Lead Data Engineer

About the Company

Armada is an edge computing startup that provides computing infrastructure to remote areas where connectivity and cloud infrastructure is limited, as well as areas where data needs to be processed locally for real-time analytics and AI at the edge. We’re looking to bring on the most brilliant minds to help further our mission of bridging the digital divide with advanced technology infrastructure that can be rapidly deployed anywhere.

About the role

We are seeking a highly motivated Lead Data Engineer to join our Data Platform team for our Edge Computing AI Platform. As a Lead Data Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our data platform — driving the architecture, strategy, and execution of data ingestion, processing, and analysis, while mentoring engineers and elevating the overall engineering culture. If you are a technically strong leader with a passion for cutting-edge AI, cloud, edge, and infrastructure technology and are ready to own and deliver a next-generation computing and AI platform, we would love to hear from you.

Location. This role is office-based at our Trivandrum, Kerala office.

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

- Lead the design, architecture, and delivery of tools and services that support data workflows, ingestion, processing, and distribution across teams.

- Define technical direction and best practices for the Data Platform team, driving alignment across engineering stakeholders.

- Mentor and grow a team of data engineers through hands-on collaboration, code reviews, and technical guidance.

- Own end-to-end architecture decisions for data tooling and services, balancing short-term delivery with long-term scalability and maintainability.

- Collaborate cross-functionally with a diverse group of engineers, product managers, and leadership — giving and receiving feedback to drive team growth.

- Identify and execute on high-impact opportunities that contribute to building a company at the forefront of the AI and Edge Computing industry.

Required Qualifications

- 12+ years of experience in software or data engineering, with at least 2 years in a technical lead or senior individual contributor role.

- Proven experience leading the design of data platforms, including data modeling, ETL/ELT processes, and streaming data pipelines at scale.

- Deep expertise with data warehousing technologies (Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift) and data processing platforms (Spark), including file formats like Avro

and Parquet.

- Strong understanding of Storage (Object Stores, Data Virtualization) and Compute (Spark on K8S, Databricks, AWS EMR) architectures, with the ability to make and

defend architectural tradeoffs.

- Hands-on experience with workflow orchestration tools like Airflow, including designing and maintaining complex DAG pipelines.

- Experience with version control systems like Git and enforcing standardized git workflows across a team.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a demonstrated ability to lead technical discussions and drive consensus.

- Experience architecting and delivering data-heavy platforms and/or APIs in production environments.

- Deep understanding of distributed systems and how architectural decisions affect performance, reliability, and maintainability.

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience evaluating and selecting ML algorithms for specific problem domains, with the ability to articulate tradeoffs and guide team decisions.

- Proficiency with a deep learning framework such as TensorFlow or Keras.

- Understanding of MLOps practices and practical experience with platforms like Kubeflow or SageMaker.

- Experience building or contributing to internal data platform tooling, developer experience improvements, or data mesh architectures.

You're a Great Fit if You're

• A go-getter with a growth mindset. You're intellectually curious, have strong business acumen, and actively seek opportunities to build relevant skills and knowledge

• A detail-oriented problem-solver. You can independently gather information, solve problems efficiently, and deliver results with a "get-it-done" attitude

• Thrive in a fast-paced environment. You're energized by an entrepreneurial spirit, capable of working quickly, and excited to contribute to a growing company

• A collaborative team player. You focus on business success and are motivated by team accomplishment vs personal agenda

• Highly organized and results-driven. Strong prioritization skills and a dedicated work ethic are essential for you

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Armada, we are committed to fostering a work environment where everyone is given equal opportunities to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we strictly prohibit discrimination or harassment based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, and compensation. Our hiring is guided by qualifications, merit, and the business needs at the time.

Unsolicited Resumes and Candidates

Armada does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from external agencies or recruiters. All candidates must apply directly through our careers page. Any resumes submitted by agencies without a prior signed agreement will be considered unsolicited and Armada will not be obligated to pay any fees.