About the role
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The Data Platform team at X builds and operates the infrastructure responsible for all large-scale data transport and processing across the company
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We own and manage core systems including Apache Kafka, HDFS, Spark, Flink, and Trino, enabling real-time ML pipelines, feed ranking, experimentation, analytics, and observability at petabyte scale
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Our team deals with latency-critical workloads, high-throughput streaming, and distributed compute systems that require fault tolerance, performance, and absolute reliability
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As a software engineer on the Data Platform team, you will design, build, and operate the distributed systems powering X’s data movement and compute
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You will take ownership of infrastructure components that process trillions of events daily, driving the scalability, performance, and reliability of the systems that power product and ML workloads across the company
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Design and implement high-throughput, low-latency data ingestion and transport systems
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Scale and optimize multi-tenant Kafka infrastructure supporting real-time workloads
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Extend and tune Spark, Flink, and Trino for demanding production pipelines
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Build interfaces, APIs, and pipelines enabling teams to query, process, and move data at petabyte scale
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Debug and optimize distributed systems, with a focus on reliability and performance under load
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Collaborate with ML, product, and infrastructure teams to unblock critical data workflows
Benefits
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Health and wellness: Comprehensive health insurance including medical, dental, vision, and disability coverage
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Life and family: Life and AD&D insurance and fertility benefits to ensure our team’s well-being and peace of mind
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Flexible vacation: We work hard but avoid burn out. Take time off when you need it
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Visa sponsorship: We support international talent with visa sponsorship to join our team
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401(k) plan: Retirement savings plan to secure your financial future
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Strong debugging, profiling, and performance optimization skills
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Proven expertise in distributed systems, stream processing, or large-scale data platforms
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Track record of shipping and maintaining critical infrastructure
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Comfortable working in fast-moving, high-stakes environments with minimal guardrails
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Hands-on experience with Kafka, Flink, Spark, Trino, or Hadoop in production
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Proficiency in Rust, Go, Scala or similar systems languages
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After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work
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If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15 minute interview (“phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask some basic questions
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If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of 2 technical interviews and 1 project deep-dive interview:
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Practical coding assessment in a language of your choice
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Systems design hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session
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Project deep-dive: Present and answer questions about exceptional work that you’ve done
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Meet and greet with the wider team
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Our goal is to finish the main process within one week
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Final interviews will be conducted in person
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