About Colrows Colrows is building a generative analytics platform designed to transform how enterprises work with data—making insights as easy to converse with as a colleague. We combine strong data foundations, agentic workflows, and enterprise-grade governance in a seamless, self-serve experience. At the heart of this is a powerful execution engine, and we’re looking for a Founding Engineer to help shape and scale it. Role Overview We are looking for a hands-on Principal Software Engineer who brings architectural depth and real-world experience in building robust systems with Java and open-source technologies. You’ll lead design and development of the backend engine that processes and transforms large-scale structured data, ensuring precision, performance, and clarity. This is a high-impact role, central to Colrows’ success—working closely with the founder, product leaders, and customers. Key Responsibilities Design and build core components of the Colrows platform, including: Distributed query execution Type-safe data transformation pipelines High-performance connectors and adapters to multiple database backends Architect and implement scalable, resilient services in Java , using open-source libraries and tools. Ensure correctness in data type mappings, memory representations, and serialization across diverse data systems. Lead and mentor engineers through reviews, design discussions, and production-quality implementation. Collaborate with AI, frontend, and infrastructure teams to build a cohesive, agentic product experience. Own technical decision-making—balancing performance, maintainability, and extensibility. You Bring 10+ years of hands-on backend engineering experience with a focus on Java . Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals —especially data structures, memory models, and type systems. Experience working with large datasets —terabytes of structured data across distributed systems. Practical knowledge of data type mappings across SQL engines, Java, JSON, Avro, Arrow, and binary formats. Fluency in in-memory data representations , caching strategies, and performance tuning. Proven track record of designing and implementing clean, testable, production-grade code . Familiarity with tools like: Apache Arrow, Apache Calcite, Apache Ignite, Presto/Trino, Apache Beam, RocksDB, Protobuf, gRPC, Netty . Bonus: Experience contributing to open source, or building data platforms, databases, or query engines. What You'll Get Work on a next-gen analytics platform that's redefining how enterprises interact with data. Collaborate directly with the founder and a mission-driven, highly technical team. A strong culture of ownership, autonomy, and deep engineering. Competitive compensation, meaningful equity, and the flexibility of a modern remote/hybrid setup.
As a Founding Engineer at Colrows, you will play a crucial role in shaping and scaling our generative analytics platform. We are dedicated to revolutionizing how enterprises engage with data, aiming to make insights as accessible as conversing with a colleague. Our platform integrates robust data foundations, agentic workflows, and enterprise-grade governance to deliver a seamless, self-serve experience. Join us in driving the development of a powerful execution engine that lies at the core of our platform. In this role, you will serve as a hands-on Principal Software Engineer, leveraging your architectural expertise and practical experience in constructing resilient systems using Java and open-source technologies. Your primary responsibility will be to lead the design and implementation of the backend engine, which processes and transforms large-scale structured data with a focus on precision, performance, and clarity. Key Responsibilities: - Design and construct essential components of the Colrows platform, such as distributed query execution, type-safe data transformation pipelines, and high-performance connectors to various database backends. - Architect and deploy scalable, fault-tolerant services in Java utilizing open-source libraries and tools. - Ensure accuracy in data type mappings, memory representations, and serialization across diverse data systems. - Mentor and guide engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and the implementation of production-quality solutions. - Collaborate with AI, frontend, and infrastructure teams to deliver a cohesive and agentic product experience. - Take charge of technical decision-making by balancing performance, maintainability, and extensibility. You Bring: - Over 10 years of hands-on experience in backend engineering with a specialization in Java. - A solid foundation in computer science fundamentals, particularly in data structures, memory models, and type systems. - Previous experience handling large datasets spanning terabytes of structured data across distributed systems. - Practical knowledge of data type mappings in SQL engines, Java, JSON, Avro, Arrow, and binary formats. - Proficiency in in-memory data representations, caching strategies, and performance optimization. - Demonstrated success in designing and implementing clean, testable, and production-grade code. - Familiarity with tools such as Apache Arrow, Apache Calcite, Apache Ignite, Presto/Trino, Apache Beam, RocksDB, Protobuf, gRPC, and Netty. - Bonus: Experience in contributing to open-source projects or building data platforms, databases, or query engines. What You'll Get: - Opportunity to work on a cutting-edge analytics platform that is reshaping how enterprises engage with data. - Direct collaboration with the founder and a dedicated, technically proficient team. - A culture that promotes ownership, autonomy, and deep engineering involvement. - Competitive compensation, meaningful equity, and the flexibility of a modern remote/hybrid work environment.,