Wattpad is a global multiplatform entertainment company whose vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Since 2006, we’ve been on a mission to use the power of community and technology to unleash the full potential of stories to the world. Every month 85 million people around the world spend over 23 billion minutes on Wattpad to share and discover stories they can’t find anywhere else.  Our brand banner includes: Wattpad, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, Wattpad Books and Wattpad Brand Partnerships. We’re proudly based in Toronto, but our reach is global. Come build the future of entertainment and storytelling, and write your next chapter with us!

We are looking for a Data Engineer passionate about solving hard technical problems, loves to create data models, and thrives in a product focused environment. If this is you, keep reading!  

This position is for Wattpad’s Data Engineering Team. The vision of this team is to build the technology that will create capabilities to understand stories and users, and accelerate our ability to innovate at Wattpad. We believe in a team culture that enables empowered engineers to fix problems in the way that they see fit.

What you will be doing:

• Coordinate with data scientists, data analysts, software developers and product managers to design and evolve our existing architecture, improving the reliability and performance of our data infrastructure.
• Build, troubleshoot and scale high traffic distributed systems processing hundreds of thousands of messages per second in real time
• Develop and maintain reliable ETL pipelines to help power analytical needs
• Provide input into the design and development of our in-house A/B testing framework to maximize effectiveness of experiments
• Evangelize data-driven decision making across the organization through data expertise

What we’re looking for:

• At least 2 years experience in writing high-quality code in any programming language (bonus if it’s in Python or Go)
• Strong understanding of database fundamentals
• Experience with batch processing and streaming systems like Hive, Pig and Kafka
• Experience with Spark and Scala is a plus
• A critical thinker and possess creative problem solving skills  
• Quantitative skills, ability to think analytically, and strong attention to details
• A desire to contribute to the broader development community

Wattpad is conducting all interviews in a distributed manner using applicable third party software where needed and using visual interface tools such as Google Hangouts and Zoom.

Who are we? Entrepreneurs and Do-ers. Our vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories, and our mission is to use the power of community and technology to unleash the full potential of stories to the world.

What does that mean? We are visionaries, community builders, passionate problem solvers, storytellers, coffee snobs (tea drinkers, too!), curious by nature, and culturally diverse.

What are we obsessed with? Our users. Solving complex problems and maximizing flow. Learning constantly. Building the next great storytelling product. Finding the greatest stories ever told. Dogs (and cats), coffee, and good snacks.

How do we work? Autonomously, collaboratively, respectfully. Balancing with work, family, and play...and all while having a great time.

Wattpad is a remote friendly company and encourages remote candidates to apply as long as they are located and authorized to work in either the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) as a precondition of employment. We are not able to sponsor applicants for work permits.

If you happen to live near the areas of either Toronto, Ontario or Halifax, Nova Scotia, you may also have the opportunity to work from our beautiful offices - 1 located in Downtown Toronto and the other in Halifax.

Wattpad is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate. Period. 

Wattpad welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We have taken a leadership position on creating a culture and an organization that truly values diversity. We are committed to fostering a global team that reflects the diversity of the Wattpad community. At Wattpad, we believe cultural fit doesn’t mean culturally identical, and diversity of thought helps us to challenge one another to think big and think differently. We consider employment applicants without regard to age, race, colour, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, disability status or any other protected status.  

If you have any special needs or accessibility requirements, please let us know. We will do our utmost to accommodate, in accordance with applicable local legislation.

Don’t meet all the requirements? Studies show women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs if they do not meet all the qualifications. Therefore, in an effort to build a more diverse workplace, we encourage you to apply anyways. You might actually be the right person or you may be a good fit for a number of other openings we currently have.