Lead Data Engineer

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Job Category

Software Engineering

Job Details

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.

Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.

Lead Data Engineer - Search and AI

Office hybrid in Seattle, WA or Chicago, IL
Position Overview:
As a Data Engineer at Salesforce within the Data & Analytics organization, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to create and manage robust data solutions that support our analytics and business intelligence initiatives, building scalable and efficient data pipelines, optimizing data workflows, and ensuring data quality and reliability. Furthermore, you will act as the lead technical individual contributor for our Agentic AI ecosystem, serving as the Primary Architect for the retrieval layer to ensure our AI agents are grounded in accurate, real-time, and high-context data, bridging the gap between raw data infrastructure and the intelligent, Agentic systems that drive Customer Success.

What You’ll Do

• Implement Search & Retrieval Systems: Design and implement robust search indices that enable AI agents to perform complex retrievals across the Salesforce data ecosystem.

• AI Component Development: Lead the hands-on creation of the semantic layer and embedding pipelines necessary for grounding Agentic AI in Customer Success data.

• Technical Mentorship: Act as a technical pillar for a specialized team of data and AI engineers, fostering technical excellence and elevating the overall skill set of the organization.

• Strategic Technical Roadmap: In partnership with product managers and engineering leaders, define the technical vision for agentic retrieval, aligning search strategy with the broader migration to Data Cloud.

• Operational Excellence: Establish and enforce rigorous technical standards for data quality, latency, and index freshness to ensure agents provide reliable, real-time insights.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Decision Scientists, Data Scientists, Product Managers, and Engineering Leaders to translate complex business needs into scalable, production-ready technical solutions.

• AI Integration & Automation: Lead high-impact efforts to automate the data delivery pipeline, ensuring seamless integration between internal databases, third-party APIs, and the AI orchestration layer.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar role.

• Proficiency in data engineering tools and languages, such as Python, SQL, and Spark.

• Strong understanding of database concepts, data modeling, and ETL processes with tools like Airflow, dbt, Informatica, etc.

• Experience with cloud-based data solutions (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

• Familiarity with data warehousing, SQL, NoSQL databases, and data integration techniques.

• Experience with the Salesforce Ecosystem, specifically Data Cloud.

• Problem-solving skills to troubleshoot and resolve data-related issues.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate in a cross-functional environment.

• A related technical degree required

Join our innovative team and contribute to our data-driven success. Apply today to help us build and maintain the data infrastructure that drives our business forward.

Why Join This Team?

Salesforce is inspiring the future of business with AI + Data + CRM, and we are helping to propel Salesforce forward as an Agentic Enterprise. By building the components that power our agents, you are directly responsible for the operational efficiency and success of our internal stakeholders and global customers.

Unleash Your Potential

When you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we’ll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future — but to redefine what’s possible — for yourself, for AI, and the world.

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Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that’s inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications – without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.

At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions. The typical base salary range for this position is $172,500 - $260,100 annually. The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.