Implementation Engineer (Data Platform)

ABOUT MOTHERDUCK Don’t let the quirky name fool you: At MotherDuck, we’re on a mission to make data warehousing fun, frictionless, and ducking awesome for developers and data practitioners building blazing fast internal and customer-facing analytics experiences. We're building a cloud-hosted version of DuckDB, working hand-in-hand with the creators of the fastest-growing and fastest-improving query engine on the planet. Unlike other databases, MotherDuck was architected to unify local development with cloud operations to bridge the gap between software and data engineering workflows. Our team is a mix of thoughtful, passionate, and empathetic data industry veterans. WHAT YOU WILL DO We are seeking a highly capable Data Implementation Engineer to lead and guide MotherDuck customers through their most important data warehouse initiatives. This is an opportunity to be an early member of the Technical Engagement function and shape how customers adopt, scale, and succeed with MotherDuck. The ideal candidate brings depth in database architecture, data modeling, and data integration, paired with the agency to drive engagements forward, the thoughtfulness to simplify complex decisions, the unorthodoxy to challenge outdated patterns, and the flexibility to adapt to customers' realities. You will design architectures that make good data work feel easy, remove blockers with clarity, and help customers reach production with confidence This role can be based in our Seattle, San Francisco or New York offices. Key Responsibilities: - Architecture Design and Scoping: Design and scope end-to-end architectures with a thoughtful approach to trade-offs. Define success metrics and craft pragmatic, flexible implementation roadmaps. - Technical Leadership with Customers: Lead technical discussions with customer data and engineering teams. Apply unorthodox thinking when standard approaches fall short, and help teams rethink assumptions around warehouse design, schema decisions, and optimization strategies. - Customer Success Ownership: Exercise agency by owning the customer journey from proof of concept to production. Anticipate risks, drive alignment, and allocate internal resources to keep momentum. - Troubleshooting and Blocker Resolution: Diagnose technical blockers with precision and thoughtfulness. Navigate ambiguity with flexibility, and escalate nuanced architectural questions to MotherDuck engineering when needed. - Data Integration and Modeling Guidance: Advise customers on ETL and ELT patterns, modeling choices, and integration practices. Use creativity and unorthodox perspectives to simplify complex data flows. - Cross-functional Partnership: Collaborate with Sales, Customer Engineering, and Support to deliver cohesive, high-quality customer experiences. Demonstrate flexibility as customer needs evolve across the engagement lifecycle. - Program Development: Create reusable artifacts, best practices, and reference architectures that reflect MotherDuck’s values of simplicity, clarity, and unorthodox efficiency. - Customer Communication: Communicate complex technical concepts with clarity, empathy, and thoughtfulness for both technical and non-technical audiences. WHAT YOU BRING - 5+ years designing, building, or implementing modern data warehouses such as Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, or Databricks - Mastery of SQL and data modeling, with the judgment to select the simplest viable approach - Experience translating business requirements into architectural decisions that balance flexibility with long-term scalability - Background in a customer-facing or solutions-oriented role such as solutions engineer or consulting data architect - Evidence of agency in past roles. You proactively drive structure, unblock teams, and make progress without waiting for direction - A thoughtful approach to ambiguity, bringing order where needed and staying flexible where it matters - Willingness to challenge conventional approaches when they don't serve the customer or the mission - Nice to have: experience with DuckDB or MotherDuck; familiarity with Fivetran, dbt, or Airflow; experience in consulting or professional services WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE SAYING IF YOU’RE DOING DUCKING AWESOME - “They didn’t just help us get to production. They helped us rethink how simple our data architecture could be. Every interaction felt intentional, adaptable, and refreshingly unorthodox.” - “I’ve never had a partner move this quickly while still being this thoughtful. They made complex decisions feel easy and guided us without ever taking the wheel away.” - “We came in expecting a standard POC. We left with an architecture that was cleaner, faster, and far more flexible than anything we’ve built before.” - “They spotted risks before we did, kept the project moving without being asked, and still had the humility to bring us along every step of the way.” - “When we hit a blocker, they didn’t just troubleshoot. They reframed the whole problem in a way that made the solution obvious. That level of clarity is rare.” - “If this is what working with MotherDuck is like, we’re never going back to our old approach. The experience felt tailored, thoughtful, and unusually effective.” WHAT WE PROVIDE - Feather-ruffling compensation – competitive salary and stock options so you have a stake in our flock’s success. - Top-notch healthcare coverage – 100% paid medical, dental, and vision for employees, plus 80% coverage for dependents (because we care about your whole nest). - Flexible PTO – take the time you need to recharge, explore, or just have a lazy day by the pond. - 401k plan – because even ducks need to plan for the future. - Legendary company events – we bring the whole flock together twice a year for unforgettable summits in fun locations, plus 1-2 team gatherings a year to keep our bonds strong. - Flexible work environment - spend most of the week in the office collaborating with the flock, and work from wherever you're most productive the rest of the time. Specifics are role dependent and as agreed upon with your manager PLEASE APPLY Does this role sound appealing to you, but you’re missing some of the requirements or don’t quite think you’re qualified?  Please apply anyway. Research has shown that underrepresented groups in technology often shy away from roles which aren’t a 100% match. We aim to build a diverse team and will strongly consider applicants who bring many of the requirements plus have other experiences which round out their qualifications. MotherDuck is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. MotherDuck is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.