Senior Backend Engineer - Snowflake Data Platform

Upwork is looking for a talented, experienced, and hardworking Senior Backend Engineer with an expert level in Python, Javascript, server-side development with SQL experience, and AWS knowledge to work on the Upwork Data Platform Backend.

The Intelligent Data Platform team is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to support the Snowflake Data Platform. This is a hands-on IC role focused on building, operating, and automating backend services that power data ingestion, orchestration, governance, cost optimization, and compliance for a platform used by hundreds of internal users.

Your Responsibilities:

• Build and operate backend services and automation for the Snowflake data platform.
• Support data ingestion pipelines (RDS/Oracle → Snowflake) and reverse ETL (Snowflake → RDS).
• Develop and maintain Airflow (AWS MWAA) workflows for ingestion, data quality, and ops automation.
• Implement tooling for data quality checks, platform governance, and SOX-related controls.
• Help monitor and optimize Snowflake performance and costs.
• Deliver production-ready solutions with minimal supervision.

Must Haves (Required Skills):

• Strong backend engineering experience in production systems.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL (JavaScript a plus).
• Hands-on experience with Snowflake or large-scale data warehouses.
• Experience with AWS and workflow orchestration (Airflow preferred).
• Strong operational mindset: monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance tuning.
• Ability to work independently in a remote, distributed team with minimum supervision and attention to detail.
• Communicate frequently and effectively in English.
• Can commit at least 3 hours a day, overlapping with the working hours of the Upwork Data Platform team - typically 8 AM - 11 AM PST.