Principal Data Engineer

Summary

Join NBC News Digital as a Principal Data Engineer and lead the technical direction of our data infrastructure. You will architect and deliver innovative data solutions, collaborating with cross-functional teams. Mentorship of junior engineers and fostering a collaborative culture are key aspects of this role. Responsibilities include building scalable data pipelines, designing advanced analytics solutions, and ensuring data governance and quality. The ideal candidate possesses extensive data engineering experience, advanced technical expertise, and strong leadership skills. This fully remote position offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

• Extensive Experience in Data Engineering: 7+ years of experience in data engineering, software development, or related technical roles. Proven track record of designing, building, and optimizing large-scale data systems
• Advanced Technical Expertise: Expertise in modern cloud computing platforms (preferably AWS) and distributed data technologies (e.g., Apache Spark, Hadoop). Proficiency with programming languages such as Python, PySpark, and JavaScript
• Deep Understanding of Data Architecture: In-depth knowledge of designing data structures, governance frameworks, and modern schema-less big data storage solutions
• Data Pipeline Design: Experience with designing, developing, and maintaining large-scale data pipelines, including experience with streaming data using tools such as Spark and Kafka
• Cloud Infrastructure & Serverless: Hands-on experience with serverless computing platforms like AWS Lambda, S3, and other cloud-based services. Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code principles is a plus
• Strong SQL & Data Querying Skills: Proficiency with SQL, Presto, and related data querying technologies
• Leadership & Mentoring: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop junior engineers, fostering a collaborative and high-performance team culture
• Passion for Innovation & Media: Strong interest in the intersection of technology, data, and media, with a passion for contributing to a leading global news organization
• Education: B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience

Responsibilities

• Lead Data Architecture & Strategy: Architect, design, and oversee the development of scalable and reliable data pipelines that serve as the backbone for NBC News’ digital platforms. Set the technical vision and drive the evolution of our data systems, ensuring they are extensible and aligned with business objectives
• Build & Maintain Advanced Data Frameworks: Design and build advanced analytics pipelines, data applications, and business intelligence solutions that support key decision-making across NBC News Digital
• Collaborate Across Teams: Work closely with data scientists, machine learning engineers, DevOps, and business stakeholders to ensure data systems are aligned with organizational goals. Facilitate the integration of data-driven insights into product development and business strategy
• Mentor & Lead Engineers: Provide leadership and mentorship to the data engineering team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, ownership, and adaptability. Help junior engineers grow through code reviews, training, and guidance
• Data Governance & Quality: Ensure that data systems and pipelines comply with best practices in terms of security, governance, and quality. Build frameworks for data validation, testing, and monitoring to ensure the integrity of the data ecosystem
• Problem-Solving & Innovation: Demonstrate advanced problem-solving abilities by identifying challenges in the data pipeline and creating efficient, scalable solutions. Take a proactive approach to solving issues and improving system performance
• Drive Data Scalability & Performance: Ensure the data systems scale efficiently with growing volumes of data, driving performance optimization and cost-efficiency in cloud platforms like AWS
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with product teams, senior business leaders, and technical teams to identify data-driven opportunities that improve business operations, enhance user experiences, and streamline workflows

Preferred Qualifications

• Airflow & DAGs Expertise: Experience with workflow orchestration tools like Apache Airflow and DAGs for managing complex data pipelines
• Real-Time Streaming: Experience building and optimizing real-time data streaming pipelines using technologies like Spark Streaming, Kafka, and other stream processing frameworks
• Advanced ML & AI Collaboration: Familiarity with data science and machine learning pipelines, with the ability to collaborate with data scientists to integrate machine learning models into production data workflows
• Big Data Technologies: Experience with additional big data technologies like Hive, Presto, and Redshift for large-scale data storage and analysis

Benefits

• Fully Remote: This position has been designated as fully remote, meaning that the position is expected to contribute from a non-NBCUniversal worksite, most commonly an employee’s residence
• This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks