Associate, Enterprise Data Platform

About this role

About this role

As an Associate on the Enterprise Data Platform team, you will be part of a team responsible for building and modernizing the core framework of BlackRock’s next-generation enterprise data platform. This platform is designed to automate and standardize data acquisition, ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and distribution at enterprise scale.

This is a hands-on engineering role for a strong software developer with experience in Python and backend API development, along with exposure to data platforms and workflow-driven systems. The role sits at the intersection of data platform engineering and backend platform development. You will help build and enhance modular, API-driven platform capabilities that make core services easier to access, operate, and scale.

A key focus of this role is designing and developing internal platform services and APIs that expose capabilities such as metadata, logging, orchestration, workflow generation, onboarding, and operational control. These services will support more flexible and standardized interaction patterns across the platform, including internal tools, automation, scripts, UIs, and AI-enabled workflows.

You will work closely with senior engineers, product partners, and platform teams to deliver scalable, reliable, and maintainable solutions that advance the firm’s enterprise data capabilities. The ideal candidate brings strong Python engineering skills, practical experience building backend services and APIs, and an interest in applying those skills within a modern data platform environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable platform services and APIs that support metadata, logging, orchestration, workflow generation, onboarding, and other core enterprise data platform capabilities.
• Build backend components and service interfaces that help evolve the platform toward a more modular, API-driven architecture.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of shared platform components used across enterprise data workflows.
• Participate across the full software development lifecycle, including requirements analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, and ongoing enhancement.
• Develop backend services using Python-based frameworks such as FastAPI or Flask, and contribute to contract-first API development using gRPC and Protocol Buffers.
• Partner with senior engineers and cross-functional teams to translate business and operational requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Improve performance, scalability, resilience, and observability across platform services and data workflows.
• Contribute to engineering standards, API conventions, code quality, and development best practices.
• Support the integration of AI-enabled capabilities and external AI services into platform workflows where they improve automation, quality, or developer productivity.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, backend engineering, data engineering, or data platform engineering roles.
• Strong hands-on programming experience in Python.
• Strong SQL skills and experience working with relational or analytical data platforms.
• Experience designing and developing backend services and APIs using REST-based frameworks such as FastAPI or Flask.
• Experience with gRPC and Protocol Buffers, or other contract-first API development patterns.
• Experience designing APIs that interact with orchestration systems, cloud storage, metadata services, or platform-control functions.
• Experience building scalable, maintainable solutions in cloud-native or distributed environments.
• Working experience with containers and Kubernetes-based deployment environments.
• Experience with at least one major cloud platform; Azure experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of object-oriented design, software engineering best practices, and production-grade development practices.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across engineering and non-engineering partners.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced environment and take ownership of assigned deliverables.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Apache Airflow or comparable workflow orchestration technologies.
• Experience with Snowflake and related cloud data warehouse capabilities.
• Experience with dbt or similar transformation frameworks.
• Exposure to enterprise data platforms, ETL/ELT workflows, or reusable data framework components.
• Experience with real-time, event-driven, or message-based platforms and technologies such as Kafka or streaming ingestion patterns.
• Familiarity with authentication, authorization, and related API security concepts.
• Experience integrating AI/ML or LLM-based services into enterprise platforms, developer workflows, or operational processes.
• Understanding of prompt engineering, model evaluation, or responsible AI practices.
• Exposure to Java or experience working in mixed Python/Java enterprise environments.

What success looks like

• You build high-quality platform services and APIs that make core enterprise data platform capabilities more accessible, reusable, and easier to operate.
• You contribute meaningfully to the platform’s evolution toward a more modular, API-driven architecture.
• You deliver reliable, maintainable code and grow into increasingly complex platform components over time.
• You improve developer experience and platform efficiency through strong engineering practices, reusable services, and effective collaboration.
• You build a strong understanding of the enterprise data platform and become a trusted hands-on developer within the team.

Our benefits

To help you stay energized, engaged and inspired, we offer a wide range of benefits including a strong retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive healthcare, support for working parents and Flexible Time Off (FTO) so you can relax, recharge and be there for the people you care about.

Our hybrid work model

BlackRock’s hybrid work model is designed to enable a culture of collaboration and apprenticeship that enriches the experience of our employees, while supporting flexibility for all. Employees are currently required to work at least 4 days in the office per week, with the flexibility to work from home 1 day a week. Some business groups may require more time in the office due to their roles and responsibilities. We remain focused on increasing the impactful moments that arise when we work together in person – aligned with our commitment to performance and innovation. As a new joiner, you can count on this hybrid model to accelerate your learning and onboarding experience here at BlackRock.

About BlackRock

At BlackRock, we are all connected by one mission: to help more and more people experience financial well-being.  Our clients, and the people they serve, are saving for retirement, paying for their children’s educations, buying homes and starting businesses. Their investments also help to strengthen the global economy: support businesses small and large; finance infrastructure projects that connect and power cities; and facilitate innovations that drive progress.

This mission would not be possible without our smartest investment – the one we make in our employees. It’s why we’re dedicated to creating an environment where our colleagues feel welcomed, valued and supported with networks, benefits and development opportunities to help them thrive.

For additional information on BlackRock, please visit @blackrock | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

BlackRock is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.  We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, family status, gender identity, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and other protected attributes at law.