Principal Data Engineer - H&B Data & Analytics Platform

WTW • Austin, TX

22h • $180,000 - $225,000

About The Position

The Principal Data Engineer is a senior, hands‑on technical leader responsible for designing, building, and evolving scalable, reliable, and cost‑efficient data and analytic platforms that power analytics, reporting, and advanced AI/predictive use cases. This role sets engineering standards, drives platform modernization, and mentors engineering teams while partnering closely with architecture, analytics, product, and governance stakeholders.

Requirements

• University or college degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Mathematics, Engineering, Statistics, or related field of study.
• 8+ years of experience in data engineering or platform engineering roles
• Deep expertise in building large‑scale data pipelines and platforms in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or GCP)
• Strong proficiency with distributed data processing (e.g., Spark)
• Advanced SQL and strong Python programming skills
• Experience designing data models and architectures for analytics and downstream consumption
• Strong analytical skills and experience with data modeling
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Proven ability to work independently and with a team

Nice To Haves

• Experience in data ingestion tools such as Matillion, FiveTran, Airbyte, etc. a plus
• Extensive hands‑on experience with Databricks and Lakehouse architecture strongly preferred
• Experience with Delta Lake, Spark optimization, and cost/performance tuning strongly preferred
• Experience supporting advanced analytics, machine learning, or AI‑driven use cases
• Familiarity with modern data tooling (e.g., orchestration, data quality frameworks, metadata/catalog tools)
• Prior experience setting engineering standards or leading platform modernization initiatives

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and evolution of enterprise‑scale data platforms, including ingestion, transformation, storage, and consumption layers
• Define and enforce data engineering standards, patterns, and best practices (e.g., pipeline design, testing, CI/CD, observability)
• Serve as a technical authority on data architecture decisions, trade‑offs, and platform strategy
• Design, build, and optimize high‑performance batch and streaming data pipelines
• Improve reliability, performance, scalability, and cost efficiency of existing data assets
• Implement reusable frameworks and reference architectures to accelerate delivery across teams
• Design and operate Databricks‑based lakehouse solutions using Delta Lake, Spark, and notebooks/jobs
• Establish best practices for Databricks workspace architecture, security, performance tuning, and cost management
• Lead or support migrations to Databricks and modernization of legacy data pipelines
• Partner with data governance and security teams to embed data quality checks, metadata, lineage, and access controls into pipelines
• Ensure platforms support regulatory, compliance, and enterprise risk requirements
• Work closely with data architects, analytic engineers, data scientists, product owners, and business stakeholders
• Translate business and analytic requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Influence roadmaps by tying platform investments to measurable business outcomes
• Mentor senior and mid‑level engineers; raise the overall technical bar of the team
• Lead by example through hands‑on contribution to critical pipelines and platform components

Benefits

• Health and Welfare Benefits : Medical (including prescription coverage), Dental, Vision, Health Savings Account, Commuter Account, Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Group Accident, Group Critical Illness, Life Insurance, AD&D, Group Legal, Identify Theft Protection, Wellbeing Program and Work/Life Resources (including Employee Assistance Program)
• Leave Benefits: Paid Holidays, Annual Paid Time Off (includes paid state/local paid leave where required), Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Other Leaves (e.g., Bereavement, FMLA, ADA, Jury Duty, Military Leave, and Parental and Adoption Leave), Paid Time Off
• Retirement Benefits: Contributory Pension Plan and Savings Plan (401k). All Level 38 and more senior roles may also be eligible for non-qualified Deferred Compensation and Deferred Savings Plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees