Principal Data Engineer

Job Title

Principal Data Engineer

Role Overview

The Data Engineering Manager / Team Lead will lead a high-performing data engineering team in a large-scale, fast-paced environment , managing both cloud and on-premise data platforms . This role is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining scalable data architecture, ETL pipelines, and data processing systems aligned with customer needs and business objectives.

This leader will drive technical excellence, operational efficiency, innovation, and AI adoption while managing delivery, people, and cross-functional collaboration.

Core Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

Lead and mentor a data engineering team, ensuring high technical and delivery standards.

Manage team capacity, delegation, sprint/user story assignments, and backlog prioritization.

Provide technical coaching, code reviews, and guidance to engineers and senior specialists.

Drive adoption of AI agents and AI-assisted development/documentation across the team.

Deliver regular status updates, including weekly burndown and progress reporting .

Data Engineering & Architecture

Design, develop, and maintain scalable data pipelines, ETL workflows, and data architecture .

Build programs for data ingestion, transformation, validation, and integration.

Support migration of legacy/on-prem data systems to cloud data platforms.

Work with structured and unstructured data across multiple formats.

Cloud & Modern Data Platform Engineering

Lead modernization initiatives across cloud-native platforms, with emphasis on:Azure CloudDatabricksAirflow / Azure Data Factory / Synapse PipelinesEvent-driven data systems (Kafka / Event Hub)

Operational Excellence

Manage production data processes and respond to incidents/issues.

Ensure system reliability, performance, and scalability.

Monitor infrastructure utilization:CPUMemoryStorageNetwork

Improve processes and reduce operational inefficiencies.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Translate business requirements into technical solutions.

Work effectively across multiple time zones and distributed teams.

Collaborate with Product, Development, Operations, and Customer Support teams.

Communicate risks, dependencies, blockers, and mitigation plans to leadership.

Technical Requirements

Required Skills

Big Data Engineering / Data Platform Management

Python for ETL, orchestration, and automation

Advanced SQL development and performance tuning

ETL development and orchestration

Database development (Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server)

UNIX / Shell scripting

JSON / API-based integrations

Master Data Management (MDM)

Cloud platforms ( Azure preferred )

Data migration to cloud platforms

Event streaming / messaging systems:KafkaAzure Event HubSimilar queuing systems

Preferred Skills

Databricks (Highly Preferred)

Apache Airflow

Kubernetes

Apache Spark

Apache Druid

Couchbase / NoSQL databases

Azure Synapse

Stambia

Agile delivery methodologies

Key Leadership Expectations

The ideal candidate should demonstrate:

Strong technical decision-making capability

Ability to solve complex data engineering problems

High ownership with minimal supervision

Strong stakeholder management and communication skills

Ability to balance strategic vision with hands-on technical leadership

Confidence to make independent decisions and guide architecture direction

Key Accountabilities

Perform database integrity checks and corrective actions

Maintain operational procedures and documentation

Ensure external vendors/service providers meet SLA commitments

Support customer onboarding and product activation

Troubleshoot functional and operational issues

Coordinate with Product, Help Desk, Operations, and Development teams for escalations

Prepare database correction requests and operational checklists

Monitor customer satisfaction and address service issues proactively

Ideal Candidate Profile

A successful candidate is a hands-on technical leader with strong experience in modern data engineering, cloud migration, AI-enabled automation, and team leadership , capable of driving both strategic transformation and operational excellence .

Diversity & Inclusion

Amadeus aspires to be a leader in Diversity and Inclusion in the tech industry, enabling every employee to reach their full potential by fostering a culture of belonging and fair treatment, attracting the best talent from all backgrounds, and as a role model for an inclusive employee experience.

Be aware of recruitment scams

Amadeus Group never charges fees, requests payment, or asks for financial information during recruitment. All legitimate opportunities are communicated solely through official Amadeus channels, including our careers website. Any payment request or outreach via unofficial platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram) should be treated as fraudulent.