• Design and build scalable data pipelines for batch and real-time processing across Kai's agentic AI platform
• Own and optimize high-volume data infrastructure handling hundreds of millions of entries with low latency and high reliability
• Build and maintain data models and storage systems optimized for large-scale, high-throughput security data workloads
• Identify bottlenecks in the current architecture and drive optimization — reduce processing time, improve reliability, and make the customer experience better
• Lead the Terraformization of data pipelines to enable cloud-agnostic deployment across Azure, AWS, and GCP
• Integrate and manage cloud data services, ensuring secure service principles, permissions, and cross-service connectivity
• Collaborate closely with Backend Engineering teams on both the ingestion and consumption sides of the data pipeline
• Ensure data quality, consistency, and reliability across all pipelines
• Contribute to code reviews, technical documentation, and best practices
• Bring a point of view — propose solutions, not just problems, and start building before you're asked
Qualifications:
Required:
• 7+ years of overall software engineering experience, with 5+ years focused in data engineering or data platform engineering
• Must have hands-on experience handling up to 200M+ entries in materialized views in an asynchronous manner
• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL — these are how our systems are written
• Strong data modeling skills — you can design schemas and storage systems that hold up at scale
• Experience with NoSQL databases at scale — CosmosDB, MongoDB, or equivalent
• Proven experience designing and building large-scale distributed data pipelines in both batch and streaming modes
• Hands-on experience with Flink, Kafka, Spark, or similar stream and batch processing frameworks
• Experience with data pipeline orchestration tools — Airflow, Temporal, or equivalent
• Infrastructure experience — Terraform, Kubernetes, and Docker are expected, not aspirational
• Cloud platform expertise — deep hands-on experience in at least one major cloud platform (Azure, AWS, or GCP); Azure experience strongly preferred
• Strong communication skills — you work cross-functionally and can explain complex systems clearly
Preferred:
• DataOps experience — ability to own data infrastructure decisions independently, reducing dependency on DevOps for pipeline deployment, permissions, and service integration
• Experience with data systems supporting AI/ML workloads — feature stores, ML pipelines, or dataset versioning
• Experience with DeltaLake, Apache Iceberg, or similar open table formats
• Startup or high-growth experience — you have operated in a fast-paced environment where things change quickly and ownership is expected
Company:
Find your people. Find your path. Connect. Explore. Become. Founded in , the company is headquartered in , , with a team of 11-50 employees. The company is currently Early Stage.

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