Strategic Overview
Sr. Staff Software Engineer - Unity Catalog Data Governance at Databricks is a dev opportunity centered on the specialist responsibilities and outcomes described in the employer's listing.
The published role emphasizes work such as Technical Leadership : Lead the design and delivery of high-impact projects, setting standards for security, usability, performance, and scalability. Mentor senior engineers and elevate development and operational best practices across the organization.…
The role is listed for Bellevue, Washington with the working arrangement published with the role, giving candidates the practical context needed to assess fit before applying.
Key information at a glance
About This Role
RDQ126R47
At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling data teams to solve the world's toughest problems — from making the next mode of transportation a reality to accelerating the development of medical breakthroughs. We do this by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business.
Databricks Unity Catalog is the industry’s only unified and open governance solution for data and AI, built into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. It enables data scientists, analysts, and engineers to securely discover, access, and collaborate on trusted data and AI assets across platforms. Unity Catalog enhances productivity through AI-powered governance, simplifying compliance while maximizing…
Key Responsibilities & Objectives
- Technical Leadership : Lead the design and delivery of high-impact projects, setting standards for security, usability, performance, and scalability. Mentor senior engineers and elevate development and operational best practices across the organization.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Collaborate with product and infrastructure teams to align technical strategy and execution, ensuring seamless integration and adoption of governance features.
- Operational Excellence: Champion the development of high-quality, reliable, and easy-to-operate software. Drive operational processes that deliver a seamless customer experience that is indistinguishable from perfect.
- 15+ years of industry experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems.
Required Qualifications & Candidate Blueprint
- Proven track record of driving initiatives focused on customer satisfaction and incremental delivery.
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- BS in Computer Science or related fields (MS/PhD preferred)
Salary & Benefits
Published compensation: $217,000 – $312,200 USD
Salary Benchmark
This role’s published compensation is compared with current employer-disclosed salary ranges for the same role at the Senior level in the same currency.
Benchmark uses active employer job postings in our database and excludes this listing. It is not a third-party salary estimate, and currencies are not converted.
Full Job Description
The following is the complete job description supplied by the source. We sanitize unsafe markup and remove external links, but do not shorten or rewrite the employer's source content.
RDQ126R47
At Databricks, we are passionate about enabling data teams to solve the world's toughest problems — from making the next mode of transportation a reality to accelerating the development of medical breakthroughs. We do this by building and running the world's best data and AI infrastructure platform so our customers can use deep data insights to improve their business.
Databricks Unity Catalog is the industry’s only unified and open governance solution for data and AI, built into the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform. It enables data scientists, analysts, and engineers to securely discover, access, and collaborate on trusted data and AI assets across platforms. Unity Catalog enhances productivity through AI-powered governance, simplifying compliance while maximizing interoperability.
We are seeking a Senior Staff Software Engineer to lead the technical direction and development of Unity Catalog’s enterprise-grade governance capabilities. In this role, you will drive the roadmap and execution of critical features that empower organizations to govern access to their Lakehouse assets at scale.
Key Responsibilities
- Technical Leadership: Lead the design and delivery of high-impact projects, setting standards for security, usability, performance, and scalability. Mentor senior engineers and elevate development and operational best practices across the organization.
- Product Ownership: Take full ownership of the Unity Catalog Governance product, driving it from initial concept to robust, scalable solutions with measurable business impact.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Collaborate with product and infrastructure teams to align technical strategy and execution, ensuring seamless integration and adoption of governance features.
- Operational Excellence: Champion the development of high-quality, reliable, and easy-to-operate software. Drive operational processes that deliver a seamless customer experience that is indistinguishable from perfect.
What We Look For
- 15+ years of industry experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems.
- Proven track record of driving initiatives focused on customer satisfaction and incremental delivery.
- Deep computer science expertise (algorithms, data structures) with real-world application.
- Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- BS in Computer Science or related fields (MS/PhD preferred)
- (Preferred) Experience in data governance, security, privacy, identity management, authentication, or access control.
Why Join Us?
- Influence the direction of industry-leading data and AI governance solutions.
- Work with world-class engineers and thought leaders in a collaborative, high-impact environment.
- Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth.
Pay Range Transparency
Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.
About Databricks
Databricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
Benefits
At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.
Compliance
If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.
Editor’s Market Perspective (Our Custom Analysis)
Why This Position Matters
This dev opening is a useful opportunity for candidates whose experience matches the role-specific capabilities named in the listing. Its strongest career signal is the scope of the work itself — particularly Technical Leadership : Lead the design and delivery of high-impact projects, setting standards for security, usability, performance, and scalability. Mentor senior engineers and elevate development and operational best… — rather than a generic title alone.
Resume & Application Strategy
For the application, mirror the employer's language where it truthfully matches your background: foreground the role-specific capabilities named in the listing, quantify outcomes from comparable work, and place the most relevant experience near the top of the resume. If the listing specifies tools, platforms, leadership scope, or domain experience, use those exact terms in context instead of presenting an unrelated keyword list.
We organize source-provided information into this independent job-seeker overview. Compensation is shown only when the source provides it; the official listing remains the authority for current requirements and application instructions.