Software Engineer, Aiven Context

About the role

The team's mission is to build the definitive AI-Native Open Source Data Platform. They are integrating best-of-breed open-source technologies - starting with data governance and discovery (DataHub) and moving into unified federated querying - to deliver a seamless data experience in minutes, not months. They aren't a typical corporate team. They operate like an early-stage startup inside Aiven: they move fast, iterate rapidly, and default to extreme ownership. For those who want to own their product surface from ideation to production code, this is home. The AI-First Mindset They aren't just building for an AI-first future; they live in it. They expect their colleagues to be AI-First Engineers. This means actively using LLMs and agentic workflows to supercharge daily coding, automate mundane tasks, and optimize deployment pipelines. They care about outcomes and speed, and they want engineers to use the best modern tools available to accelerate their impact.

Responsibilities

• Launch & Maintain Managed OSS Products: Work with the team to launch new managed services like Datahub on Aiven and build the context layer offering as we progress.
• Own the Stack (Backend to Console): Act as a true full-stack engineer. You'll dive into the backend databases and services written in python but also switch context to build the user-facing web flows within the React-based Aiven Console.
• Contribute Back to the Community: Give back to the ecosystem by upstreaming bug fixes, optimizations, and feature enhancements to original open-source projects whenever possible.
• Build AI-First Workflows: Experiment implementing practical, production-ready AI pipelines, including synthetic metadata generation, text-to-SQL capabilities, and automated data discovery workflows.
• Construct the Aiven Context Layer: Create integrations, features, and workflows that turn fragmented technologies into a seamless platform experience.

Requirements

• Polyglot Engineering Skills: You are highly proficient in Python but are entirely comfortable with learning new languages if required (Java, etc.)
• Frontend Capabilities: Solid experience with React and TypeScript . You don't need to be a pure designer, but you should have the product intuition to build UI flows that make sense to humans.
• An AI-First Workflow: You have already integrated AI tools deeply into your development process and look for automation opportunities everywhere.
• A Startup Soul: You thrive in ambiguous environments. You don't wait for permission or perfect documentation - you figure things out, build prototypes, and make things work.
• Data Systems Literacy: Familiarity with the foundational building blocks of modern data stacks (e.g., PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, Kafka).
• Prior experience as an early startup hire.
• Active contributions to open-source software (OSS) projects.
• Background or strong interest in the Data & Analytics (DnA) market, data catalogs, or ontologies.
• Experience building or experimenting with Agentic workflows, Text-to-SQL, or Graph RAG.
• Amazing! What's next:
• If you think Aiven is the place for you and that our Values align with yours, send us your resume and we'll get in touch!
• Global Benefits:
• Our global benefits are designed to help you thrive and grow, personally and professionally:
• Participate in Aiven's equity plan.
• Balance work and life with our hybrid work policy.
• Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Use your Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities.
• Receive holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.
• Inquire about our Global Time Off Commitment (Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time)
• Enjoy country-specific benefits for our global cast.
• How to Recognize and Avoid Employment Scams:
• Equal Opportunities:
• Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without reg

Benefits

Additional Information

We're a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open-source technology and multi-cloud solutions. Our vision is to help developers, builders, and creators bring their ideas to life with speed and simplicity, by providing a cloud data platform that makes open-source databases, search, streaming, and application infrastructure easily accessible to everyone.

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