Senior Data Engineer

Some data problems are neat and tidy. Ours usually aren't. They are messy, evolving, and tied to real decisions. We work closely with our clients to understand what actually needs to be solved and build from there.

At Playground, we help clients put their data to work, from the platforms underneath to the models and AI solutions on top. We are a collaborative team that values solid engineering and shared growth, and our people see their work through, from first idea to production.

What you'll actually do

You’ll work closely with our clients on initiatives where the data platform is critical to how the business runs. Many of our engagements are greenfield builds or major platform transformations, and someone needs to own the shape of the solution. This role suits an experienced engineer who wants to lead that work: making the architecture calls, setting the standard for how things get built and seeing it through to production and beyond.

In practice, you’ll:

• Design and build modern data platforms from scratch, and take the lead on architecture and technical direction.

• Ingest, model and structure data so it holds up for analytics, AI and ML workloads at scale.

• Own platforms in production, with responsibility for operating, evolving and improving them over time, including in our Managed DataOps engagements.

• Act as the technical go-to in the client relationship, guiding decisions and translating fuzzy needs into something buildable.

• Contribute internally by mentoring colleagues, building and maintaining our data engineering frameworks, shaping our technical approaches, being part of presales and supporting Playground’s continued growth.

You’ll never sit idle, there’s always something meaningful to build, improve, or untangle.

Who are you?

You’ve been building and maintaining data platforms for many years and have delivered more than one that people depend on every day. You’ve seen what breaks in production and learned how to design so it doesn’t. Python and SQL are part of your daily toolkit, you’re at home in infrastructure as code, and you’ve gone deep in at least one modern data stack (AWS, Azure, GCP, Databricks, Snowflake etc.).

You would probably describe yourself as someone who:

• Leads with engineering judgment: You know how data needs to flow, scale and hold up in production, and you can explain why one design is better than another.

• Enjoys building from scratch: Greenfield work doesn’t scare you, it motivates you, and you know which shortcuts are fine and which ones hurt later.

• Stays calm when things are unclear: You don’t panic when requirements are fuzzy and the system diagram needs three whiteboards. You’re usually the one holding the pen.

• Makes the people around you better: You mentor naturally, review code with care and raise the bar for the team without making a thing of it.

• Is comfortable in a consultant role: You handle customer dialogue well, carry weight in presales and help clients through difficult decisions.

As a person, you’re humble, genuinely curious about technology, and motivated, while knowing that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. Friendly, curious, and playful.

You must be based in the Stockholm area and have a valid work permit for Sweden (no visa sponsorship or relocation).

Buzzword bingo: AWS, Azure, GCP, Databricks, Snowflake, dbt, Python, SQL, Terraform, CI/CD, Data Modeling

Language requirement

You need to be fluent in Swedish and able to use it confidently in a professional environment. Swedish citizenship is required.

Why? Most of our collaborations and client projects are conducted in Swedish, and several of our clients have formal requirements for both Swedish citizenship and full professional fluency in the language.

Welcome to Playground!

At Playground, you work on real, complex assignments for well-established and ambitious clients, not bench projects or short-lived experiments. Our teams are trusted with production systems, platforms, and data that actually matter. Here growth comes from ownership, curiosity, and doing the work properly. You’re trusted to think, contribute, and keep getting better, one meaningful step at a time.
Playground brings together specialized domains under one umbrella, with a shared culture and way of working, and easy access to broad technical expertise when it helps move the work forward.