Lead Consultant Data Engineer

Excella•Arlington, VA

8h•Remote

About The Position

Excella is a transformative technology firm that helps organizations unlock new possibilities. We believe the key to helping clients challenge the status quo and reach new heights lies in our talented people. That’s why we’re committed to developing talent and providing opportunities for career growth at every stage. Join our collaborative team dedicated to solving complex problems with sustainable solutions while building your future as a leader. At Excella, you’re empowered to make lasting impact, turning today’s challenges into tomorrow’s mission successes. Workplace locations look different for everyone. Excellians are a distributed workforce and whether you're working from your home office or a client site, we support a flexible work/life integration regardless of your location. Lead Data Engineers at Excella drive the architecture, development, and optimization of data solutions, ensuring they align with business goals and technical best practices. They take ownership of large-scale data initiatives, mentor team members, and provide strategic input on data platform decisions. Lead Data Engineers oversee technical delivery, ensuring data solutions are robust, scalable, and maintainable.

Requirements

6+ years of experience in data engineering and related technical domains.
Designed and built scalable, extensible data pipelines for production environments with strong expertise in SQL, Python, and PySpark.
2+ years of hands-on experience with Databricks, including development, data processing, and pipeline optimization in a cloud-based environment
Hands-on experience with big data and distributed systems, Parquet, Delta Lake, HDInsight
Extensive work with cloud-native data platforms and services, such as Azure Data Factory, Synapse, Azure Storage Accounts, Streaming Analytics, Azure Fabric
Deep understanding of data lake architecture, secure and performant data store design, and analytical platform patterns.
Proficient in orchestration tools and CI/CD workflows, infrastructure-as-code (e.g., Terraform, Azure DevOps Pipelines), and observability best practices.
Advanced Git and Azure DevOps Repos expertise and strong familiarity with version control, branching strategies, and collaborative development.
Leadership experience mentoring engineers and guiding cross-functional technical teams.
Excellent communicator, capable of translating complex technical ideas for both technical and non-technical audiences.
Agile practitioner with experience leading and delivering within Scrum/Kanban frameworks, and a continuous learning mindset.
Technically savvy, entrepreneurial spirit who thrives in environments that reward self-initiative and resourcefulness.

Nice To Haves

Advocating for adopting industry tools and practices at the right time
Appreciate the importance of schema design and can evolve an analytics schema on top of unstructured data.
Leadership and mentoring of team members on project and within Excella.
Excited to try out new technologies and produce proofs-of-concept that balance technical advancement and user experience.
Empathetic working with stakeholders, listening to them, asking the right questions, and collaboratively developing the best solutions for their needs.
Champion for data privacy and integrity, and always act in the best interest of clients.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and optimization of scalable data solutions.
Define data architecture strategies and ensure best practices are followed.
Oversee and guide the creation and automation of data pipelines and platforms.
Establish and enforce data quality and governance frameworks.
Collaborate with Architects, Product Owner, Data Scientists, and DevOps to align data solutions with business needs.
Research and evaluate emerging data technologies and methodologies.
Ensure seamless integration of data management solutions into client environments.
Develop risk mitigation strategies and implement data recovery plans.
Lead the development of data repositories, including data warehouses, data lakes, and operational data stores.
Mentor and support the development of junior and senior team members.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision benefits with multiple options to choose from such as an employer-contributed health savings account, infertility coverage, and orthodontia
8 weeks of Parental Leave
Discounted pet insurance
Care.com membership with 3 back-up emergency child or elder care days annually
Bonus eligible
15 days of paid vacation
6 federal holidays
4 floating holidays
TechEleX program provides multiple options to suit your technology needs (Mac or PC devices, computer replacement every 3 years, keep original device)
Annual Internet Reimbursement benefit ($25 per month)
3 days of paid professional development every year, including an allowance for registration fees to attend classes, conferences, or obtain professional certifications.
Employee wellness events
HeadSpace membership
Access to TalkSpace
Mental health coverage through medical plans