CONTRACT: Data Engineer (REMOTE)

Who We Are

Discogs is the largest crowd-sourced, community-driven database of recorded music information in the world. Every day, millions of people use the Discogs Marketplace to connect, learn about music, and buy and sell vinyl records, CDs, and cassettes. As Discogs continues to grow, we are looking for bright, dedicated, creative, and highly motivated people to help us realize our mission to serve the music fan in everyone. We are relatively small, so individual contributions can have a large impact. High value is placed on quality, critical thinking, and continuous improvement. Our teams work collaboratively but are distributed geographically and open-source tools are important to who we are and how we work. We value the experiences and skills each team member contributes to helping us serve our music community.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking an experienced Data Engineer. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in managing and integrating data feeds from physical distributors to our online platform, ensuring the timely and accurate vinyl record listings. You will play a crucial role in maintaining data integrity, optimizing data workflows, and supporting our analytics capabilities. This is an individual contributor role and not seeking 3rd party agency assistance at this time.

Location: This is a fully remote position. The ideal candidate will reside in one of the following states but is not required: OR, WA, CA, TX, CO, IL - We will be seeking candidates from MST and PST time zones preferred

Eligibility: This is a 1099 contract role and must be available for minimum 6 months. At this time we cannot support Visa Sponsorship

Compensation Range: $70 - $80 per hour DOE

What You’ll Accomplish

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Design, develop, and maintain data pipelines to ingest, process, and store data from various physical distributors.
• Collaborate with distributors to understand their data formats, delivery methods, and schedules.
• Ensure the timely and accurate integration of new vinyl record information into our online marketplace.
• Implement data validation and quality checks to maintain the integrity of incoming data.
• Optimize and automate data workflows to improve efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
• Work closely with the product, engineering, and analytics teams to support data-driven decision-making.
• Develop and maintain documentation related to data processes, workflows, and system architecture.
• Troubleshoot and resolve data-related issues promptly to minimize disruptions.
• Monitor and enhance the performance of data infrastructure, ensuring scalability and reliability.
• Stay updated with industry trends and best practices in data engineering and apply them to improve our systems.

Requirements

What You’ll Contribute

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 3+ years of experience as a Data Engineer or in a similar role, preferably within an e-commerce or marketplace environment.
• Demonstrated understanding of common music metadata standards (e.g., DDEX, MusicBrainz) and familiarity with metadata structures used by music DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music) and music distribution companies.
• Proficiency in data integration and ETL processes.
• Strong experience with SQL and database management (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL).
• Experience with data pipeline tools and technologies (e.g., Apache Kafka, Apache Nifi, Apache Airflow).
• Knowledge of programming languages such as Python, Java, or Scala.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and services (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Understanding of data warehousing concepts and technologies (e.g., Redshift, BigQuery, Snowflake).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience in the music industry or a strong personal interest in vinyl records.
• Knowledge of API integration and data exchange formats such as JSON, XML, and CSV.
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker).

Benefits

This is contract position and does not qualify for benefits with the company.

What We Believe In

Discogs’ mission is to serve the music fan in everyone.  We represent a diverse and inclusive community, and we are committed to serving our community with innovative and creative solutions. We know that innovation happens best when varying perspectives are embraced and integrated. Our global team reflects our global community.

Discogs is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Applicants needing accommodation to apply should contact us at 503-597-6340

If you apply for this role, you will be required to upload a resume, cover letter, and fill out a few questions regarding your application. Once submitted, our hiring team will review your application and contact you if you are selected for an interview. Whether you are successful or not, we will store your application and data in our system for a maximum period of one year from the application date in case another role becomes available that you are suitable for. If you have any questions or concerns about us storing this data and/or the period of time, please contact us at [email protected] and we will respond to you within 30 days.