Contract: Senior Backend Engineer - Snowflake Data Platform

Upwork ($UPWK) is the world’s work marketplace. We serve everyone from one-person startups to over 30% of the Fortune 100 with a powerful, trust-driven platform that enables companies and talent to work together in new ways that unlock their potential.  

Last year, more than $3.8 billion of work was done through Upwork by skilled professionals who are gaining more control by finding work they are passionate about and innovating their careers. 

This is an engagement through Upwork’s Hybrid Workforce Solutions (HWS) Team. Our Hybrid Workforce Solutions Team is a global group of professionals that support Upwork’s business. Our HWS team members are located all over the world.

Upwork is looking for a talented, experienced, and hardworking Senior Backend Engineer with an expert level in Python, Javascript, server-side development with SQL experience, and AWS knowledge to work on the Upwork Data Platform Backend.

The Intelligent Data Platform team is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to support the Snowflake Data Platform. This is a hands-on IC role focused on building, operating, and automating backend services that power data ingestion, orchestration, governance, cost optimization, and compliance for a platform used by hundreds of internal users.

Your Responsibilities:

• Build and operate backend services and automation for the Snowflake data platform.
• Support data ingestion pipelines (RDS/Oracle → Snowflake) and reverse ETL (Snowflake → RDS).
• Develop and maintain Airflow (AWS MWAA) workflows for ingestion, data quality, and ops automation.
• Implement tooling for data quality checks, platform governance, and SOX-related controls.
• Help monitor and optimize Snowflake performance and costs.
• Deliver production-ready solutions with minimal supervision.

Must Haves (Required Skills):

• Strong backend engineering experience in production systems.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL (JavaScript a plus).
• Hands-on experience with Snowflake or large-scale data warehouses.
• Experience with AWS and workflow orchestration (Airflow preferred).
• Strong operational mindset: monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance tuning.
• Ability to work independently in a remote, distributed team with minimum supervision and attention to detail.
• Communicate frequently and effectively in English.
• Can commit at least 3 hours a day, overlapping with the working hours of the Upwork Data Platform team - typically 8 AM - 11 AM PST.

Upwork is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics under federal, state, or local law.

Please note that a criminal background check may be required once a conditional job offer is made. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with applicable law, including the California Fair Chance Act and local Fair Chance ordinances. The Company is committed to conducting an individualized assessment and giving all individuals a fair opportunity to provide relevant information or context before making any final employment decision.

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