Staff Data Engineer

At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to bring clarity to all of life’s financial decisions​ and every great mission needs a team of exceptional Nerds. We’ve built an inclusive, flexible, and candid culture where you’re empowered to grow, take smart risks, and be unapologetically yourself (cape optional). Whether remote or in-office, we support how you thrive best. We invest in your well-being, development, and ability to make an impact​ because when one Nerd levels up, we all do.

Data engineers are the builders behind the insights that drive smarter decisions. They design and scale reliable data pipelines and models that power analytics, experimentation, and strategic decision-making across the company. As a Staff Data Engineer, you’ll tackle complex, cross-functional data challenges—partnering closely with stakeholders across product, engineering, and business teams. You’ll combine strong technical expertise with clear communication and thoughtful collaboration to ensure our data systems are not only technically sound, but also deeply aligned with NerdWallet’s strategic goals.

As part of our embedded data model, you’ll work directly within a product vertical - shaping the data that drives business decisions, product innovation, and user experiences. This is a unique opportunity to see your work translate into real-world outcomes, accelerating NerdWallet’s mission through data that’s closer than ever to the business.

You’ll design, develop, and maintain data systems and pipelines that serve as the foundation for analytics and product innovation in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment. The right candidate thrives in ambiguity—comfortable toggling between projects, adapting to shifting priorities, and leading through change. You’ll elevate the team’s impact by leveraging both your technical depth and your ability to influence, mentor, and foster a culture of innovation, reliability, and continuous improvement.

This role sits within Core Engineering and reports to a Senior Manager of Data Engineering. You’ll join a passionate team of Nerds who believe clean, scalable data is at the heart of helping consumers make smarter financial decisions.

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of business-critical data assets, ensuring they are accurate, reliable, and aligned with evolving business priorities

• Drive technical innovation and process excellence, evaluating emerging technologies and implementing scalable, efficient solutions that improve data pipeline performance and reliability

• Tackle complex technical challenges - balancing scalability, security, and performance - while providing clear rationale for architectural decisions and aligning outcomes across teams

• Ensure data pipeline reliability and observability, proactively identifying and resolving issues, investigating anomalies, and improving monitoring to safeguard data integrity

• Build trust and alignment across cross-functional teams through transparent communication, collaborative problem-solving, and a deep understanding of partner needs

• Bring clarity and direction to ambiguity, taking ownership of initiatives that span multiple domains or teams, and providing technical leadership to ensure successful delivery

• Prioritize work strategically, balancing business impact, risk, and execution to drive measurable outcomes that support organizational goals

• Act as a trusted technical advisor and thought leader, shaping the team’s long-term architecture and influencing best practices

• Foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning, mentoring engineers and championing modern data engineering practices, including AI and automation-enabled solutions

• 7+ years of relevant professional experience in data engineering

• 5+ years of experience with AWS, Snowflake, DBT, Airflow

• Advanced level of proficiency in Python and SQL

• Working knowledge of relational databases and query performance tuning (SQL)

• Working knowledge of streaming technologies such as Storm, Kafka, Kinesis, and Flume

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience)

• Advanced level of proficiency applying principles of logical thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

• Experience designing, building and operating robust data systems with reliable monitoring and logging practices

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate information to team members of all levels and various amounts of applicable knowledge throughout the organization

• This role will be remote (based in the U.S.).

• We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family.

Work Hard, Stay Balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?)

• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents

• Rejuvenation Policy – Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + 4 Mental Health Days Off

• New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

• Mental health support

• Paid sabbatical for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge and pursue their interests

• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution

• Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend 

• Work from home equipment stipend and co-working space subsidy

Have Some Fun! (Nerds are fun, too)

• Nerd-led group initiatives – Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities

• Hackathons and team events across all teams and departments

• Company-wide events like NerdLove (employee appreciation) and our annual Charity Auction 

• Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Take 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter and donate to your favorite causes with a company match

Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people)

• 401K with company match

• Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools

• Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar

• Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.

NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, so all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.  

NerdWallet will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice, as well as the Los Angeles Fair Chance Act, which requires this notice.

NerdWallet participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify program for all US locations. For more information, please see:

• E-Verify Participation Poster (English+Spanish/Español)

• Right to Work Poster (English) / (Spanish/Español) 

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