Data Engineering Lead

dentsu•Chicago, IL

1d•$94,000 - $135,000

About The Position

The Data Engineering Lead guides data engineering teams, shapes technical strategy, partners with clients, and influences the development and operation of modern data platforms. This player-coach role combines people leadership with hands-on technical involvement to solve complex challenges and deliver measurable business outcomes across data engineering, cloud platforms, AI-enabled solutions, and customer data ecosystems. The lead develops Data Engineers through coaching, mentorship, career guidance, and growth opportunities. They oversee complex data engineering initiatives, collaborate with Solution Architects and stakeholders, guide technical decisions, manage delivery risks, and support successful outcomes across multiple engagements. They establish engineering practices for CI/CD, testing, code reviews, observability, data quality, documentation, and governance, and help teams adopt repeatable delivery approaches. The role also involves working with client leaders, business stakeholders, architects, and delivery teams to turn business goals into engineering solutions and communicate technical concepts clearly. The lead evaluates and adopts emerging technologies, including AI-assisted engineering tools, cloud-native analytics platforms, warehouse-native AI solutions, and next-generation data architecture patterns. The position is based in Chicago - N. State and is full-time and permanent.

Requirements

At least 7 years of experience in data engineering, including cloud-based data platforms, ELT/ETL processes, and production data pipelines.
Strong experience with platforms such as Snowflake, Databricks, Google BigQuery, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse, or Amazon Redshift.
Advanced SQL and Python skills.
Experience with orchestration and transformation tools such as dbt, Apache Airflow, Azure Data Factory, Dagster, Prefect, or similar technologies.
Experience designing data models and customer-centric data solutions.
Understanding of data quality, lineage, observability, and governance best practices.
Experience with Git, CI/CD, and modern engineering workflows.
At least 2 years leading, mentoring, or managing data engineering teams.
Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate with technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Certifications in Snowflake, Databricks, dbt, Adobe Real-Time CDP, Salesforce Data Cloud, or related technologies.
Experience with Adobe Experience Platform (AEP), Real-Time CDP, Customer Journey Analytics, Salesforce Data Cloud, Braze, or other customer data platforms.
Experience with AWS, Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure, or Infrastructure as Code technologies such as Terraform.
Experience with AI/ML technologies, warehouse-native AI capabilities, feature engineering, vector databases, or LLM-ready data architectures.
Experience with data privacy, governance, consent management, and secure data exchange practices.
Pre-sales, solution design, technical estimation, or consulting experience.

Responsibilities

Coach, mentor, and provide career guidance to Data Engineers, supporting their development and growth.
Oversee complex data engineering initiatives in partnership with Solution Architects and stakeholders.
Guide technical decisions, manage delivery risks, and help ensure successful outcomes across multiple engagements.
Establish and promote data engineering best practices for CI/CD, testing, code reviews, observability, data quality, documentation, and governance.
Develop repeatable approaches that enable teams to deliver consistently and effectively.
Collaborate with client leaders, business stakeholders, architects, and delivery teams to translate business goals into actionable engineering solutions.
Communicate complex technical concepts to support informed decisions and successful project outcomes.
Evaluate and help adopt modern technologies, including AI-assisted engineering tools, cloud-native analytics platforms, warehouse-native AI solutions, and next-generation data architecture patterns.
Contribute to engineering culture, delivery standards, and the long-term growth of the team and broader practice.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Vision insurance
Dental insurance
Life insurance
Short-term disability insurance
Long-term disability insurance
401(k)
Flexible paid time off
At least 15 paid holidays per year
Paid sick and safe leave
Paid parental leave
Applicable state and local employee leave benefits, including time off under the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with company plans and policies.