Lead Data Engineer (contract)

Title: Lead Data Engineer

Location: 2222 W Rose Garden Ln Phoenix, AZ

Alternate Location: 1525 W WT Harris Blvd Charlotte, NC

Duration: 6 months

Work Engagement: W2

Work Schedule: 3 days in office/2 days remote

Benefits on offer for this contract position: Health Insurance, Life insurance, 401K and Voluntary Benefits

Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Data Engineer to drive the design, development, and optimization of large-scale data processing frameworks aligned with enterprise strategy. This role combines hands-on engineering expertise with leadership responsibilities to deliver robust, scalable, and high-performance data solutions.

Responsibilities:

Lead moderately complex technology initiatives and contribute to enterprise-scale data processing frameworks

Design, build, and maintain optimized, highly available data pipelines for analytics and reporting

Analyze and solve complex business, operational, and technical challenges involving multiple variables

Oversee data integration efforts, including:

Data modeling

Data warehouse and analytics environment management

Development of data integration and analysis scripts

Ensure adherence to data governance, policies, procedures, and compliance standards

Troubleshoot and resolve complex data engineering issues while guiding teams to successful delivery

Conduct code reviews with emphasis on scalability, testability, and coverage

Collaborate with cross-functional teams and leadership to achieve strategic data initiatives

Qualifications:

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Strong background in Data Engineering or equivalent experience

Expertise in Ab Initio and Apache Spark (Core, SQL, DataFrames, Datasets)

Proficiency in Python or scripting languages

Experience with cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, or Azure)

Strong SQL and data warehousing skills (Teradata, PL/SQL, Oracle)

Experience with Hadoop ecosystem tools (Hive, Airflow, BigQuery, SparkFlow, Autosys)

Deep understanding of distributed systems and Spark architecture

Experience delivering end-to-end data engineering solutions in Agile environments

Strong communication and collaboration skills

Experience leading teams and large-scale initiatives

Knowledge of NoSQL databases (MongoDB) and streaming (Kafka)

Experience with ML/AI pipelines and tools (Spark, H2O, LLMs, Agentic AI, Vertex AI)

Ability to optimize real-time, high-throughput data pipelines

Familiarity with CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and cloud deployments

Strong Unix and shell scripting skills

Advanced ETL experience using Ab Initio, Airflow, SparkFlow, BigQuery