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Startup Data Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts (NOW HIRING)

Data Engineer

Somerville, MA · On-site

$125K - $150K/yr

Position Overview Matterworks is seeking a Data Engineer to build and run the pipelines behind our ... A passion for contributing to an early-stage startup where autonomy, eagerness to learn, and ...

Data Engineer

Somerville, MA · On-site

$110 - $150/hr

Position Overview Matterworks is seeking a Data Engineer to build and run the pipelines behind our ... A passion for contributing to an early‑stage startup where autonomy, eagerness to learn, and ...

Senior Data Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$120K - $140K/yr

The Team At ABCorp, we know that our legacy and decades of achievement are powered by an exceptional team that embodies a true startup mindset. The Platform Engineering Team at ABCorp builds the data ...

Forward Deployed Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$150 - $230/hr

As the first Forward Deployed Engineer in our Boston office , you have a premier opportunity to ... fast-paced startup grows. * Data Infrastructure & System Architecture: Architect, build, and ...

Posted today

Support and oversee key aspects of study execution, including feasibility assessment, study startup ... CWork closely with Product, Data Science, Engineering, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs ...

Operating as a tech startup within a Fortune 100 company, we are leading a digital disruption that ... As a Software Engineer - Data Platforms in Global Digital Services (GDS) organization, you will ...

Sr. Analytics Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$110K - $140K/yr

... true startup mindset. The Analytics Engineering Team at ABCorp partners closely with Product Management, Engineering, Sales, and Customer Success to build the data foundations that drive product ...

Quant Data Lead

Boston, MA · On-site

$200K - $240K/yr

The position combines hands-on engineering with architectural decision-making, team leadership, and ... Ability to operate in a startup-style environment, balancing architecture, hands-on coding, and ...

PhaseV (HQ in Boston, R&D in Tel Aviv) is a cutting-edge startup, pushing innovation in the drug ... Work cross-functionally with engineering and product teams * Contribute to technical discussions ...

PhaseV (HQ in Boston, R&D in Tel Aviv) is a cutting-edge startup, pushing innovation in the drug ... Work cross-functionally with engineering and product teams * Contribute to technical discussions ...

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Showing results 1-20

Startup Data Engineer information

See Massachusetts salary details

$48.6K

$141.7K

$193.9K

How much do startup data engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average yearly pay for startup data engineer in Massachusetts is $141,666.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,000.00 and $150,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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 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 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 most commonly searched types of Startup Data Engineer jobs in Massachusetts?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Infographic showing various Startup Data Engineer job openings in Massachusetts as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 81% Full Time, 14% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $141,666 per year, or $68.1 per hour.

Data Engineer

Matterworks, Inc

Somerville, MA • On-site

$125K - $150K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Re-posted yesterday


Job description

About Us
Most of the molecules driving human biology are invisible to us. Mass spectrometers already detect metabolites, lipids, and peptides, but the vast majority of those signals never get identified. A typical experiment names a small fraction of its features and discards the rest. We call this biology's dark matter. It's signal-rich and mechanism-defining, yet almost entirely opaque.
Matterworks is building the foundation models that make that dark matter legible. Our Large Spectral Models do for biochemical biology what AlphaFold and ESM did for proteins: turning a library-bound discipline into something predictable and generative, and embedding it at every stage of R&D.
Come build the future of biological discovery with us.
Position Overview
Matterworks is seeking a Data Engineer to build and run the pipelines behind our models. Our platform acquires mass spectrometry and molecular data at scale and turns it into the datasets our AI team trains on and our product reasons over. You will own real pieces of that path end to end.
Our data serves two different customers. The AI team needs training corpora that are complete, correctly split, and reproducible. The product and agentic layer needs values a scientist can explain and we can safely show a customer. You will build inside the contracts and checks that keep both honest, and you will help extend them.
This is a hands-on role with a clear growth path. You will start by owning well-scoped pipelines and datasets and grow toward owning larger parts of the platform. You will report to the Head of Engineering and work daily with our machine learning researchers, scientists, and product team.
Key Responsibilities
  • Build and Operate Pipelines: Own well-scoped pipelines end to end: designed, tested, instrumented, documented, and running on a schedule.
  • Labels and Enrichment: Turn raw data into datasets people can actually use, with consistent schemas, trustworthy metadata, and documented definitions.
  • Data Quality Checks: Design, build and extend our quality checks so that each build gets compared against the last one before it publishes, and a failure stops the pipeline instead of shipping.
  • Ingest and Acquisition: Bring new public and partner datasets into the platform: fetching, converting, validating, and reconciling them against what we already hold. Expect messy scientific and vendor formats and file that require continuous improvements to our systems to handle at scale.

About You
  • 2+ years of professional experience building data pipelines in production.
  • Proficient in Python and SQL.
  • Working knowledge of cloud data infrastructure. We run Argo Workflows and Metaflow on EKS, Glue and Athena over Apache Iceberg and Parquet, DuckDB, and Terraform. Depth in any comparable stack transfers fine.
  • Demonstrated experience owning a pipeline or dataset end to end, including the tests, the monitoring, and the failures.
  • Comfort with messy data and messy formats, and the patience to track down why two sources disagree.
  • Daily use of AI coding tools, paired with healthy skepticism about their output on questions of production data correctness.
  • Clear written communication, particularly when explaining what broke and what you changed.
  • Curiosity about the science. Experience in life sciences, biotechnology, or biochemistry is a plus but not a requirement, and you will work alongside strong in-house chemistry every day.
  • A passion for contributing to an early-stage startup where autonomy, eagerness to learn, and enthusiasm for solving novel scientific challenges prevail over rigid processes and egos.

Working at Matterworks
Given the cross-disciplinary and innovative nature of our work, effective collaboration and communication are critical to our progress. We operate in a flexible hybrid model that accommodates both fully remote team members and those who work full-time from our Somerville, MA office. While some positions may require regular in-person presence for hands-on work or local collaboration, many roles can be performed remotely with team members distributed across various locations.
Compensation and Benefits
Matterworks offers full-time employees a competitive base salary, stock options, and benefits (health & dental, vision, long- and short-term disability, life insurance, 401k with company match). Employees enjoy a flexible work & unlimited time away policy, commuter benefits and parking, regular team meals and outings, and company support for continued education/coursework and conference participation.
Matterworks, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All candidates for employment at Matterworks are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by law.