Sayari is the leader in Agentic Systems of Work for economic security and risk. Powered by the Sayari Commercial World Model : a digital twin of global commerce resolving 10.6B+ primary-source records from 250+ jurisdictions : Sayari transforms risk and investigative teams from manual data gatherers into decisive mission leaders. By unifying corporate ownership, trade data, and risk intelligence into a single graph, Sayari uncovers connections and typologies that legacy watchlist, adverse media, and point solutions miss, enabling prescriptive execution at scale. Trusted by the world’s most demanding regulators, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Treasury, and Fortune 500 enterprises, Sayari delivers the evidence-based transparency needed to prove decisions, satisfy regulators and protect global commerce. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Sayari is used by thousands of professionals across 35+ countries to secure supply chains and dismantle illicit networks.
Our company culture is defined by a dedication to our mission of using open data to prevent illicit commercial and financial activity, a passion for finding novel approaches to complex problems, and an understanding that diverse perspectives create optimal outcomes. We embrace cross-team collaboration, encourage training and learning opportunities, and reward initiative and innovation. If you like working with supportive, high-performing, and curious teams, Sayari is the place for you.
We are looking for a Principal Data Engineer to join our Data Resolution team and serve as a technical anchor for our most complex data challenges. In this role, you will be a "player-coach," spending the majority of your time (70%) hands-on with Spark and graph data logic while dedicating the remainder of your time to system architecture, design planning, and technical mentorship. You will be instrumental in evolving our graph build pipelines, optimizing our cloud footprint, and overseeing the long-term planning and execution of major data pipeline re-architectures. This is a high-impact role where your work directly powers the data products used by global systems defenders.
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Design and implement complex Spark data logic, focusing on performance optimization, data volume tuning, and robust execution.
- Own the architectural design of graph build pipelines, ensuring they are scalable, automated, and highly resilient.
- Plan and oversee the strategic re-architecture of data pipelines to meet evolving business needs and scale.
- Optimize infrastructure-as-code and schema designs to reduce cloud costs and improve pipeline latency.
- Act as a technical consultant for the team, fostering a collaborative and engineer-led approach to design decisions.
- Support the development of the engineering team through code reviews, design docs, and architectural best practices.
- Ensure the accuracy of mission-critical data outputs.
Required Skills & Experience
- 8+ years of experience in the big data space, with a proven track record of implementing large-scale features and leading process redesigns.
- Expert-level mastery of Apache Spark for large-scale data processing.
- Strong experience with orchestration tools (Airflow) and cloud computing environments.
- Hands-on experience architecting and managing data flows into databases such as Elasticsearch, Memgraph, and Cassandra.
- Demonstrated ability in system architecture, including Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and schema design.
- A "builder" mindset with experience evolving and improving existing architectures to meet new scale requirements.
Preferred Skills & Experience
- Experience working specifically with graph data or graph databases.
- Prior experience with entity resolution or identity resolution systems.
- Experience evaluating and selecting modern analytical database architectures.
The target base salary for this position is $200,000-$220,000 plus company bonus and equity. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including location, local market variances, candidate experience and expertise, internal peer equity, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
Benefits:
- 100% fully paid medical, vision, and dental for employees and their dependents
- Generous time off; we observe all US federal holidays, close our office for a winter break (12/24-12/31), in addition to granting 18 PTO days and 10 sick days
- Outstanding compensation package; competitive commissions for revenue roles and bonuses for non-revenue positions
- A strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Eligibility to participate in additional benefits such as 401k match up to 5%, 100% paid life insurance (up to $100,000 coverage),, and parental leave
- A collaborative and positive culture - your team will be as smart and driven as you
- Limitless growth and learning opportunities
Similar Jobs
.png){kind=logo}
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
