Senior Software Engineer, Data - Mapping

Lyft
Toronto, Canada
On-site

Who this role is best for

Data engineers with distributed systems expertise and a background in route simulation will find this senior role at Lyft in Toronto, Canada, offers a chance to shape large-scale experimentation and data governance systems.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 5+ years in data engineering and strong SQL skills for high-volume geospatial data
    — “Strong SQL skills (MySQL, PostgreSQL or similar), with experience conducting advanced performance tuning and querying high volume events data
  • Individuals experienced in building scalable data pipelines and API schemas for microservices
    — “Own core data pipelines end-to-end... Experience with API schemas and building backend services in a microservices architecture
  • Professionals with a passion for experimentation platforms and simulation systems for routing optimization
    — “Serve as the technical owner and architectural lead for our offline experimentation platform and route simulation services

Things to consider

  • In-office presence is required at least 3 days per week, including specific days
    — “work in the office at least 3 days per week, including on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
  • This role emphasizes technical leadership and long-term system design over individual contributor tasks
    — “setting technical direction, evaluating trade-offs, and ensuring the systems scale

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with Spark, Airflow, and Terraform in your resume and interview responses
    — “Experience with workflow orchestration (e.g., Airflow, Prefect) and infra tooling (e.g., Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Demonstrate your ability to lead system architecture and define SLAs for large-scale data systems
    — “defining/managing SLAs for pipelines, services, and datasets to ensure reliability at scale
  • Showcase your hands-on SQL tuning experience with high-volume event data
    — “experience conducting advanced performance tuning and querying high volume events data
  • Emphasize your background in data governance and observability systems for complex data pipelines
    — “the data governance and observability systems that keep them trustworthy
  • Demonstrate your ability to mentor and share knowledge through collaborative practices
    — “Mentor others, give brown bags, and promote engineering best practices across the team
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Architect and lead the technical direction of offline experimentation tooling and route simulation services
  • Build scalable data pipelines for experimentation, analytics, and machine learning models
  • Ensure reliability and scalability of data pipelines and services
Typical background
5+ years of professional experience in backend or data engineering with large-scale distributed systemsStrong experience with Spark and scripting languages like Python, Ruby, BashExperience with distributed storage, querying, and streaming technologies

Skills & requirements

Required

BackendData-pipelinesDistributed-systemsData-qualityAi-toolsSQLScripting-languagesData-governanceObservabilityCloud-infrastructureApi-design

Preferred

AirflowTerraformKubernetesdbtGreat ExpectationsMonte CarloCopilotClaude CodeCursor

Stack & domain

AWSDatabricksKubernetesAirflowSparkPythonRubyBashClickhouseHivePrestoDeltaIcebergKafkaMySQLPostgreSQLdbtGreat ExpectationsMonte CarloPrefectTerraformDockerAPI SchemasMicroservices ArchitectureAI ToolsLeadershipCommunicationProblem-solvingTeamworkMentorshipData EngineeringMachine LearningData ScienceAI

About the role

Original posting from Lyft

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

As a Senior Software Engineer, Data on the Mapping team, you will collaborate with our world-class team of engineers, product managers, and scientists to grow and improve the quality of recommended routes and accuracy of our travel time estimations. You will lead the architecture and long-term technical direction of our offline experimentation tooling and route simulation services — the systems that let Lyft test routing changes safely before they reach production. You'll also build scalable data pipelines for experimentation, analytics, and machine learning models, along with the data governance and observability systems that keep them trustworthy. Your work will enable integration with partner teams and allow stakeholders across Engineering, Data Science, and Product to make data-informed decisions that directly impact Lyft’s growth and profitability.

Our technology stack is based on the latest technologies such as AWS, Databricks, Kubernetes and Airflow. You will work with incredibly passionate and talented colleagues from software engineering, machine learning and data science on projects that directly impact millions of riders and drivers.

Responsibilities

Own core data pipelines end-to-end, building deep subject matter expertise in the systems you manage and defining/managing SLAs for pipelines, services, and datasets to ensure reliability at scale

Serve as the technical owner and architectural lead for our offline experimentation platform and route simulation services, setting technical direction, evaluating trade-offs, and ensuring the systems scale with Lyft's routing and mapping ambitions

Continuously evolve data models and schemas to meet business and engineering requirements

Develop AI tools that support self-service management of data pipelines (ETL) and schema evolution, and perform hands-on SQL tuning to optimize data processing performance

Write clean, well-tested, and maintainable code, prioritizing scalability and cost efficiency

Participate in code and architecture reviews to ensure code quality and distribute knowledge

Manage on-call rotations and proactively improve team processes

Mentor others, give brown bags, and promote engineering best practices across the team

Experiences

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field

5+ years of professional experience in backend or data engineering with large-scale distributed systems

Strong experience with Spark, and with a scripting language (Python, Ruby, Bash)

Experience with distributed storage, querying, and streaming technologies (e.g. Clickhouse, Hive, Presto, Delta, Iceberg, Kafka)

Strong SQL skills (MySQL, PostgreSQL or similar), with experience conducting advanced performance tuning and querying high volume events data (e.g. geospatial, behavioural)

Strong data quality instincts, with hands-on experience using tools like dbt, Great Expectations, or Monte Carlo to diagnose and resolve issues in complex datasets

Experience with workflow orchestration (e.g., Airflow, Prefect) and infra tooling (e.g., Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes), preferably in an AWS context

Experience designing API schemas and building backend services in a microservices architecture

Proficient and effective in using AI tools (e.g. Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor) to accelerate coding and engineering workflows

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences while collaborating effectively across teams

Bonus: Experience with LLM orchestration or vector databases, or with experimentation/simulation platforms and A/B testing infrastructure at scale

Benefits:

Extended health and dental coverage options, along with life insurance and disability benefits

Mental health benefits

Family building benefits

Child care and pet benefits

Access to a Lyft funded Health Care Savings Account

RRSP plan with company match to help save for your future

In addition to provincial observed holidays, salaried team members are covered under Lyft's flexible paid time off policy. The policy allows team members to take off as much time as they need (with manager approval). Hourly team members get 15 days paid time off, with an additional day for each year of service 

Lyft is proud to support new parents with 18 weeks of paid time off, designed as a top-up plan to complement provincial programs. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible.

Subsidized commuter benefits and Lyft ride credits

Lyft is committed to creating an inclusive workforce that fosters belonging. Lyft believes that every person has a right to equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, pardoned record of offences, or any other basis protected by applicable law or by Company policy. Lyft also strives for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibits harassment of any kind.  Accommodation for persons with disabilities will be provided upon request in accordance with applicable law during the application and hiring process. Please contact your recruiter if you wish to make such a request.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office at least 3 days per week, including on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the Toronto area is CAD $136,000 - CAD $170,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.

Lyft may use artificial intelligence to screen applicants, however, Lyft employees make the ultimate selection and hiring decisions.

This job fills an existing vacancy.

Source: Lyft careers

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