Senior Data Engineer

Senior Data Engineer | Hybrid in Glendale/Burbank/Santa Monica, CA | Contract/W2 Only! There are no Corp-to-Corp options or Visa Sponsorship available for this position Optomi, in partnership with a global leader in media and entertainment, is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for a hybrid role based in Glendale, Burbank, or Santa Monica, CA. This engineer will join the Ad Platforms organization working on mission-critical systems that power personalized advertising experiences across enterprise platforms. This role sits within the Audience Targeting team, where you'll build and enhance a next-generation big data platform responsible for enabling real-time, high-scale audience targeting solutions. You will work closely with data scientists, product managers, DevOps, and fellow engineers to develop highly performant, cloud-native systems and data applications. What the right candidate will enjoy: • Long-term contract with the potential to extend/convert! • Working on cutting-edge big data and cloud technologies! • High-impact work that supports critical advertising and audience systems! • Collaborative team culture with opportunities for technical leadership! Experience of the right candidate: • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field. • 5+ years of professional software engineering experience. • 5+ years of programming experience using Java, Scala, Python, or similar languages. • 3+ years of hands-on experience with big data development, including tools and frameworks like: Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Kafka, NiFi, SingleStore, and AWS Big Data Services. • Solid understanding of system design and distributed application architecture. • Experience developing high-availability, scalable, and cloud-based services. • Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams. Preferred Qualifications: • Experience working with petabyte-scale data. • Hands-on experience with cloud infrastructure tools such as: Terraform, Kubernetes (K8s), Spinnaker, IAM, Application Load Balancers (ALB). • Familiarity with modern data analytics tools such as: ClickHouse, Druid, Snowflake, Impala, Presto, Kinesis. • Experience in building and supporting real-time data pipelines. • Background working in ad tech, decision science, or analytics-heavy environments. Responsibilities of the right candidate: • Design, build, and deploy components of a real-time and batch big data platform. • Develop cloud-based infrastructure for scalable data applications using AWS and open-source frameworks. • Collaborate with data scientists and engineers to build audience targeting capabilities. • Contribute to application performance, availability, and scalability improvements. • Participate in the full software development lifecycle: design, implementation, testing, and deployment. • Establish and promote engineering best practices, including CI/CD pipelines, code reviews, and automated testing. • Mentor junior engineers and contribute to team-level technical direction. • Stay current on industry trends and bring innovative technologies and ideas into the team. What we’re looking for: • Proven experience in building large-scale, full-stack data applications in cloud environments. • Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects and collaborate cross-functionally. • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot complex data issues. • A passion for learning, innovation, and applying emerging technologies to real-world problems. • Agile mindset and commitment to continuous improvement.