Sr Data Engineer

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

As part of the Data Management and Integration Services team, the Sr Data Engineer will be an integral part of the county's data operationalization, analytics, and visualization initiatives. The Sr Data Engineer will be responsible for expanding and optimizing our data and data pipeline architecture, as well as optimizing data flow and collection for cross functional teams. The ideal candidate will be an experienced data wrangler who enjoys creative problem solving and growing data systems from the ground up. The Sr Data Engineer should be comfortable supporting the data needs of multiple projects, possess an in-depth understanding of data modeling, and excited by the prospect of designing the county’s data architecture to support the County’s strategic initiatives.    

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS

The Sr Data Engineer's central role is to help overcome data-related barriers to solving business problems. This involves building and maintaining the code, processes and infrastructure to understand, access, and use data efficiently, effectively, and securely. The Sr Data Engineer’s main focus will be to build and streamline data workflows to improve data operationalization and work closely with different department and IT teams to develop data models and pipelines for reporting, analysis, and visualization. The Sr Data Engineer will support our software developers, database architects, and data analysts on data initiatives and will ensure optimal data delivery architecture is consistent throughout ongoing projects. They must be self-directed and comfortable supporting the data needs of multiple teams, systems and products. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Build data integrations, ETL workflows and data pipelines between systems. 
• Develop and maintain data standards and documentation. 
• Support the creation and maintenance of the data asset and data system inventory 
• Collaborate with other department teams to improve data models that feed business intelligence and reporting tools, increasing data accessibility, and fostering data-driven decision making across the organization. 
• Assemble large, complex data sets that meet functional / non-functional business requirements.
• Identify, design, and implement internal process improvements: automating manual processes, optimizing data delivery, re-designing infrastructure for greater scalability, etc.
• Work closely with application development and infrastructure engineering teams to gain an understanding of different data architectures and required functionality. 
• Ensure that Data and Analytic systems are engineered to address relevant security, privacy, regulatory, and auditability requirements.
• Performs related work as required.

RECRUITMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong working SQL knowledge and experience working with relational databases, query authoring
• (SQL) as well as working familiarity with a variety of databases 
• Experience working with the Microsoft Power Platform including Logic Apps, Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate 
• Experience with business and technical requirements analysis, business process modeling/mapping and methodology development, and data mapping. 
• Experience supporting and working with cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment 
• Knowledge of system and software quality assurance best practices and methodologies. 
• Experience in building processes supporting data transformation, data structures, metadata, dependency, and workload management 
• Experience eliciting and translating business pain points into tangible KPI’s and associated business intelligence solutions 
• Prefer knowledge of Data Governance and best practices around data architectures. 
• Prefer demonstrated experience building analytical tools and visualizations that provide actionable insights 
• Knowledge of industry standards, emerging technologies, and best practices for information systems security, privacy, and regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA)
• Record of successful, complex project completion with minimal supervision including skills in design, requirement gathering, project planning, prioritization, coordination, multi-tasking, and problem solving. 
• Experience working with REST APIs (typically as a source of data) 
• Experience working with geospatial data, particularly in Esri/ArcGIS Online 
• Demonstrated ability to research and pilot 'modern data stack' techniques technology such as semantic layer, orchestration, data lineage/observability.  

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree with significant coursework related to Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems Management, Database Administration, Computer Engineering, or Information Technology and 2 years of relevant work experience, OR

Associate degree in a field related to Computer Science, Data Science, Information Management, Database Administration, Computer Engineering, or Information Technology and 4 of relevant work experience, OR

Graduation from high school and 6 of relevant work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining complex ETL workflows and data pipelines, with a proven ability to automate manual processes and optimize data delivery for enhanced scalability.
• Experience designing and implementing data governance frameworks and best practices, particularly around data architectures, security, and regulatory compliance (e.g., HIPAA).
• Strong track record of translating business requirements into actionable KPIs and developing analytical visualizations that drive organizational decision-making.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Power Platform ecosystem (Logic Apps, Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate) and experience working with REST APIs and geospatial data systems.
• Demonstrated experience identifying, testing, and implementing modern data orchestration and lineage/observability tools that improve data workflow efficiency and transparency.

Physical Demands and Work Conditions

Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of fingering and talking. Must be able to perform light work exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally.

Must possess the visual acuity to prepare and analyze data and figures, accounting, operate a computer terminal, and do extensive reading.

May Require Driving 

This position may require driving for this position whether driving a County owned or personal vehicle to conduct county business such as but not limited to attending conferences, meetings, or any other county related functions.   Motor Vehicle Reports may be verified for valid driver’s license and that the driving record is compatible with the county’s driving criteria. 

If a personal vehicle is operated for county business proper insurance is maintained as per Guilford County’s vehicle use policy. 

Special Note: This generic class description gives an overview of the job class, its essential job functions and recommended job requirements. However, for each individual position assigned to this class, there is available a completed job description with physical abilities checklist which can be reviewed before initiating a selection process.  They can provide additional detailed information on which to base various personnel actions and can assist management in making legal defensible personnel decisions.

Salary : $96,954 - $122,162