Role Description & Responsibilities
Data Engineering
About Figma
Figma is a high-growth technology leader building scalable solutions for global users. Millions of companies and teams rely on their infrastructure and services to execute high-value workflows, analyze massive datasets, and scale modern operations.
CadetX Candidate Advantage: As an applicant for this Data Engineering role, you are evaluated on practical proficiency with real-world query execution, data pipelines, and clear stakeholder communication.
CadetX Role Brief & Company Specifications
Role Mission & Impact
We are looking for a Data Platform Engineer to join our Data Engineering team and help build the foundational systems that power Figma’s next generation of AI-driven products and data experiences.
This is a unique opportunity to be an early engineer shaping Figma’s ML and data platform, enabling everything from self-serve analytics to production-grade AI systems. You’ll work at the intersection of data, infrastructure, and machine learning, building scalable systems that empower Data Science, unlock AI capabilities across the company, and bring data and models closer to the product experience.
Key Responsibilities & Day-to-Day Scope
- ✓ Build and evolve the shared data platform that powers analytics, Data Science, and data-driven product development at Figma
- ✓ Make data development faster and easier by improving local development, testing, CI/CD, staging, and deployment workflows
- ✓ Create self-service tools and clear paths for teams to build, deploy, and operate reliable data pipelines
- ✓ Improve the reliability of critical data systems through better monitoring, data quality, incident response, upgrades, and performance management
- ✓ Make trusted data easier to find and use by establishing clear definitions, ownership, lineage, and reliability expectations
- ✓ Partner across Data Engineering, Data Infrastructure, Data Science, Research, Modeling Platform, Security, and Product Engineering to define ownership boundaries and supported patterns for batch, micro-batch, reverse ETL, and product-facing delivery
Official Qualifications & Technical Requirements
- • 5+ years of experience building and operating production data platforms, developer infrastructure, or distributed systems
- • Strong software engineering skills (Python or similar), with experience designing reliable and scalable systems
- • Experience improving developer workflows such as local development, testing, CI/CD, orchestration, or deployment
- • Experience with modern data infrastructure, such as cloud data warehouses, transformation frameworks, workflow orchestrators, infrastructure as code, and observability tools
- • A track record of owning shared systems end to end, leading ambiguous cross-functional projects, and communicating effectively with Data Science, Infrastructure, and Product Engineering partners
- • Experience supporting ML or research data workflows
Preferred Skills & Technology Stack
- + Experience with big data tools (Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- + Familiarity with dbt (data build tool) for SQL transformations.
- + Hands-on experience with Docker and Linux system administration.
Tech Stack & Tools in this role
Expected technical competencies for Day 1 productivity:
★ Life & Culture at Figma
Verified EmployerFigma champions rigorous analytical discipline, continuous learning, and low-ego teamwork. Team members enjoy flexible hybrid allowances, learning stipends, and structured mentorship to fast-track career mobility.