Job Requisition ID #
Position Overview
Autodesk is a global leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software,
empowering innovators to design and make a better world. Our platforms support millions of
users across industries including architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, and
media.
The Growth Experience Technology (GET) organization is seeking a Principal Engineer– Data Platform & Backend to lead the evolution of scalable data platforms, data pipelines, and data-intensive backend services powering digital experience, commerce, and customer intelligence platforms.
This is primarily a data platform engineering hands-on leadership role, with backend engineering as an important enabling capability. The ideal candidate will own modern data architecture, batch and streaming pipelines, data models, data qual ity, governance, and cloud- scale data systems, while also designing APIs, services, and integrations that make trusted data accessible, reliable, and product-ready.
This is a high-impact technical hands-on leadership role responsible for defining architecture, scaling data platforms, and enabling AI-driven personalization, experimentation, customer intelligence, and decision intelligence at global scale. You will operate across multiple teams as a technical authority, mentor, and strategic driver, shaping both execution and long-term technical vision.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture and implementation of scalable enterprise data platforms, data pipelines, and data products.
- Design and build batch, real-time, and event-driven data processing systems.
- Own data architecture patterns including data modeling, lakehouse design, data
- contracts, schema evolution, lineage, quality, and governance.
- Build reliable data ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and serving layers for
- digital experience, commerce, customer intelligence, analytics, operational reporting, and AI/ML readiness.
- Design data-intensive backend services, APIs, and integrations that expose trusted
- data to products, platforms, and internal consumers.
- Define standards for ETL/ELT, streaming, data validation, observability, monitoring,
- metadata management, and pipeline reliability.
- Work with cloud and data platforms such as AWS, Azure, Snowflake, Databricks,
- Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, Spark, Kafka/Kinesis, Airflow, dbt, and Fivetran.
- Partner with Engineering, Product, Data Science, Analytics, DevOps, Security, and
- FinOps teams to translate business and platform needs into scalable data solutions.
- Optimize data systems for performance, reliability, cost, security, and operational
- excellence.
- Contribute to technical roadmap planning, platform modernization, technical debt
- reduction, and adoption of modern data architecture patterns.
- Mentor engineers and raise the engineering bar across data design, implementation, testing, observability, operations, and ownership.
Minimum Qualifications
- 9+ years of hands-on engineering experience, with strong experience in data
- engineering, data platforms, or distributed data systems.
- 3+ years in a technical leadership role such as Principal Engineer, Staff Engineer,
- Architect, or Tech Lead.
- Proven experience designing and operating large-scale data platforms, pipelines, and data-intensive systems.
- Strong expertise in SQL, Python, data modeling, distributed systems, and cloud
- data architecture.
- Hands-on experience with modern data platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks,
- Delta Lake, Apache Iceberg, or equivalent.
- Experience with batch and streaming technologies such as Spark, Kafka, Kinesis,
- Flink, or equivalent.
- Experience with orchestration and transformation tools such as Airflow, dbt,
- Fivetran, Dagster, or equivalent.
- Good backend engineering experience with APIs, microservices, event-driven
- architecture, and service-to-data platform integrations.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS and/or Azure.
- Strong understanding of data quality, governance, lineage, observability, schema
- evolution, CI/CD, and production operations.
- Ability to make pragmatic architecture decisions that balance scalability, reliability,
- delivery speed, and cost.
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, mentoring, and technical leadership skills.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical
- experience.
Learn More
About Autodesk
Welcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.
We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.
When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!
Salary transparency
Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience and geographic location. In addition to base salaries, our compensation package may include annual cash bonuses, commissions for sales roles, stock grants, and a comprehensive benefits package.Belonging
We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/global-belonging
Are you an existing contractor or consultant with Autodesk?
Please search for open jobs and apply internally (not on this external site).
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in data engineering or distributed data systems
- 3+ years in a technical leadership or principal-level role
- Proven experience designing and delivering large-scale, enterprise-grade data platforms
- Strong expertise in SQL and Python, Data modelling and architecture design
- Hands-on experience with Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) Data warehousing (Snowflake or equivalent)
- Experience with batch and streaming frameworks (Spark, Kafka, Hadoop, Kinesis)
- Deep understanding of ETL/ELT paradigms and modern data stack
- Experience with orchestration and ingestion tools (Airflow, Fivetran)
- Strong communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills
Autodesk Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Autodesk and has not been reviewed or approved by Autodesk.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time away is considered expansive, combining discretionary time off for salaried roles, company holidays/Autodays, and a periodic paid sabbatical. These options provide flexibility beyond standard accrual-based PTO.
-
Equity Value & Accessibility — Total rewards prominently include RSUs and an employee stock purchase plan with a discount and lookback, alongside annual bonus or commission programs. These elements are available to eligible employees and can materially augment base pay.
-
Parental & Family Support — Family-building support includes reimbursement for adoption, surrogacy, IVF/co‑maternity, and fertility benefits, plus dedicated coaching and Cleo resources for parenting and caregiving. These services extend support before, during, and after leave.
Autodesk Insights
What We Do
Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, or watched a great film, chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Autodesk gives you the power to make anything. Over 100 million people use Autodesk software like AutoCAD, Revit, Maya, 3ds Max, Fusion 360, SketchBook, and more to unlock their creativity and solve important design, business and environmental challenges. Our software runs on both personal computers and mobile devices and taps the infinite computing power of the cloud to help teams around the world collaborate, design, simulate and fabricate their ideas in 3D. We provide exceptional compensation/benefit packages and we’d love for you to join us. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, gender, disability, veteran status or other protected category. To see our culture in action, check out #AutodeskLife. We are headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and have more than 10,000 employees worldwide.
Why Work With Us
Our work is impactful. Our people are innovative. And our culture is inclusive. As our software shapes new solutions to the world’s biggest challenges, you shape your career path. With us, you lead the way in achieving sustainability, resilient communities, and an equitable workforce. Discover #AutodeskLife.
Gallery
