Joblaze summary

The Staff Software Engineer for Big Data Storage at Pinterest focuses on designing and optimizing the company's exabyte-scale data lake storage platform. This role requires expertise in distributed systems and big data technologies, particularly Apache Iceberg, along with strong programming skills in languages like Java, Scala, or Python. Ideal candidates have over eight years of experience in building scalable storage solutions and leading complex technical projects. The position offers a collaborative environment, engaging with various teams to enhance data access and support machine learning initiatives.

Joblaze insights

Listed about a month ago — first seen on Joblaze September 3, 2026. Last confirmed on Pinterest's careers page October 27, 2026.
Salary band is in line with the typical range for Data Engineering roles (median ~$180,656).
Starts above 16% of 19 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States that list Python we track (median $212,000 across 11 companies). See Python salary trends
Python appears in 51% of 51 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States; Hive appears in 3.9% of 51 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States.

Quick facts

Is the Staff Software Engineer, Big Data Storage role remote?: It's hybrid — Pinterest expects some on-site time in Palo Alto, CA, US; Remote, US.
What's the salary range?: Pinterest lists $177,185–$364,795 for this role.
How much experience is required?: At least 8 years of relevant experience for this Staff Software Engineer, Big Data Storage role.
Where is the role based?: Pinterest is hiring for this position in Palo Alto, CA, US; Remote, US.
What's the tech stack?: Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Apache Iceberg, Flink, Hive, Java, Presto, Python.
What seniority level is this role?: Pinterest targets staff-level candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?: Full-time for this Staff Software Engineer, Big Data Storage role at Pinterest.

From the original posting

About Pinterest:

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to help build the next generation of Pinterest’s big data storage platform. You’ll work on some of the most exciting big data open source technologies — especially Apache Iceberg — at exabyte scale to power the data infrastructure that helps Pinners discover and do what they love.

As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll serve as a technical leader and hands-on contributor, designing and building highly scalable storage systems for Pinterest’s data lake. You’ll partner closely with teams across data, ML/AI, analytics, and infrastructure to evolve our storage and metadata management capabilities, enabling efficient, reliable, and governed access to data at massive scale.

What you’ll do:

Design, implement, and optimize Pinterest’s exabyte-scale data lake storage platform.
Lead complex technical projects and initiatives for data lake storage and metadata management, driving them from architecture through execution.
Collaborate with stakeholders and partner teams across the organization to design storage and metadata layer technologies that unlock big data and ML/AI innovations.
Build storage capabilities that efficiently support large-scale ML/AI workloads, including high-throughput data access, schema evolution, and large-scale column backfills.
Shape the long-term technical direction for scalable, reliable, and efficient big data storage systems.
Engage with and contribute to open source communities such as Apache Iceberg, Spark, and Flink to help address Pinterest’s scaling challenges.

What we’re looking for:

8+ years of relevant industry experience designing and building large-scale production distributed systems.
Strong experience designing and maintaining scalable storage, metadata, or data lake infrastructure.
Experience building storage capabilities for large-scale ML/AI or analytics workloads, including high-throughput data access, schema evolution, and large-scale column backfills.
Deep knowledge with building distributed systems, data storage systems, and production infrastructure.
Experience with big data technologies such as Apache Iceberg, Spark, Flink, Presto/Trino, Hive, or similar systems.
Proficiency in programming languages like Java, Scala, or Python.
Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence architecture across teams.
Strong collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills, with a drive for technical excellence and innovation.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, or equivalent experience

In-Office Requirement Statement:

We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we're not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.
This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times/quarter and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

Relocation Statement:

This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

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At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

US based applicants only

$177,185—$364,795 USD

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Standard company text repeated across Pinterest's postings is omitted here.

Staff Software Engineer, Big Data Storage

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