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Principal Engineer - Open Source Data Platform (ODP)

Acceldata· Engineering – R&D (Dev)
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KitchenerFull-timePosted 6mo ago

About the role

Principal Engineer to define long-term technical strategy for Acceldata's Open Data Platform, lead complex architectural initiatives, and influence open-source contributions and industry direction.

Responsibilities

  • Define and drive the long-term technical strategy and architecture for the Open Data Platform, aligning with business objectives and industry trends.
  • Own the design of the most complex, high-impact systems and establish architectural principles and patterns that scale across the organization.
  • Identify emerging technologies and industry trends; lead research and development initiatives that position Acceldata at the cutting edge of data platform innovation.
  • Serve as a recognized leader in the open-source community; drive Apache project contributions, represent Acceldata at conferences, and influence project roadmaps.
  • Collaborate with CTO, VP of Engineering, and Product leadership to translate business strategy into technical execution; provide technical due diligence for strategic initiatives.
  • Influence engineering practices, tools, and culture across multiple teams; establish best practices that elevate the entire engineering organization.
  • Mentor Staff Engineers and Senior Engineers; develop technical leadership capabilities across the organization.
  • Lead resolution of the most challenging technical problems spanning architecture, performance, scalability, and reliability.
  • Engage with strategic customers and partners on complex technical discussions; translate customer needs into platform capabilities.
  • Drive alignment across engineering, product, and operations on technical decisions with broad organizational impact.
  • Work across diverse environments: Bare Metals, VM, Kubernetes, multi-cloud, and hybrid architectures at enterprise scale.

Qualifications

  • 12+ years of hands-on software development experience with at least 8 years focused on distributed systems, big data platforms, or data infrastructure.
  • Proven track record of leading large-scale technical initiatives from conception to production across multiple teams.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Java or Scala; strong skills in Python and systems languages.
  • Deep expertise in distributed computing, including consensus protocols, distributed transactions, data replication, partitioning strategies, and optimization with modern table formats.
  • Extensive experience in architecting and scaling systems using Hadoop, Spark, Hive, Trino, Kafka, Flink, and related technologies at production scale (100s to 1000s of nodes).
  • Demonstrated ability to design and evolve complex systems that handle petabyte-scale data with high availability and performance requirements.
  • Expert knowledge of cloud-native architectures, Kubernetes orchestration, and multi-cloud deployment patterns.
  • Track record of diagnosing and resolving complex distributed system issues, including performance optimization, resource management, and failure mode analysis.
  • Significant contributions to major open-source projects; experience working with distributed global teams and open-source governance models.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; proven ability to influence technical direction across organizations and with external stakeholders.
  • Ability to balance long-term technical vision with near-term delivery requirements; experience making build vs. buy decisions.

Skills

Required:Java or ScalaPythonDistributed computingHadoop / Spark / Hive / Trino / Kafka / Flink

Benefits

  • PTO Plan with unlimited negative balance
  • RRSP Plan
  • Up to 100% employer-paid benefit options for health, dental, and vision coverage
  • Supplemental Benefits
  • Apple Air Mac Equipment
  • Office gym access (includes workout equipment, basketball court, and showers)
  • Becoming part of the team that coined the term “Data Observability”!
Last updated Oct 22, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Acceldata

AI-Native Data Management for the Modern Enterprise

Discover Acceldata, the industry’s first agentic data management platform, revolutionizing data observability, governance, optimization, and AI-driven operations. Enhance data reliability, reduce costs, and maximize efficiency across hybrid environments.

Data ObservabilityData ManagementAI-driven OperationsHybrid Environments
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