> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/1161642-staff-engineer-data-semantics](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1161642-staff-engineer-data-semantics). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Staff Engineer - Data Semantics

- **Company:** Datadog
- **Location:** Madrid, Spain
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Adobe InDesign, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Programming Tools, Distributed Systems, Graph Database, Metadata, Datadog, Data Analytics, Data Management
- **Published:** July 3, 2026
- **Apply:** https://careers.datadoghq.com/detail/8043560/?gh_jid=8043560

## About the Role

* You have significant experience designing, operating, and scaling large-scale data infrastructure, distributed systems, or high-throughput data platforms.
 * You have demonstrated Staff-level impact through technical leadership, architectural ownership, cross-team influence, and mentorship.
 * You are a strong communicator who can drive alignment across engineering and product organizations without direct authority.
 * You bring a product-oriented mindset and can connect platform investments to customer outcomes and business impact.
 * You are comfortable operating in ambiguous problem spaces, balancing long-term platform strategy with pragmatic execution.
 * Experience with schema design, metadata systems, OpenTelemetry, observability platforms, knowledge graphs, or AI-assisted developer tooling is a plus.

## Description

Data Semantics is Datadog’s authority on semantic knowledge, providing shared infrastructure that powers both Datadog’s product experiences and AI capabilities. As Datadog continues its investment in OpenTelemetry-native observability, semantic interoperability, and AI-powered workflows, this team sits at the center of some of the company’s most strategic platform initiatives. As a Staff Engineer, you will serve as a technical leader for the team, balancing stewardship of critical production systems with the exploration of new platform capabilities that improve how telemetry is modeled, understood, and consumed across Datadog. You will work closely with engineering and product partners to define standards, drive technical direction, and deliver solutions that scale across Datadog’s observability platform.

At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

What You’ll Do:

 * Lead the technical direction of the Data Semantics team while remaining deeply hands-on in design, implementation, and delivery.
 * Build and scale semantic infrastructure that bridges OpenTelemetry, Datadog-native telemetry, cloud-provider telemetry, and customer-defined data models.
 * Drive platform initiatives focused on schema evolution, telemetry standardization, data insights, and semantic interoperability across Datadog products.
 * Partner with engineering and product teams across the platform to define standards, align stakeholders, and deliver high-leverage platform capabilities.
 * Mentor engineers through design reviews, technical guidance, operational excellence, and long-term career development.
 * Participate in on-call rotations and lead investigation and resolution efforts for complex production incidents affecting critical platform services.


## Related Videos

- [Alibaba Big Data and Machine Learning Technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/37-alibaba-big-data-and-machine-learning-technology)
- [A Data Mesh needs Open Metadata](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/505-a-data-mesh-needs-open-metadata)
- [Debugging in the Dark](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1658-debugging-in-the-dark)
- [Modern Data Architectures need Software Engineering](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1030-modern-data-architectures-need-software-engineering)
- [Software Engineering Social Connection: Yubo’s lean approach to scaling an 80M-user infrastructure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1583-software-engineering-social-connection-yubo-s-lean-approach-to-scaling-an-80m-user-infrastructure)
- [Crafting Custom Frameworks with Rust: A Deep Dive into Procedural Macros](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/849-crafting-custom-frameworks-with-rust-a-deep-dive-into-procedural-macros)

## Related Articles

- [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers)
- [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers)
- [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline)
- [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market)
- [Dev Digest 129 - Now that's what I call private data!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/468-dev-digest-129-now-that-s-what-i-call-private-data)
- [Top-Paying Tech Jobs (with Salaries)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/372-top-paying-tech-jobs-with-salaries)