Data Engineer

Hi, we’re Sparta Commodities!

Sparta is the next generation platform of financial data, information and insight for trading. Our mission is to digitise the commodity trading market and become the leading platform for traders and analysts in all commodities verticals. Built for traders by traders, our technology pulls together real time market data and adds insight and advanced analysis to enable traders to make better decisions, faster and with more conviction.

Following impressive market traction and financial backing from Venture Investors, we’re on a path to scale globally. It’s a great time to join us, and we have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced and delivery-focused Data Engineer to play a key role in refining and optimising how data from varied sources is ingested, processed, and cleansed.

We are a remote-first company with a modern, AWS based, tech stack. As a data business, your role will be key to our continued growth, development and success.

Reporting to our Data Platform lead, you will design and build components for our new data ingestion platform that will power new features for Sparta in 2025. You will be directly involved in the design and build of this key platform and will be expected to take ownership of significant infrastructure components. As a startup, we move fast and our engineers are responsible for the full SDLC from pitching ideas through design, build and operation. There is much to do, with great tech and no legacy code to worry about. We are looking for a talented engineer with a passion for building great software.

We're looking for:

• Prior experience as a Data Engineer or Software Engineer, building ETL/ELT pipelines.
• Happy to work on your own but also comfortable talking through ideas and challenges with colleagues across the engineering team.
• Someone who thrives in a fast-paced, scale-up environment, who can handle ambiguity, takes ownership of issues and acts on their own initiative. We want you to contribute ideas, improve the way we do things, and determine the best way to solve problems.
• Confident and effective in your communication; able to engage across the business and collaborate effectively in a remote-first company with a diverse international workforce.
• Proactive, with a proven ability to work with a high level of independence and urgency
• High level of integrity, ethical standards, and alignment with Sparta’s values

Technical Requirements:

Must Have:
• A degree in Computer Science; will also consider an engineering/science degree plus relevant experience
• Extensive experience with Python for data ingestion, transformation, and loading processes.
• Good understanding of relational databases and some experience using the more advanced features of SQL.
• Proven experience in version control, CI/CD, unit test, integration test, functional test, and writing documentation.
• Practical experience in modern software engineering techniques and best practices.

Nice to Have:
• Practical experience in AWS cloud services, particularly ECS & Lambdas.
• Experience monitoring software processes and alerting when things go wrong (we use Datadog) would be great.
• Linux shell scripting, GitHub, CircleCI, Dagster, Docker, CDK are all useful but not mandatory!

Bonus Points:
• Experience in real-time/streaming data ETL, leveraging technologies like Apache Kafka or AWS Kinesis for high-volume data processing.
• Working knowledge of Java, with the ability to contribute to Java-based projects or collaborate in multi-language environments.
• Experience in the trading/fintech industry.


What’s the culture like at Sparta?

At Sparta, our culture is not just a set of values written on a wall—it's a way of life. We embrace a dynamic environment where initiative is celebrated, challenges are met head-on, and innovation thrives. 

You'll collaborate with like-minded individuals who are passionate about our mission and deeply committed to crafting outstanding products and achieving success for our customers. 

We operate flexibly, understanding that a thriving, profitable company isn't just about being in the same location all the time. We build our relationships through effective remote work methods and carefully planned in-person meet-ups. 

Our values:

• Just own it: At Sparta, accountability is not just a buzzword- it’s a way of life. We believe in taking ownership of our work, challenges, and successes. When you join us, you’re not just an employee- you’re a stakeholder, driving our collective success through a mindset of ownership.
• Don’t get too comfortable: Innovation thrives in discomfort. Embrace change, seek new challenges, push your boundaries. Growth and success lie beyond the comfort zone.
• Ask for forgiveness, not permission: we value initiative and boldness. Take calculated risks, be proactive, don’t be afraid to make decisions. Learning from mistakes is as important as celebrating achievements.
• Put the customer at the heart of every action: customer satisfaction isn’t just a goal- it’s our guiding principle. We go the extra mile to understand and meet customer needs.
• Stay hungry, yet humble: ambition fuels progress, and humility keeps us grounded. Stay hungry for knowledge, achievements, and growth, but never lose sight of the importance of empathy and gratitude.
• Collaborate and challenge: great ideas emerge when diverse groups of minds come together. Collaboration is more than just teamwork- it’s the fusion of different perspectives, challenging norms and collectively achieving greatness.


What we offer:

• Remote-first working model
• Attractive company stock option plan
• Dynamic, international work environment with a strong focus on innovation
• A real performance-led business with support for you to achieve your career goals
• Private Medical Insurance

Sparta Commodities is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and promotes diversity within its workforce. We are determined that suitably qualified persons will never receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status, race, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.