Software Engineer, Data

About The Company

Ladder is a forward-thinking insurance technology company dedicated to transforming the life insurance industry through innovative digital solutions. Founded with a mission to simplify the process of obtaining life coverage, Ladder leverages artificial intelligence and real-time underwriting to significantly reduce application times from months to minutes. Our commitment to delivering a seamless, fast, and user-friendly experience has earned us recognition and trust, with over $74 billion in coverage provided and highly positive reviews on Trustpilot and Google. Our team is passionate about making insurance accessible, transparent, and efficient, empowering individuals and families to secure their future with confidence.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Software Engineer specializing in Data Platform architecture to join our dynamic team. In this role, you will take ownership of designing, building, and maintaining large-scale, resilient ETL pipelines that connect our transactional systems with analytical and streaming infrastructure. Your expertise will be crucial in bridging Datomic with cloud-based data warehouses like BigQuery, as well as streaming platforms such as Kafka and Flink. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in developing high-volume data pipelines, a deep understanding of functional programming, and a passion for architecting elegant solutions to complex data challenges. This position offers the flexibility of remote work within select states and provides an opportunity to influence Ladder’s data strategy at a foundational level, supporting our rapid growth and innovative initiatives.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in software or data engineering, with a strong focus on data pipelines and architecture
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Deep expertise in Clojure and JVM-based backend system development
• At least 4+ years designing and managing high-volume ETL/ELT pipelines at scale
• Proficiency with cloud data warehouses, particularly BigQuery
• Hands-on experience with streaming platforms such as Kafka, Apache Beam, Flink, or Spark
• Strong understanding of data modeling, including raw, cleansed, and curated layers using tools like DBT
• Solid knowledge of functional programming principles and immutable data structures
• Experience in designing event-driven, fault-tolerant distributed systems
• Excellent leadership and mentorship skills, with a proven ability to guide engineering teams and set technical standards
• Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with Data Science, Product, and Business teams

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable, reliable data pipelines that integrate Datomic, Kafka, and BigQuery
• Build fault-tolerant ETL systems to ingest, cleanse, and normalize unstructured data from multiple third-party APIs and legacy systems
• Optimize streaming architecture to support real-time machine learning models and analytics
• Establish and uphold engineering standards for backend architecture, ensuring high-quality, maintainable codebases
• Mentor and guide engineering team members, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement
• Partner with Data Science, Product, and Business teams to understand data needs and translate them into scalable infrastructure solutions
• Implement best practices for data modeling, validation, and quality assurance using tools like DBT
• Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends to continuously enhance our data platform capabilities

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
• Flexible paid time off, including a company-wide winter holiday closure
• Competitive stock option packages to participate in the company's success
• 401(k) retirement plan with up to 4% company match
• Monthly wellness stipend through Ladder Fit Program
• Pre-tax commuter benefits and free parking for office-based employees
• Modern, well-equipped office located in downtown Palo Alto, supporting hybrid work
• Paid parental leave for birthing, adoption, or fostering parents
• Remote work support including a one-time home office stipend and monthly WFH expense allowance
• Regular company-wide events, both virtual and in-person, to promote team bonding and fun

Equal Opportunity

Ladder is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and value the unique contributions of all team members. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected status. We encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply, as we believe diverse teams foster innovation and drive our mission forward. We look forward to welcoming talented individuals who are eager to make an impact and grow with Ladder.