Founding Engineer – Backend / Data Engineering

Experience:
4–7 Years

About The Role
We are looking for a Backend / Data Engineer to join the founding team of an early-stage technology startup building an AI-powered customer engagement platform. This role offers an opportunity to build core backend infrastructure and data systems from the ground up. The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in Python, PostgreSQL, advanced SQL, and production-grade data pipelines. This is a data engineering-focused backend role requiring hands-on experience in data modelling, large-scale batch processing, pipeline reliability, and database performance optimisation.

Key Responsibilities
• Design and build reliable third-party data ingestion pipelines, including API integrations, webhooks, and data reconciliation.
• Develop efficient batch processing systems to handle large datasets within defined execution windows.
• Design and optimise PostgreSQL schemas, queries, indexes, and database performance.
• Build scalable data transformation workflows using advanced SQL and Python.
• Implement multi-tenant data isolation and ensure reliable processing across different customer environments.
• Develop mechanisms for data backfills, replay, recovery, and reconciliation.
• Maintain data integrity through auditable, traceable, and reliable data processing systems.
• Build robust API integrations with appropriate retry mechanisms, error handling, and failure recovery.
• Implement automated testing, monitoring, alerting, and idempotent job execution.
• Collaborate with the founding team to make architectural decisions and take end-to-end ownership of backend and data engineering systems. Mandatory Skills & Experience
• 4–7 years of experience building and maintaining production-grade backend systems or data pipelines.
• Strong expertise in Python and PostgreSQL,



including database schema design, query optimisation, indexing, and performance tuning.
• Hands-on experience building and operating production data pipelines involving ingestion, transformation, reconciliation, and data serving.
• Advanced SQL skills, including:
• Complex joins and multi-step transformations
• Window functions
• Aggregations and statistical computations
• Incremental data processing
• Experience working with large datasets and designing efficient batch processing systems.
• Understanding of data modelling and converting raw transactional or event data into meaningful business metrics.
• Experience with automated testing, data validation, and ensuring pipeline reliability.
• Experience handling production issues involving API failures, webhook reliability, queue backlogs, and data inconsistencies.
• Strong problem-solving, documentation, and written communication skills.
• Ability to independently own technical deliverables in a fast-paced startup environment. Good to Have
• Experience with Django or other Python backend frameworks.
• Exposure to AWS cloud infrastructure.
• Experience working with e-commerce or consumer internet platforms.
• Familiarity with dbt and contemporary data transformation practices.
• Experience with event-driven architectures and technologies such as Kafka.
• Knowledge of data structures such as HyperLogLog, Bloom Filters, and t-digest.
• Experience with analytical databases and distributed data processing systems. Technology Stack Python | PostgreSQL | Django | AWS | Advanced SQL | dbt Ideal Candidate Someone who has built and operated data-intensive production systems, understands database performance at scale, and can independently design reliable data pipelines and backend infrastructure from the ground up.

Skills:
python,django,postgresql,communication,sql,aws,data structures,kafka

📌 Founding Data Engineer (India)
🏢 Skillyt
📍 India