Lead Data Engineer

Skip To Job Description Lead Data Engineer Toronto, ON, Canada Full Time Data Manager/Supervisor Share About Xanadu:Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before.  What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!Your role and responsibilities:As a Lead Data Engineer, you will take Xanadu’s existing data pipelines and transform them into a cohesive data platform. Working alongside hardware researchers, data scientists, and finance analysts, you'll define how data flows across the organization and build the infrastructure that enables data-driven decisions at every level. This is a hands-on technical role first — you will be the first dedicated data engineer, with the opportunity to build a data team around you.Lead technical design and delivery of data pipelines spanning R&D, manufacturing, and business analyticsBuild and scale robust cloud data infrastructure (ingestion, transformation, serving)Define data models in collaboration with researchers and analysts to ensure scientific and business data is stored correctly and queryableEstablish data governance foundations: lineage, cataloging, access control, and quality monitoringDrive best practices across code quality, testing, data reliability, and observabilityBalance new development, platform improvements, and technical debt reductionLeverage AI-assisted tooling to accelerate engineering productivityMentor and provide technical guidance to engineers across the organization as the practice growsBasic qualifications and experience:7+ years in data engineering, with 2+ years in a lead or architect capacityDeep experience building and scaling data platforms in the cloud (e.g., Databricks, Snowflake)Production experience designing and operating data lake or lakehouse architectures (Delta Lake, Iceberg, or Hudi)Expertise in distributed systems and data integrity at scaleHands-on experience with modern data stack tooling (dbt, Fivetran, or similar) and orchestration (Airflow, Dagster, Prefect)Strong SQL and Python skillsKnowledge of infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD for data pipelinesProven ability to drive technical standards and engineering improvements across teamsExperience working with cross-functional teams — especially R&D or science teams producing unstructured or semi-structured dataPreferred qualifications and experience:Experience in a deep-tech, hardware, or semiconductor environment where data originates from physical measurement systemsFamiliarity with time-series or scientific data formats (HDF5, Parquet for measurement traces, etc.)Prior experience as the "first data engineer" — building a practice from scratch, not inheriting oneFamiliarity with LIMS systems or laboratory data workflowsThis is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits. Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here. We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting...