Apache Spark Engineer Job Description Template

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Example of Apache Spark Engineer job description

Apache Spark is an open-source framework that supports both data streaming and batch processing. The engine interprets multiple programming languages, and its users can harness its power to improve data engineering, data science, and machine learning. With over 1,000 contributing software engineers and developers from hundreds of organizations, it has been leveraged by businesses across all industries to process data of any size.

Recognized as one of the world’s largest data processing clusters, even engineers with just a few years of experience are capable of learning, building, and leveraging the framework. Experienced engineers bring vast knowledge to support various functions, from enhancing processing speed to rebuilding and monitoring data pipelines. The value they add can benefit many facets of an organization.

The job overview

We're looking to hire a new Apache Spark engineer for our team who can help us develop and evolve a large real-time data processing system. As an expert software engineer, your problem-solving and scripting skills will help us manage business requirements to support data scientists. You'll work closely with our system designers and software developers to collaborate on interface development and data pipelines.

Responsibilities of an Apache Spark Engineer

Below are the responsibilities an Apache Spark team member:

  • Design and implement Spark jobs to define, schedule, monitor, and control processes
  • Develop and test algorithms for large-scale machine learning
  • Optimize Spark jobs to maximize speed and scalability while remaining data-use compliant
  • Manage data pipelines and acquisition processes
  • Perform data processing and analysis 
  • Build machine learning models using Spark or MapReduce to visualize and present results
  • Work with other Spark developers and back-end data engineers to design interactive Spark pipelines
  • Develop REST APIs for Spark jobs

Job qualifications for an Apache Spark Engineer

Below are the qualifications for an Apache Spark engineer:

  • Expertise building data and processing pipelines
  • Familiarity with Spark engine syntax modules, including Spark SQL 
  • Familiarity with APIs including RDD, DataFrame, Dataset, and PySpark
  • Fluency in programming languages including Python, Java, and Scala
  • Knowledge of Spark internals and streaming technology (Kafka, KSQL, etc.)
  • Expertise in SQL and big data processing (Hadoop ecosystems, Hive, Impala, Druid, etc.)
  • Familiarity with machine learning algorithms and foundations such as PyTorch
  • Experience with an ETL tool and expertise in managing the post-loading data
  • Expert in one or more distributed file systems, such as HDFS, S3, and Ceph 
  • Familiarity with visualization tools
  • Familiarity with Amazon's AWS for building Apache Spark clusters

A bachelor's degree in data science, software development, and computer science isn't required for Apache Spark jobs. But having a higher certification is highly encouraged (specifically from Cloudera, MapR, or Hadoop).

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  • $45 hourly
    Moises R.
    • 4.9
    • (10 jobs)
    Barcelona, CT
    Featured Skill Apache Spark
    RESTful API
    Microsoft Azure
    Databricks Platform
    Amazon Web Services
    NoSQL Database
    Apache Kafka
    Docker
    ETL
    Python
    Data Engineer with a demonstrated history of working in the consulting industry. Skilled in the development of ETL processes and the development of APIs. Proficient in Python, PostgreSQL, R, and Azure with knowledge also in AWS, Spark, and Scala. Analytical, team-oriented, and resilient. Technologies and skills: AWS Azure Databricks Data Architect Data Lake Docker Hadoop Lakehouse Microsoft Fabric MongoDB Python Spark
  • $40 hourly
    Hassan U.
    • 5.0
    • (13 jobs)
    Karachi, SD
    Featured Skill Apache Spark
    Microsoft Excel
    Amazon RDS
    Apache Airflow
    Amazon S3
    Amazon Redshift
    dbt
    Python
    SQL
    Data Engineering
    7+ 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 & 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 | 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 I’m a Data Engineer and Analytics Specialist delivering production-ready data pipelines, scalable architectures, and cloud-based platforms that hold up under real-world usage. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Data Science, I seamlessly bridge the gap between heavy-duty data engineering and advanced AI/machine learning implementations. I work with founders, startups, and enterprise product teams to design, build, and optimize data systems. Whether you need to migrate legacy workflows, build an AI-powered forecasting tool on Databricks, or establish a single source of truth for your business, I build data infrastructure that performs reliably under heavy data loads. Over the years, I have successfully supported high-growth organizations across SaaS, Retail, Finance, Telecom, IoT, and Pharmaceuticals. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂: ✔️ Data Architecture & Warehousing: Planning, structuring, and implementing end-to-end cloud data warehouses. ✔️ Scalable ETL/ELT Pipelines: Designing, building, and optimizing robust ingestion and automation workflows. ✔️ Databricks & AI Implementation: Developing AI-enabled solutions, advanced analytics, and intelligent reporting features on Databricks. ✔️ Performance Optimization: Troubleshooting complex data pipeline bottlenecks, slow queries, and performance issues. ✔️ Workflow Automation: Turning manual data processes (like legacy Excel tracking) into automated, clean, and well-modeled data systems. ✔️ Data Infrastructure & Security: Implementing database replication, secure backups, and reliable recovery solutions. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 (𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱): ✔️ Data Engineering & Orchestration: Apache Airflow, Airbyte, dbt, PySpark, SparkSQL, Hadoop (Impala), Batch & Distributed Processing ✔️ Cloud & Infrastructure: Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, AWS (Redshift, S3, EC2, RDS, Athena, EMR), Docker, CI/CD (Jenkins) ✔️ Databases & Warehouses: SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB), NoSQL (MongoDB - Aggregation Pipelines, Replication), ClickHouse ✔️ Programming & Analytics: Python, SQL, Pandas, NumPy, PyMongo, BeautifulSoup, Requests, Plotly ✔️ AI & Data Science: Databricks AI Solutions, Machine Learning Foundations, Predictive Reporting & Models 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: ✔️ Open to part-time, full-time, and long-term roles ✔️ Available for a free consultation call (discounts applied for long-term projects) 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁! If you’re looking for a senior data partner to reduce manual work, eliminate data engineering overhead, and unlock AI-driven insights for your platform, feel free to send me a message.
  • $150 hourly
    Dan S.
    • 5.0
    • (17 jobs)
    Corvallis, OR
    Featured Skill Apache Spark
    API
    Data Analysis
    Database
    Amazon Web Services
    Business Analysis
    Snowflake
    Databricks Platform
    ETL Pipeline
    Python
    Apache Airflow
    Dashboard
    Tableau
    SQL
    As a Data and Business Intelligence Engineer, I strive to deliver consulting and freelance data engineering services, with a focus on overseeing and executing projects in alignment with customer needs. With services encompassing the full data journey, I create and implement robust data foundations that streamline process development and enable leaders to execute rapid business decisions. Three categories of service include: • Consulting: Data Strategy Development, Data & Reporting Solution Architecture, and Process Development. • Data Products/Engineering: Dashboard Development & Reporting, Data Pipelines (ETL), Process Automation, and Data Collection. • Analytics: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Metrics, Data Analysis, and Business Process Analysis. Leveraging over eight years of experience in business intelligence, data visualization, business analysis, and requirements analysis, I build data pipelines and translate data into actionable insights that provide a competitive edge. Tools of choice include Amazon Web Services (AWS), Databricks, Snowflake, Kafka, Snowpipe Streams, Airflow, Tableau/PowerBI, SQL, NoSQL, APIs, Python, and Spark/PySpark. Let me know what I can do for YOU!
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