Principal Data Engineer

Why join Safeguard Global ? 👀 We want to help you “ w ork in a ny w ay ” — that m eans making time for family, commitments, and life outside of work so that you can have the best of both worlds. When you own what you do and are driven to deliver, you have the flexibility to decide where and how you work. 🚀 Our roles aren’t just remote and hybrid first — they break free from the traditional ways of doing things, paving a way for a j ob t hat w orks for y ou. ✅ How You Will Make a Difference Lead the architecture and evolution of our data platform, shaping how data is ingested, modelled, governed, and consumed across the business Own data architecture and schema design — making structural decisions that serve AI products, analytics, and operational consumers over time Set technical direction for the data engineering team, establishing standards for quality, reliability, and production readiness Drive data governance at an engineering level — data quality, lineage, ownership, and cataloguing Build data infrastructure on AWS using Terraform, ensuring consistency and reproducibility across environments Partner with the AI engineering team to ensure the data platform is AI-ready: clean, structured, and consumable at scale Mentor and develop data engineers, building a team capability that is durable and not person-dependent Contribute to strategic technical decisions and work closely with the Head of AI on platform direction What will make you stand out: Significant experience in data engineering or data platform roles Proven experience with Apache Iceberg or equivalent modern table formats in production environments Strong expertise in dbt for building and maintaining transformation layers at scale Hands-on experience with AWS data services (S3, Glue, Athena, and related tooling) Infrastructure as Code experience with Terraform Deep capability in data architecture and schema design across complex, multi-domain environments Track record of leading a data engineering team or function and raising the technical bar Ability to influence technical direction across teams without direct authority Nice to Have: Experience building data platforms that serve AI or ML workloads Familiarity with data cataloguing and governance tooling Background in compliance-heavy or multi-jurisdictional data environments (payroll, HR, finance, or similar) Experience with event-driven or streaming data architectures We are hiring this position across multiple countries; compensation varies by hiring location. For target markets located within the European Union (EU), base salaries start from (Gross): Spain: €89,000 Portugal: €89,000 We are committed to pay transparency and equal pay for equal work at Safeguard Global. Compensation decisions are based on objective criteria including skills, experience, scope of responsibility, and market benchmarking, in line with internal salary structures. Who we are and what we do: Safeguard Global is …. g lobal ! With offices worldwide and a workforce in 50+ counties , we enable global expansion without the risk by helping 1 , 5 00+ c ustomers to hire , manage , and pay their employees in nearly 190 countries . It's all about people! Join us to meet diverse folks , explore new cultures, and connect with amazing talent from around the globe . 🌎 Our G lobal Benefits : 👨 ‍ 💻 Autonomy and Flexibility (work in any way): Remote first, with the flexibility to include life needs like school runs and gym breaks in your schedule , all while maintaining a high standard of work. 🌴 Generous leave: Enjoy a competitive leave package including paid bonding leaves for new additions to your family 🎁 Make a difference: Get 2 paid charitable days off to contribute to causes you believe in 💰 Corporate bonus/SIP: All Guardians are eligible for our annual bonus scheme or sales incentive plan. ✈ ️ International environment: Grow your network internationally and collaborate across the world. Interact, discover cultures, and tap into local expertise. ⭐ Human centered culture: We emphasize the people factor in everything we do. Our nurturing culture ensures your ideas reach our leaders and your contributions get the recognition they deserve. 📚 Learning: We support your continuous growth by providing access to 2 learning platforms, where you can learn at your own pace. Next Steps: To apply, please click on the following link. We wish you the best with your application. Welcome to the f uture of w ork! 🌐 #LI-AB1 At Safeguard Global, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and Guardians.