Staff Engineer - Data Semantics

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction of the Data Semantics team while remaining hands-on in design, implementation, and delivery
• Build and scale semantic infrastructure bridging OpenTelemetry, Datadog-native telemetry, and cloud-provider data models
• Drive platform initiatives focused on schema evolution, telemetry standardization, and semantic interoperability
• Partner with engineering and product teams to define standards and deliver high-leverage platform capabilities
• Mentor engineers through design reviews, technical guidance, and long-term career development
• Participate in on-call rotations and lead resolution efforts for complex production incidents

Requirements

• Significant experience designing, operating, and scaling large-scale data infrastructure or distributed systems
• Demonstrated Staff-level impact through technical leadership, architectural ownership, and cross-team influence
• Strong communication skills with the ability to drive alignment across engineering and product organizations
• Product-oriented mindset with the ability to connect platform investments to customer outcomes
• Ability to operate in ambiguous problem spaces, balancing long-term strategy with pragmatic execution

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with schema design and metadata systems
• Knowledge of OpenTelemetry or observability platforms
• Experience with knowledge graphs or AI-assisted developer tooling

Benefits

• Generous and competitive benefits package
• New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan
• Continuous career development and pathing opportunities
• Employee-focused onboarding and internal mentorship programs
• Friendly and inclusive workplace culture

About the Company

Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence.