Lead Data Engineer

Team: Engineering

Location: İstanbul

Commitment: Full time

Workplace Type: onsite

About the job

At Cypher Games, we are building games played by millions around the world, and data is at the core of how we improve every player experience.

As our Lead Data Engineer, you will own and shape our data platform, defining the architecture, technical direction, and best practices that enable fast, reliable, and scalable decision-making across the company.

As a key member of our Analytics team, you will build the foundation that powers everything from game analytics to live operations, while partnering closely with game teams across the company.

You don't just build pipelines: you build the data foundation that helps us create better games.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and evolution of Cypher's data platform

• Design, build, and maintain scalable ETL/ELT pipelines and data models

• Lead technical decisions around our data warehouse, orchestration, and data infrastructure

• Establish best practices for data quality, governance, monitoring, security, and performance

• Build reliable data infrastructure that enables analytics, experimentation, and live game operations

• Partner with analysts and engineers to deliver scalable, high-quality data solutions

• Mentor engineers, drive technical excellence, and help establish best practices across the data stack

 

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

• 5+ years of experience in Data Engineering, including experience owning data platforms or leading technical initiatives

• Experience in the gaming industry or a similar technology-driven consumer product company is required

• Strong expertise in SQL and Python

• Deep understanding of modern data architecture, ETL/ELT pipelines, and data modeling

• Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms, preferably Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Experience with BigQuery, Airflow (or similar orchestration tools), and modern data warehouse technologies

• Experience with AI-native development tools (Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw)

• Strong system design, problem-solving, and communication skills

• A builder mindset with a passion for scalable systems and data-driven product development

Nice to Have

• Experience with dbt

• Experience with streaming technologies such as Kafka or Pub/Sub

• Experience supporting live products with millions of users

• Previous experience mentoring or leading engineers

• Contributions to open-source projects or personal data engineering projects

What We Value

• Ownership: you take responsibility for the systems you build and continuously improve them.

• Curiosity: you challenge existing solutions and look for smarter ways to solve problems.

• Simplicity: you build scalable, maintainable systems instead of over-engineering.

• Collaboration: you enjoy working closely with analysts, engineers, and game teams.

• Passion for games and a genuine excitement for building the technology behind great player experiences.