Staff Data Engineer

ABOUT onX

As a pioneer in digital outdoor navigation with a suite of apps onX was founded in Montana which in turn has inspired our mission to awaken the adventurer inside everyone. With more than 400 employees located around the country working in largely remote / hybrid roles we have created regional Basecamps to help remote employees find connection and inspiration with other onXers. We bring our outdoor passion to work every day coupling it with industry-leading technology to craft dynamic outdoor experiences.

Through multiple years of growth we havent lost our entrepreneurial ethos at onX. We offer a fast-paced growing tech-forward environment where ownership accountability and passion for winning as a team are essential. We value diversity and believe it leads to different perspectives and inspires both new adventures and new growth. As a team were hungry to improve value innovation and believe great ideas come from any direction.

Important Alert: Please note onXmaps willnever ask for credit card or SSN details during the initial application process. For your digital safety apply only through our legitimate website at directly via our LinkedIn page.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Staff Data Engineer is a senior leader responsible for designing and evolving core components of onXs lakehouse and data platform. This role focuses on how data is structured governed secured and described so that analytics product features and AI systems can operate reliably at scale.

This engineer operates at the intersection of data architecture metadata governance and security leading complex initiatives and setting technical direction within the Data Engineering organization. They are a trusted technical partner to Product Analytics Data Science Security and Platform teams and serve as a force multiplier for other engineers through high-level technical guidance and active mentorship.

As an onX Data Engineer your day to day responsibilities would look like:

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Design and evolve the Iceberg-based lakehouse architecture to balance scalability cost performance and maintainability.
• Define and promote standards for table design partitioning schema evolution optimization and data layout.
• Lead architectural efforts spanning batch streaming and event-driven data processing where they deliver business value.
• Drive the design and delivery of complex cross-team initiatives enabling teams to move independently within established architectural guidance.
• Build vs. Buy: Evaluate and integrate technologies.

Metadata Governance & Open Standards

• Define how datasets pipelines features and models are described related and governed using shared metadata.
• Lead the adoption and integration of open-source metadata and catalog tools (e.g. OpenMetadata or similar ecosystems).
• Establish metadata standards that enable self-service analytics governance and AI readiness.
• Partner with BI and Analytics to ensure domain models are clearly documented and aligned to business language.
• Collaborate with Data Science to ensure model inputs features and outputs are traceable explainable and reusable.

Security Access Control & Compliance

• Design and evolve security and access-control models for Apache Iceberg including table- column- and row-level controls.
• Partner with Security and Platform teams to embed policy enforcement directly into data access paths.
• Drive metadata-driven authorization patterns that scale across tools and user groups.
• Ensure privacy compliance and regulatory requirements are incorporated into platform design.
• Balance strong security guarantees with usability to support safe self-service.
  
  

Platform Reliability & Operations

• Build and maintain automation for compaction retention lifecycle management and cost controls.
• Establish observability standards that connect pipeline health data quality and reliability metrics.
• Provide architectural oversight during critical incidents and drive long-term Keep the Lights On (KTLO) reduction.
• Recommend tooling and process improvements based on industry standards and operational experience.

Organizational Impact & Collaboration

• Align technical work with business priorities by understanding how data supports onX products and customer outcomes.
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to engineers product partners and leadership.
• Lead and participate in architecture and design reviews setting a high bar for technical rigor.
• Foster strong cross-team collaboration across Data Engineering Platform Security Analytics and Data Science.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers raising the technical bar across the team.

LOCATION

onX has created a thriving distributed workforce community across several US locations. This position can be performed from an onX corporate office Basecamp or Connection Hub.

• Corporate Offices: onX was founded in Montana with offices in Missoula and Bozeman. If you prefer to work in an office at least part of the time this is a great option.
• Basecamps: Basecamps are established virtual workforce communities where a sizable number of distributed team members group for work volunteering socializing and adventure.
  • Our current Basecamps are located within a 90-mile radius of the following: Austin TX; Charlotte NC; Denver CO; Kalispell MT; Minneapolis MN; Portland OR; Salt Lake City UT; and Seattle WA.
• Connection Hubs: Connection Hub locations are smaller emerging communities of distributed team members.
  • Our current Connection Hubs are located within a 60-mile radius of the following: Boise ID; Charleston SC; Dallas/Fort Worth TX; Phoenix AZ; Richmond VA; Spokane WA; and Vermont.

WHAT YOULL BRING

Required

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• Deep industry experience (typically 12 years) building and operating large-scale data systems.
• Deep expertise in distributed data systems and data architecture.
• Strong experience with Apache Iceberg and similar table formats (Delta Lake Hudi).
• Proven experience designing secure and governed data platforms.
• Expertise in Python SQL and orchestration patterns (e.g. Airflow).
• Experience working with data ecosystems including metadata catalog or governance tooling.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Permanent U.S. work authorization.
  
  

Cloud & Platform Experience

• Deep experience in at least one major cloud environment (GCP AWS or Azure).
• Familiarity with cloud-native data services such as query engines stream/batch processing systems and object storagebased lakehouses.
• Comfort with infrastructure-as-code and automated platform management.

COMPENSATION

onX is committed to compensating all employees fairly and equitably for their contributions. For this position applicants can expect to make between $175000 to $218000 upon hire. The pay range will vary based on experience skills certifications and education among other factors as required in the job addition full-time onX employees are eligible for a grant of common share options with a vesting schedule and a potential annual bonus of 10% based on company performance.

WHAT WE ARE OFFERING YOU

• Competitive salaries annual bonuses equity and opportunities for growth
• Comprehensive health benefits including a no-monthly-cost medical plan
• Parental leave plan of 5 or 13 weeks fully paid
• 401k matching at 100% for the first 3% you save and 50% from 3-5%
• Company-wide outdoor adventures and amazing outdoor industry perks
• Annual Get Out Get Active funds to fuel your active lifestyle in and outside of the gym
• Flexible time away package that includes PTO STO VTO and 7 paid holidays annually

PERFORMANCE ESSENTIALS

In this role success is driven by cognitive abilities such as concentration and problem-solving essential for our computer-centric tasks. onX will explore reasonable accommodations to ensure that individuals with diverse abilities can fully engage in and contribute to the essential physical and mental functions of the job. If you need assistance or accommodation please contact us at .

Position open until filled.

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At onX we believe that unique perspectives make us stronger. By bringing together people with different experiences ideas and viewpoints we fuel innovation and move closer to our mission of awakening the adventurer in everyone. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to fairness not only in hiring but also in development compensation and promotion. Our goal is to build an inclusive community where every team member can show up authentically and thrive. Together we win as one team. Come join us!

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As part of our interview process your conversation may be recorded for documentation purposes to allow interviewers to focus fully on the discussion. Recordings are confidential and accessible only to authorized personnel. Please note onX respects all applicable laws regarding recording consent and you will have an opportunity to opt-out if preferred.