Senior Data Engineer
Do you want to be part of a rising star in the tech galaxy?
GrayHair Software specializes in postal data processing and analysis for major US firms. Handling 25% of all US Postal data, they track billions of pieces of mail each year for top US banks and insurance providers. If data were the Force, they’d be Jedi Masters.
With four Spaniards already on the dev team, they’re now looking for their fifth player—a Senior Data Engineer—to keep the growth going.
May the data be with you! Keep on reading! 😉
What will you do?
Let's hop into our DeLorean and travel back to see how GrayHair got here... Fasten your seatbelt! 📽️
GrayHair started in 2000 as a mail tracking service. By 2008, they built a solid client list and added four more services. In 2016, after a big pivot, they transformed into a data-centric company. By 2020, they embraced remote culture and tech transformation 💪 Learning from the past, they evolved into today's tech powerhouse 🚀
GrayHair processes and analyzes postal data for some of the largest US companies. Handling 25% of all US Postal data, they track billions of pieces of mail each year, processing over 125 billion data points annually. Their mission? Turning data into Business-Ready Intelligence to help leaders make informed decisions that boost marketing campaigns, prevent fraud, improve customer experience, and streamline mail operations.
GrayHair is in the midst of an exciting global tech transformation, redesigning all their services with cutting-edge technologies. Their solutions cover Postal Optimization, Marketing Effectiveness, Customer Experience, Fraud Prevention, Mail Delivery Performance, and Address Data Quality.
From a data engineering perspective, they need to modernize their data platforms and enhance their data pipelines. This will improve their products, elevate customer experience, and reduce operating costs.
Let me give you first some info about what they have in place.
Currently data is stored in SQL Server, Redshift, S3, and Postgres, with some workloads actively being migrated to Snowflake. Pipelines are managed with Airflow and Step Functions. As they modernize their data stack, they are open to different technologies that improve on what they have. Performance, resilience and cost are all driving factors.
Right now, they are on the hunt for a Senior Data Engineer to join their team. This role involves managing various data workloads, handling existing pipelines, migrating data between systems, performing ETL tasks, and solving issues. The ideal candidate must be a strong communicator, understands business problems, and has a solid grasp of data security and permissions.
Your evolution
In 1 month
During the first month at GrayHair, you'll participate in comprehensive company training and get to know your team. You'll gain an understanding of the current environment and begin working hands-on with some ongoing projects.
Your responsibilities
Design, build, and maintain Data Pipelines/ETLs.
Migrate data between systems, with a focus on Snowflake and AWS.
Manage existing data workloads and resolve issues.
Communicate effectively with both DBA and Data Scientist teams.
Recommend new trends and technologies.
How will you do it?
What truly sets GrayHair apart is their horizontal business structure and remarkable company culture. They have cultivated an environment where everyone's input is valued and respected. Communication is paramount, and they actively encourage constructive feedback from all team members. There are no barriers here; they believe in open dialogue and fostering a supportive atmosphere.
GrayHair leverages effective communication tools like Slack to stay connected throughout the day. This platform is used to exchange ideas, share updates, and offer assistance to one another. While there are no strict daily stand-ups, regular communication via Slack is expected to ensure alignment and progress.
You will report directly to Josh and work with both the DBA and Data Scientist teams in a pivotal role, so independence in managing time and priorities is crucial, as GrayHair values self-driven professionals who can navigate their tasks efficiently.
Also, bear in mind that they are open to continuous improvement, and they know that you will be the first European in the data team, so adaptions will be needed, and they expect you to stand up and make recommendations into this matter.
When will you work?
Since GrayHair is based in the USA, they ask that all members of the team be available between 8.30am and 12.30pm (UTC-4). In Spanish mainland time, this means you should be available between 14.30 and 18.30 (UTC+2), but they are really flexible on this as far as you can understand the importance of your role within the team!
The rest of the working hours are completely flexible, so you can work whenever suits you best!
Día laborable
Jornada completa
Vacaciones
23 días
Jornada laboral
FlexibleWhere will you work?
Remote
GrayHair Software is a 100% REMOTE amazing company!
The headquarters are in Florida, USA. However, they already have a team of 4 developers in Spain and rely so much on us that are willing to expand their forces here 🇪🇸
They strongly believe in the advantages of working remotely and in work-life balance, so you might have colleagues from all over the country :)
Who will you work with?
Right now, GrayHair has nearly 50 team members, with your team operating under Josh's leadership. The Data division is split into two teams: DBA and Data Scientists, including 4 full-time employees, 2 contractors focused on legacy conversions, a data engineering contractor, and 2 SQL DBAs.
- Josh McCaully: Head of Data
- Janesh Devkota - Manager of Business Intelligence & Analytics
- Callista Novus: Technical Lead of Analytics
- Sean Doyle: Data Analyst
- Himali Mehta: Data Scientist
- Jessica Bittmann: Human Resources Director
They all work remotely, but they do a company offsite once a year, where all full-time employees are flown to the USA for a 3-day company retreat. Here is a pic of a recent get-together in Florida:
What are they asking for?
They are looking for the right person, rather than just years and years of experience.
It's important to note that strong communication skills are a must-have to join the team. The ability to communicate fluently and comfortably in English is a deal-breaker for this position.
As for the technical requirements for this position, here they are:
- Senior-level experience in data engineering
- Proficiency in SQL and Python
- Experience with AWS Technologies: Glue, EMR, Lambda, RDS, S3, Athena
- Familiarity with Redshift, but much more important in Snowflake
- Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and source control
- Knowledge of DevOps processes, especially AWS cloud migration
- Have a certain understanding of data security and permissions.
Technologies
Non-negotiable
Python
Advanced 
AWS
Advanced 
SQL
Advanced
This would be good
Redshift
Advanced 
Snowflake
Advanced
Other skills
Non-negotiable
Good verbal communication
Analytical thinking
Adaptability to change
Ability to receive feedback
This would be good
Team player
Continuous learning
Mentoring ability
This gives extra points
Emotional intelligence
Languages
What are they offering?
🏖️ 23 vacation days all national, regional and local holidays as required by the CBA, as well as your birthday.🌏 Fully remote job
💻 Choose your own equipment
💰 Budget for conferences and training
🛩️ Dynamic and team building events
Perks
Budget for training
Budget for Conferences
Health insurance
Internal training events
Coaching and/or therapy sessions
Dynamics and teambuilding events
Extra holidays
Possibility to choose your devices
What the FAQ?
You are only eligible for this position if you are a Spanish resident.
- Screening by Josh (initial interview focused on cultural fit and data technology knowledge, 30-45 minutes).
- Two Technical interviews with 3-4 team members, focusing on ETLs, data, and practical cases. (The first will be a general Q&A. The second would be a use case scenario that we would ask how you would).
- Final interview with Jess HR Director (purely cultural).
NO. The team is spread over many different locations throughout Spain and the US.
They organize a fun company offsite once a year, where all full-time employees are flown to the USA for a 3-day company retreat. Although attendance is not mandatory, I wouldn’t want to miss it if I were you!😜
Of course, they'll cover the cost of these trips for those who are overseas :)