Senior Data & Automation Engineer (Databricks)

Fluent is building the next generation advertising network, Partner Monetize & Advertiser Acquisition.  Our vision is to build an ML/AI first network of advertisers and publishers to achieve a common objective, elevating relevancy in E-commerce for everyday shoppers. 

As a Senior Data & Automation Engineer, you will leverage your Databricks and Spark expertise to execute on building enterprise-grade data products that power Fluent’s business lines. These products serve as the foundation for sophisticated representations of customer journeys and marketplace activity across our ecosystem.

You will partner with Data Architects, Data Scientists, and Product Managers to transform Enterprise Data Models into optimized physical data models and real-time pipelines. You will elevate standards across the team in code quality, observability, and architecture design—while actively contributing as a hands-on engineer.

This role is fully remote in Ontario, with occasional travel to NYC or Toronto offices.    

What You’ll Do  

• Design, build, and support scalable real-time and batch data pipelines using PySpark and Spark Structured Streaming on Databricks.
• Implement process automation and end-to-end workflows following Bronze → Silver → Gold architecture using Delta Lake best practices.
• Handle event-driven ingestion with Kafka and integrate into automated pipelines.
• Orchestrate workflows using Databricks Workflows/Jobs and CI/CD automation.
• Implement strong monitoring, observability, and alerting for reliability and performance (Databricks metrics, dashboards).
• Collaborate cross-functionally in agile sprints with Product, Analytics, and Data Science teams.
• Translate enterprise logical data models into optimized physical and performance-tuned implementations.
• Write modular, version-controlled code in Git; contribute to code reviews and enforce quality standards.
• Implement robust logging, error handling, and data quality validation across automation layers.
• Utilize relevant AWS services (S3, IAM, Secrets Manager) and DevOps practices.
• Promote best practices through documentation, knowledge sharing, tech talks, and training.

• 5+ years of professional experience in data engineering, including Spark (PySpark) and SQL.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience building pipelines on Databricks (Workflows, Notebooks, Delta Lake).
• Deep understanding of Apache Spark distributed processing concepts and optimization.
• Strong experience with streaming architectures and Kafka.
• Familiarity with Databricks monitoring and observability tooling.
• Understanding of Lakehouse architecture, Unity Catalog, and governance principles.
• Proven proficiency in Git-based CI/CD workflows and automated deployment.
• Strong troubleshooting, optimization, and performance tuning skills.
• Experience designing and building large-scale, automated data pipelines.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with schema management (Schema Registry) and data validation frameworks (Great Expectations, Deequ).
• Exposure to real-time ML systems and feature pipelines.
• Prior experience in startup or small agile teams.
• Familiarity with test-driven development in data engineering contexts.

Fluent, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLNT) is a commerce media solutions provider connecting top-tier brands with highly engaged consumers. Leveraging diverse ad inventory, robust first-party data, and proprietary machine learning, Fluent unlocks additional revenue streams for partners and empowers advertisers to acquire their most valuable customers at scale. Founded in 2010, Fluent uses its deep expertise in performance marketing to drive monetization and increase engagement at key touchpoints across the customer journey. For more insights visit https://www.fluentco.com/.

At Fluent, we like what we do, and we like who we do it with. Our team is a tight-knit crew of go-getters; we love to celebrate our successes! In addition, we offer a fully stocked kitchen, catered lunch, and our office manager keeps the calendar stocked with activity-filled events. When we’re not eating, working out, or planning parties, Fluent folks can be found participating in networking events, and bonding across teams during quarterly outings to baseball games, fancy dinners, and a variety of activities. And we have all the practical benefits, too…

• Competitive compensation
• Ample career and professional growth opportunities
• New Headquarters with an open floor plan to drive collaboration
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Pre-tax savings plans and transit/parking programs
• 401K with competitive employer match
• Volunteer and philanthropic activities throughout the year
• Educational and social events
• The amazing opportunity to work for a high-flying performance marketing company!

Salary Range: $90,000 to $100,000 CAD + Bonus - The base salary range represents the low and high end of the Fluent salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance.

Candidates may be at risk of targeting by malicious actors seeking personal information. Fluent recruiters will only reach out via LinkedIn or email with an @fluentco.com domain. Any outreach by Fluent via other sources (e.g. text, other domains etc) should be ignored.

Fluent participates in the E-Verify Program. As a participating employer, Fluent, LLC will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. Fluent, LLC follows all federal regulations including those set forth by The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC). The OSC enforces the anti-discrimination provision (§ 274B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. § 1324b.