Principal Data System Developer

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VRIFY is positioned at the forefront of the mining industry's transformation, leveraging cutting-edge AI to revolutionize mineral exploration. With a focus on AI drill targeting, VRIFY is expanding its capabilities by synthesizing vast amounts of geological information. This integration enhances the precision and efficiency of exploration strategies, offering our clients innovative solutions that depart from traditional methods.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Principal Data System Developer to own the technical evolution of our geospatial data infrastructure. This senior IC role is designed for a seasoned geospatial engineer who thrives at the intersection of architectural vision and hands‑on implementation. You will serve as the technical authority for geospatial data systems, setting direction for engineering standards, and ensuring our pipelines and infrastructure scale to power the next generation of VRIFY’s geospatial AI platform. Unlike a traditional management role, this is a high‑impact individual contributor position where leadership comes through technical expertise, influence, and system design excellence.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority on geospatial data systems within VRIFY.
• Translate architectural vision into detailed technical designs and execution roadmaps.
• Mentor senior and mid-level engineers through design reviews, pairing, and technical guidance.
• Establish best practices for geospatial data quality, system performance, and scalability.
• Architect and implement advanced ETL/ELT pipelines for geological, geophysical, and remote sensing datasets.
• Define and enforce standards for geospatial data cataloging and metadata (e.g., STAC).
• Drive adoption of cloud-optimized formats (GeoParquet, Zarr, COG, GeoJSON).
• Lead performance optimization across distributed datasets, including spatial indexing and tiling strategies.
• Own the architecture and technical direction of VRIFY’s AWS-based geospatial infrastructure.
• Design and scale STAC API services, specialized spatial databases (PostGIS, PgSTAC), and distributed processing frameworks (Spark, Dask, Pangeo).
• Establish SLAs, observability, and reliability practices for geospatial systems.
• Partner with platform engineers to push the boundaries of large-scale geospatial analytics in the cloud.
• Lead development of APIs and OGC-compliant services for seamless access to geospatial assets.
• Architect frameworks to harmonize data across coordinate systems, projections, and heterogeneous sources.
• Design advanced tile services and visualization-ready datasets to power VRIFY’s interactive platforms.
• Partner with the Data Architect on high-level design and system evolution.
• Collaborate with ML engineers to ensure pipelines generate reliable training and inference-ready data.
• Work with geoscientists to deeply understand domain-specific requirements and translate them into scalable workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, GIS, or related field.
• 12+ years in data engineering or data systems, with at least 6+ years focused on geospatial systems.
• Recognized expert in building and scaling geospatial pipelines and distributed data infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of STAC, GeoParquet, Zarr, COG, and geospatial cataloging standards.
• Proficiency in geospatial libraries (GDAL/OGR, Rasterio, GeoPandas, PySTAC, Xarray).
• Expert‑level skills in Python, SQL, and distributed compute (Spark, Dask, AWS Glue, Pangeo).
• Strong background in workflow orchestration (Airflow, Step Functions) and IaC (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Hands‑on experience with containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), CI/CD, and observability tools.
• Experience with hyperspectral remote sensing data.
• Proficiency in large-scale point cloud data processing.

Required Skills

• Trusted technical leader who can influence architecture without formal authority.
• Skilled at simplifying complex geospatial workflows into elegant, scalable solutions.
• Track record of publishing or contributing to geospatial open-source projects a plus.
• Excellent communicator, comfortable presenting designs to executives, engineers, and domain scientists.
• Startup‑ready mindset: pragmatic, resourceful, and comfortable working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.

Pay range and compensation package

• Health Benefits: Extensive coverage, medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Paid Time Off (PTO): Including vacation days, sick/personal care days, public holidays plus extra time during the holiday season.
• Work-Life Balance: Flexible work hours, remote work options plus an option to use workspace in Downtown Vancouver.
• Professional Development: Career growth program to help our team advance their careers.
• Performance Bonuses
• Wellness Programs: Fitness allowance, work-from-home allowance, mental health support.

Equal Opportunity Statement

This job description has been written to provide an accurate reflection of the current job and to include the general nature of work performed. It is not designed to contain a comprehensive detailed inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of the employees assigned to the job. Management reserves the right to revise the job or require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change.

We strive to create an environment where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered regardless of their race, gender, age, religion, identity, or experience. We understand that unique perspectives and backgrounds bring invaluable insights and contribute to the richness of our culture and the effectiveness of our solutions. If you have a disability or any special needs that we might need to accommodate, please let us know.

Seniority level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

• Full-time

Job function

• Engineering, Information Technology, and Research

Industries

• Software Development

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