Principal Software Development Engineer - Data Cloud

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

As part of Workday’s Data Platform Engineering org, you will be responsible for building and enhancing Workday's Data Cloud. You will lead a top-notch team to architect and build features in our distributed ingestion, query processing, transaction processing, storage engines. You're an engineer who is passionate about data management and distributed data processing frameworks and algorithms. Performance, scalability, and reliability of these algorithms are constantly on your mind and looking to stay involved in these areas. You have the chops to build the infrastructure that powers high-performance data crunching on large volumes of data while ensuring simplicity and ease-­of­-use of the overall product. You enjoy the thrill of coming up with brilliant ideas and can articulate their value­-prop to partners but are most satisfied when you turn these ideas into solid high­ quality implementations that make customers successful.

You are an engineer who takes pride in your work.  Furthermore, you:

• Understand the importance of doing what is right for the customer
• Are passionate about software development and think and code in terms of well-defined abstractions
• Enjoy coming up with novel solutions and can clearly articulate their value to stakeholders
• Are excited about leading an engineering team
• Have a strong interest in learning, teaching and developing data management and distributed data processing systems and algorithms
• Are a fast learner who enjoys exploring new technical areas, languages, and frameworks 

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years using any of the following programming languages: Java, Scala, C++, Go, or Rust
• 5+ years development experience in relevant domain areas (e.g. database internals, distributed system application, JVM performance tuning, Cloud/SaaS Services, etc.)
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or relevant field or MS in Computer Science or a relevant field

Other Qualifications

• Background in data warehousing, database system internals and/or distributed systems ​
• Expertise in distributed data processing engines or data management systems
• A strong understanding of SQL
• Expertise in Cloud Computing Services (e.g., GCP, AWS), Kubernetes, and/or Linux
• Expertise in one or more of: Apache Spark and Spark SQL internals, Apache Iceberg and zero-copy architectures, Apache Polaris, Trino, MySql, PostgreSQL, DuckDB

The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below.  Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here.

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