Lead Data Platform Engineer

Conservation Metrics is a mission-driven social enterprise focused on improving environmental and social justice outcomes through technology. They are seeking a Lead Data Platform Engineer to own the architecture and data infrastructure behind the Guardian Connector platform, supporting Indigenous data sovereignty and community control over data.

Responsibilities:

• Improve the stack-deploy developer experience
• Design and implement governed data access systems
• Develop AI and LLM capabilities that preserve data sovereignty

Requirements:

• You have configured PostgreSQL roles, grants, and RLS for production applications
• You've operated services in self-hosted or single-VM software stacks. For the most part this is not cloud-native work
• Your familiarity with Docker is at a level where you understand volumes and port mappings (the Guardian Connector stack uses CapRover, which runs apps on Docker Swarm)
• You've worked with identity systems (Auth0, Keycloak, or similar)
• You write design docs as a mode of working through architectural questions
• Empathy for non-technical users. You craft solutions for smart, fast learners who have limited experience with computers or smartphones. A listen-based, human-centered design process is at the heart of our work
• You can make and defend architectural calls under hard trade-offs, and you can do so collaboratively, bringing partners and teammates into the decision
• While LLMs are part of our toolkit (governed by human-first contributing guidelines), your work must be grounded in your own deep understanding of systems and sound technical judgement
• No specific formal educational credential is required. Relevant work history that demonstrates your growth and interest as a technologist is highly valued