Principal Data Engineer

Empower • KS Remote, KS

5d • $151,800 - $220,050 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Data Engineer is a senior hands-on engineering role responsible for designing, building, and optimizing scalable data services, streaming data solutions, data pipelines, and cloud-based data platforms. This role is not a Data Architect position; it requires deep technical execution, active engineering delivery, and the ability to solve complex data engineering challenges through hands-on development. Operating with a high level of technical autonomy, this role will serve as a top-level authority in data engineering while directly contributing to the implementation of modern data platforms and services. The Principal Data Engineer will lead complex, cross-functional initiatives and drive innovation across scalable data pipelines, data products, streaming services, and data systems that support analytics, AI/ML, reporting, and operational workloads.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, such as Information Systems, Mathematics, or Software Engineering, or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• 10+ years of data engineering experience.
• Certified AWS Engineer or equivalent AWS certification required.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python, Spark, SQL, and modern data architectures.
• Extensive hands-on experience with AWS and distributed data systems.
• Proven experience building streaming data solutions, data services, and scalable data platforms, not just using existing platforms as a consumer.
• Deep expertise in data modeling, ETL/ELT, data platform design, and operational data stores.
• Proven experience with batch and streaming data integration at enterprise scale.
• Strong experience with data governance, data quality, security standards, and data management practices.
• Hands-on experience with Terraform or similar infrastructure-as-code tooling.
• Expertise across modern data platforms and cloud ecosystems.
• Demonstrated ability to define, influence, and implement enterprise-wide technical direction and engineering standards.
• Proven track record of leading enterprise-scale data transformations and initiatives.
• Exceptional leadership, mentoring, and organizational influence.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to advise executive stakeholders, partner with architects, and drive technical decisions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Snowflake.
• Data engineering, cloud data, or data platform certifications.
• Advanced AWS data services certifications.
• Experience building reusable data services, frameworks, or platform capabilities used by multiple engineering teams.
• Experience modernizing legacy data platforms into cloud-native, governed, scalable data ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize scalable data engineering solutions, including streaming data services, data pipelines, data platforms, and operational data systems.
• Serve as a hands-on technical leader, actively developing and implementing data engineering solutions rather than functioning solely as an architect.
• Define and drive data engineering standards, patterns, best practices, and reusable frameworks.
• Architect and implement highly complex, scalable data platforms and advanced data engineering solutions.
• Lead complex, high-impact, cross-functional data initiatives across the organization.
• Build and support streaming and data services for enterprise use, with experience beyond consuming or using existing platforms.
• Establish and enforce data governance, security, data quality, and data management standards.
• Ensure enterprise data platforms are reliable, well-modeled, accessible, secure, and optimized for broad consumption.
• Drive innovation and modernization initiatives across data platforms, engineering practices, and cloud-based data services.
• Partner with senior leadership, architects, product teams, and engineering teams on long-term data strategy and roadmap planning.
• Mentor senior engineers and technical leaders across the organization.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies to advance enterprise data capabilities.
• Ensure scalability, performance, resilience, and long-term sustainability of data platforms.
• Champion continuous improvement and elevate engineering practices across teams.
• Complete other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Retirement savings – 401(k) plan with generous company matching contributions (up to 6%), financial advisory services, potential company discretionary contribution, and a broad investment lineup
• Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250/year
• Business-casual environment that includes the option to wear jeans
• Generous paid time off upon hire – including a paid time off program plus ten paid company holidays and three floating holidays each calendar year
• Paid volunteer time — 16 hours per calendar year
• Leave of absence programs – including paid parental leave, paid short- and long-term disability, and Family and Medical Leave (FMLA)
• Business Resource Groups (BRGs) – BRGs facilitate inclusion and collaboration across our business internally and throughout the communities where we live, work and play. BRGs are open to all.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal