Greenhouse ·
contractPipeline - L5 Principal Software Engineer - Core Data
Klaviyo · Boston, MA
Klaviyo operates a marketing automation and customer data platform that helps e‑commerce brands manage and act on their customer information. In this contract‑based Principal Software Engineer role you will own the technical direction of Klaviyo’s core data platform, which handles billions of events each day across streaming, batch, storage and governance layers. Day‑to‑day work includes designing and implementing ingestion, CDC, stream processing, batch orchestration, lakehouse patterns, catalog, lineage and access‑control systems; defining and monitoring SLOs for freshness, availability and correctness; writing ADRs/RFCs, establishing data contracts and reusable connectors; profiling and tuning performance and cost with FinOps; partnering with product, analytics and ML teams to expose the right data abstractions; contributing high‑quality code and reviews while mentoring senior engineers through design docs and pairing; and applying AI/GenAI tools to streamline pipeline authoring, catalog search and data‑quality detection. The position suits engineers with 10+ years of experience building and operating distributed data systems (Kafka/PubSub, Flink/Spark/Beam, Airflow/Dagster, Iceberg/Delta/Hudi, Snowflake/BigQuery, object storage) who have deep expertise in ingestion, stream/batch processing, lakehouse governance, SLO‑driven reliability, and who are comfortable influencing across teams, mentoring peers and applying AI automation responsibly.
At Klaviyo, we value the unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives each Klaviyo (we call ourselves Klaviyos) brings to our workplace each and every day. We believe everyone deserves a fair shot at success and appreciate the experiences each person brings beyond the traditional job requirements. If you’re a close but not exact match with the description, we hope you’ll still consider applying. Want to learn more about life at Klaviyo? Visit klaviyo.com/careers to see how we empower creators to own their own destiny. *]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" data-turn-id="request-WEB:6a6e3c6e-a4c1-4efa-b8c5-cbbd9b87aa97-102" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:6a6e3c6e-a4c1-4efa-b8c5-cbbd9b87aa97-102" data-testid="conversation-turn-206" data-turn="assistant"> Own the technical direction and delivery for Klaviyo's data platform - streaming, batch compute, storage/lakehouse, and governance - now the foundation for autonomous, agent-driven experiences. Klaviyo's data platform processes billions of events daily across billions of consumer profiles for hundreds of thousands of brands, and increasingly that data is consumed not just by people but by a growing number of AI agents acting on customers' behalf. The footprint grows on two axes at once, ever‑larger data volumes and a steady stream of new data scenarios (new sources, domains, and consumption patterns) and your systems have to scale on both. You'll design and ship systems that are fast, reliable, cost‑efficient, and safe for autonomous access, creating paved roads for data producers and consumers, human and agent alike. This is an individual‑contributor role (no direct reports); you lead through architecture, code, and influence. Expectations align to Lead/Principal IC behaviors: establishing SLOs, driving technical evolution, and acting as the interface across teams. What You'll Do Design and implement core data platform capabilities (e.g., event ingestion/CDC, stream processing, batch orchestration, data lake/warehouse patterns, catalog/lineage, governance, access, and compliance). Define and uphold SLOs for data freshness, availability, and correctness; author/run readiness reviews, incident response, and post‑incident learning for your domain. Author ADRs/RFCs, land data contracts and schema governance, and standardize connectors and templates that accelerate developer velocity. Profile, tune, and right‑size systems for performance and cost; partner with FinOps on unit‑economics guardrails. Pair with product teams and analytics/ML to expose the right abstractions and unblock customer value quickly. Contribute high‑quality code and reviews; mentor Staff/ Sr. engineers across pillars through example and enablement (not line management). Use AI to streamline data workflows, from authoring and testing pipelines to catalog/search and DQ, so analysts, ML, and product teams move faster with confidence. Who You Are Experience: 10+ years building and operating distributed data systems (e.g., Kafka/PubSub, Flink/Spark/Beam, Airflow/Dagster, Iceberg/Delta/Hudi; Snowflake/BigQuery; object storage) with multi‑tenant reliability. Technical expertise: Data ingestion/CDC, stream processing, batch orchestration, lakehouse patterns, catalog/lineage, governance, and access controls, measured by freshness, availability, and correctness SLOs. AI tools & automation: You apply ML/GenAI to data platforms - semantic catalog search, auto‑docs, data‑quality anomaly detection, SQL/pipeline generation - with human‑in‑the‑loop review and privacy controls. Influence & enablement: You land data contracts, connectors, and templates that speed delivery for producers and consumers; you mentor via design docs and pairing. AI fluency (Klaviyo default): You experiment, learn fast, and share AI wins responsibly. Nice to Haves Regional isolation/replication strategies, privacy‑by‑design, and data governance in regulated contexts. Adopted paved roads: Producers/consumers are on standard ingestion, processing, and storage paths; schema governance and contracts reduce breakage. SLOs & efficiency: ≥99.9% freshness for key domains; measurable cost/TB reductions; production debugging is faster with defined readiness reviews and incident learning. AI‑augmented data operations: Semantic discovery and auto‑documentation cover the majority of high‑value datasets; AI‑assisted DQ monitors reduce data incidents on top pipelines by 25–40%; pipeline authoring and review times drop 15–25% with AI in the loop. Success in 6 - 12 Months Adopted “paved roads” for producers/consumers; ≥99.9% freshness SLO for key domains; measurable cost/TB reductions. One or more step‑change improvements (e.g., 2× faster ingest → analytics latency) demonstrated with metrics and post‑incident trend‑down. Massachusetts Applicants: It is unlawful in Massachuset
| Role | Pipeline - L5 Principal Software Engineer - Core Data |
|---|---|
| Company | Klaviyo |
| Location | Boston, MA |
| Type | contract |
| Compensation | Not disclosed |
| Posted | 2026-10-07 |
| Deadline | Rolling |
Typical process for this type of role
A general guide — the exact steps for this specific listing may vary; check the original posting for details.
- 1ApplicationSubmit your resume through the apply link.
- 2ScreeningRecruiter reviews your background against the role.
- 3AssessmentA technical test, assignment, or coding round, depending on the role.
- 4Interview(s)One or more rounds with the hiring team.
- 5OfferOffer letter with compensation and start date.
Before you apply
0/4About Klaviyo
Klaviyo, Inc. is an AI-first B2C CRM platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in Boston. The company provides a unified solution that integrates marketing automation, customer service, analytics, and a data platform to help businesses manage customer relationships. By centralizing behavioral, transactional, and engagement data, Klaviyo enables brands to deliver personalized, omnichannel campaigns across email, SMS, WhatsApp, and mobile push notifications. The platform utilizes AI agents to automate marketing tasks, resolve customer service inquiries, and optimize campaign performance. Klaviyo currently serves over 205,000 brands across more than 100 countries, processing billions of events and managing billions of customer profiles daily to support business growth.
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