(Senior) Software Engineer

About Zalando

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce - one inclusive by design. We only assess candidates based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We welcome applications from people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, personal expressions, racial identities, ethnicities, religious beliefs, and disability statuses. We only want to know why you’re great for this role, so please avoid including your picture, age, and marital status in your CV as well.

We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Please feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support and assist you throughout the hiring process.

do.BETTER - our diversity & inclusion strategy

The Role & The Team

We are building a new Data Platform team to empower Zalando's Discovery, AI, and Research teams to operationalize Machine models & data at scale. We are looking for a foundational Senior Data Engineer to help us solve our most complex data challenges. Your work will directly impact critical customer-facing systems in Search, Recommendations, and more.

You will play a key role in building a new platform focused on delivering trustworthy, high-quality, and reusable data products from a single source of truth. Working closely with Applied Scientists, ML Engineers & ML Platform team, you will tackle significant technical debt and pipeline instability, establishing the standards that will shape the future of data at Discovery, AI & Research at Zalando.

Where Your Expertise Is Needed

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data pipelines using Spark, Databricks, and Airflow.
• Drive operational excellence by stabilizing our core infrastructure, re-architecting complex systems, and reducing operational drag.
• Implement and own robust data quality frameworks, championing best practices to deliver trustworthy data products with clearly defined SLOs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define clear data ownership boundaries and streamline the entire data lifecycle.
• Drive the strategy for our data storage layer, evaluating and implementing modern table formats like Delta Lake.

What We’re Looking For

• 6+ years of experience in Data Engineering with a proven track record of building scalable, reliable systems.
• Expert-level knowledge of Spark/PySpark and its underlying architecture for performance tuning and optimization.
• Strong, hands-on experience with workflow orchestration tools, particularly Apache Airflow.
• Experience with Databricks for scalable data processing and analytics.
• Proven experience designing and implementing data quality frameworks and defining data SLOs.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with an ability to articulate complex technical decisions clearly.
• Bonus: Experience with data modelling, data governance, and real-time streaming technologies.

Our Offer

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• Employee shares program
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Hybrid working model with up to 60% remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration
• Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
• 27 days of vacation a year to start for full-time employees
• Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
• Family services, including counseling and support
• Health and wellbeing options (including Wellhub, formerly Gympass)
• Mental health support and coaching available
• Drive your development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review