# Staff Software Engineer - Payroll Data

**Company:** [Rippling](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/rippling)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Fullstack Engineering
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Go, Java, Python, ETL, Data Pipelines, Distributed Systems, Streaming Pipelines, SQL, Observability, Monitoring
**Posted:** 2026-01-06

> Staff Software Engineer building scalable data infrastructure and query systems for Rippling's global payroll ecosystem. Requires 8+ years experience in backend/data systems, expertise in distributed systems, data pipelines, and modern languages like Go/Java/Python.

## Job Description

## What you will do
- **Architect and Build Core Data Systems**: Design and implement scalable data infrastructure and pipelines that power payroll reports, pay stubs, tax and accounting integrations, billing, and AI use cases.
- **Define the Unified Query Layer**: Partner with other Staff and Principal engineers to design and evolve a cohesive data query layer that spans batch and real-time processing, reducing fragmentation and enabling consistent access patterns.
- **Own End-to-End Data Pipelines**: Build and maintain ETL and streaming pipelines, owning data correctness, schema evolution, backfills, and lifecycle management across upstream and downstream systems.
- **Drive Non-Functional Excellence**: Lead by example in building systems that are observable, debuggable, scalable, and reliable. Set standards for monitoring, logging, alerting, and data quality checks.
- **Solve Deep Interoperability Problems**: Tackle complex challenges at the boundaries between Payroll Data and other core systems (Object Graph, Reporting, RQL, AI), ensuring clean abstractions and long-term extensibility.
- **Technical Leadership & Mentorship**: Act as a technical multiplier—review designs, unblock other engineers, mentor senior engineers, and raise the overall technical bar of the team.
- **Partner Cross-Functionally**: Work closely with Product, Platform, AI, and other Payroll teams to translate product needs into robust platform capabilities while influencing roadmaps with data-informed tradeoffs.

## What you will need
- **8+ years of professional software engineering experience**, with demonstrated impact on complex backend or data-intensive systems.
- **Strong data infrastructure background**, including experience with data pipelines, ETL/ELT systems, or large-scale data platforms.
- **Expertise in distributed systems**, with an understanding of tradeoffs across batch vs. real-time processing, data materialization, and aggregation strategies.
- **Proficiency in a modern backend language** (e.g., Go, Java, Python) and comfort working across multiple systems and services.
- **Experience with transactional and analytical data stores**, and optimizing schemas and queries for correctness and performance.
- **Platform mindset**, with a track record of building reusable abstractions and primitives consumed by many teams or products.
- **Operational rigor**, including hands-on experience designing for observability, reliability, and debuggability in production systems.
- **Strong communication skills**, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts and influence design decisions across teams.
- **Ownership and autonomy**, balanced with collaboration—comfortable leading large initiatives while partnering effectively with others.

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