Senior Software Engineer - Build, NYC

About the role

Astronomer is a company that develops the Astro platform, which is a unified DataOps platform powered by Apache Airflow. This role involves designing and building the foundational components of a global context layer for data, including search, information retrieval, and AI for data practitioners.

Responsibilities

• Shape the future of AI for data engineering - build intelligent systems that understand, reason about, and optimize the flow of data across entire organizations.
• Design and engineer the brain of Astronomer’s context layer, crafting components that power data modeling, semantic search, retrieval, and code generation.
• Push the boundaries of applied AI - experiment with LLMs, embeddings, and cutting-edge retrieval techniques to create developer tools that deliver insights to you and our customers.
• Work side by side with R&D and product teams to bring early AI concepts to life in the product experience.
• Solve high-impact information retrieval and search challenges at a global scale, leveraging Astronomer’s unparalleled visibility into data pipelines across industries.
• Influence the technical vision and architecture for the next generation of AI-driven data products.
• Represent Astronomer in the community - through open-source contributions, technical talks, and publications that showcase our leadership in AI and data innovation.

Requirements

• 5-8 years of software engineering experience with Python or Go.
• Empathy for users, and a deep interest in improving the workflows of data professionals.
• Familiarity with early-stage product development; comfortable working with ambiguity in a fast-changing field.
• Experience with LLMs, vector databases, embeddings, or other applied AI areas—or a strong desire to dive in.
• A creative, experimental mindset: you enjoy exploring uncharted areas, validating hypotheses, and learning through iteration.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills—you can explain complex systems clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A collaborative approach and comfort working in an evolving, research-driven environment where ideas move quickly.

Qualifications

• Possess a passion for AI systems for data, developer tools, or machine learning infrastructure.
• Familiarity with Apache Airflow or other orchestration tools.
• Demonstrated contributions to open source projects.
• Experience in search, IR, or large-scale data infrastructure.
• Exposure to early-stage startups or R&D organizations where ambiguity is the norm.
• Experience building out agentic systems on top of frontier models.

Skills

• Python or Go programming skills.
• Experience with LLMs, vector databases, embeddings, or other applied AI areas.
• Collaborative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible hybrid work model with at least 3 days per week in the New York City office.

Pay

The estimated total compensation for this role ranges from $210,000 - $250,000 based on leveling and geography, along with an equity component and a comprehensive benefits package.

Schedule

This role offers a flexible hybrid work model with at least 3 days per week in the New York City office.