Principal Engineer - Data & Platforms (m/f/d)

YOUR ROLE

We are looking for a Principal Engineer - Data & Platforms to join our data and engineering team at BIT Capital.

In this role, you will act as a key technical authority shaping the evolution of our core data platform, which powers proprietary equity research and AI-driven analytics. Operating at petabyte scale and under real-world production constraints, you will define architectural direction, drive critical platform decisions, and ensure the system scales reliably as a long-term strategic asset.

You will own the end-to-end technical direction and lifecycle of the data platform, spanning architecture, implementation, and operations, while systematically evolving it towards higher reliability, quality, security, and efficiency. The role combines hands-on engineering with technical leadership and offers significant scope to grow into broader responsibility over time.

You will operate across team boundaries, aligning platform capabilities with research, data science, and business needs, and influencing engineering decisions beyond your immediate domain.

What you will do

• Design, build, and operate large-scale data pipelines and platform components handling complex, high-volume datasets.

• Contribute to the evolution of our data platform architecture (lakehouse/warehouse, orchestration, processing frameworks) with a strong focus on robustness and scalability.

• Improve data quality and reliability through testing, validation, and safe rollout patterns for pipelines and backfills.

• Strengthen operational excellence by improving observability, monitoring, alerting, and cost awareness across the data platform.

• Contribute to secure and compliant data handling practices, including access controls, secrets management, and auditing.

• Lead complex technical initiatives end-to-end while remaining hands-on in implementation.

• Raise engineering standards through code reviews, design discussions, and mentoring.

• Collaborate closely with researchers, data scientists, and other stakeholders to translate analytical and business needs into scalable engineering solutions.

• Support AI- and LLM-enabled workflows where they rely on the data platform (e.g. datasets, retrieval pipelines, evaluation and reliability).

YOUR PROFILE

What we’re looking for

• Several years of relevant industry experience building and operating production-grade data or platform systems.

• Strong Python and SQL skills, applied with clean engineering and testing practices.

• Experience with distributed data processing frameworks and modern data platforms (e.g. Databricks/Spark, Snowflake, or comparable technologies).

• Solid understanding of data modeling, pipeline design, schema evolution, backfills, and failure modes in large-scale data systems.

• Experience working with cloud infrastructure (preferably AWS) and production environments.

• Experience building and operating APIs using at least one of Django REST Framework (DRF), Flask, or FastAPI.

• A strong quality mindset: you care deeply about correctness, reliability, and long-term maintainability.

• Ability to lead technically through influence, sound judgment, and example.

• This role requires demonstrated excellence, combining outstanding academic achievements with exceptional impact in previous roles, and clear indicators of exceptional analytical and systems-thinking ability.

Nice to have

• Experience with infrastructure as code, CI/CD, and containerized environments.

• Practical experience improving security in data platforms.

• Exposure to financial data, research workflows, or investment-related use cases.

• Experience supporting or operating LLM-based systems in production (e.g. RAG pipelines, evaluation, LLMOps).

YOUR MINDSET

• You are passionate about AI, emerging technologies, and investing.

• You are proactive, entrepreneurial, and eager to contribute strategically to a high-growth, innovative environment.

• You are collaborative and thrive in a transparent, high-performance team culture.

• You consistently challenge the status quo, exploring new ideas and innovative solutions.

• You are committed to BIT Capital's vision and long-term success.

OUR BENEFITS

• Work with petabytes of data, leveraging the most cutting-edge tools

• Work with the brightest minds in the industry and become part of an unique success story in Europe 

• An experienced, international team with professional colleagues and strong experts for an inspiring network

• Flat hierarchy and direct interaction with the management and senior staff of BIT Capital

• Assumption of responsibility from day one

• Challenging, varied tasks for a steep learning curve and professional growth opportunities

• A transparent, appreciative feedback culture for your personal development

• Team events with a successful team that brings digital and financial worlds together

• Competitive compensation package as well as relocation and visa support