Data Engineering Lead

Job Description

As the Data Engineering Lead, you will oversee the design, development, and maintenance of our data warehousing platforms. You will act as a subject matter expert (SME) for data warehousing technologies, guiding data engineers and analysts in implementing best practices for data models and transformation processes. Your primary responsibility is to ensure the efficient operation of our data warehouse environment, utilizing tools like Snowflake, dbt, and other automation frameworks.
You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including business stakeholders, data engineers, and technical leads, to ensure alignment between business needs and data architecture and define data models for specific focus areas. In addition to overseeing the data warehouse infrastructure, you will focus on creating scalable, efficient, and high-quality data solutions to drive business growth.Responsibilities

Technical Leadership:

- Act as the SME for data warehousing architecture, overseeing the design patterns, data transformation processes, and operational functions of the data warehouse.

- Provide hands-on support for performance tuning, monitoring, and alerting, specifically within the Snowflake environment.

Snowflake Administration:

- Administer all aspects of Snowflake, including role-based access control, environment monitoring, and performance tuning.

- Analyze complex data patterns and implement scalable, efficient data storage solutions using Snowflake.

Data Model and Transformation Oversight:

- Define and document best practices for creating data models (source and dimensional), ensuring consistency across the organization.

- Mentor team members in data modeling techniques and work with business users to capture and implement data requirements.

- Oversee and review DBT code to ensure data transformations meet quality standards and operational goals before deployment.

Process Definition and Governance:

- Define and implement a process for code management and automatic deployment, including validation and test automation.

- Develop standards, guidelines, and checklists to promote data quality and ensure that best practices are adhered to during the data development lifecycle.

- Craft documentation templates to be used across all data domains and projects.

Quality and Debugging:

- Perform debugging and root cause analysis for application issues, ensuring timely resolution.

- Contribute to proactive/preventive maintenance, technical debt reduction, and the promotion of clean code principles.

Collaboration and Communication:

- Plan and coordinate with both technical and non-technical teams to align data initiatives with business goals.

- Serve as the key liaison between data engineers, business analysts, and stakeholders to ensure clear communication and expectations.

Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field.

- Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in data warehousing and data modeling techniques (both relational and dimensional).

- Proven experience in data warehousing technologies such as Snowflake and dbt including administration, performance tuning, and implementation of best practices.

- Strong understanding of cloud environments (Azure/AWS), Snowflake data warehousing, and data transformation processes.

- Excellent troubleshooting and debugging skills, with a focus on data integrity and system optimization.

- Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor a team of data engineers and collaborate effectively across departments.

Preferred Skills

- Experience with CI/CD processes and automation in data engineering.

- Experience with Python and SQL for data processing and analytics.

- Knowledge of Power BI or similar data visualization tools is a plus.

Work Conditions

- Prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing at a computer screen.

- Must be able to sit or stand for long periods of time.

- Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.

- Occasional domestic travel, via airplane, will be required for meetings.

This is a hybrid role with most time being spent working from home. Attendance at important meetings and events at the local DPR office is required.

DPR has been nationally recognized for its strong company culture, based on a well-defined purpose “We Exist to Build Great Things,” and four core values: integrity, enjoyment, uniqueness and ever forward. A flat, title-less organization that empowers people at all levels to make decisions, DPR ranked on FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for five consecutive years. For more information, visit http://www.dpr.com.