DirectedLINK is hiring: Principal Data Engineer in Los Angeles

Title: Principal Data Engineer

Type: Contract (12+ months)

Pay: $70.00 - $85.00/hr
Schedule: 4/40 Work Schedule (10-hour days, M-TH) |Remote
Work Hours: 7:15 AM–6:00 PM
Location: California Residents Only

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Our client is the largest government agency in Los Angeles County, managing over 30 departments across the region.

Job Overview

The Principal Data Engineer plays a critical role in the development and operation of a modern analytical data store/catalog supporting the Quality-of-Life Project and other organizational initiatives. This role combines expertise in data integration, governance, and advanced platform architecture to deliver flexible, predictive, and prescriptive analytical solutions.

As part of the AI Analytics Team, the Principal Data Engineer ensures a single source of truth, delivering high-quality data solutions that support a variety of use cases while mentoring junior engineers and database administrators.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and manage an Analytical Data Store/Catalog for structured, unstructured, and aggregated data elements.
• Support predictive and prescriptive analytics with advanced data integration, platform architecture, and governance.
• Develop data pipelines, lakehouse architecture, and automation frameworks aligned with DataOps principles.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure alignment with business needs and analytical requirements.
• Mentor junior engineers, fostering knowledge-sharing and team development.

Skills & Qualifications

Required:

• Expertise in:
  • Databricks (5+ years), including Lakehouse Platforms and Medallion architecture.
  • Developing data pipelines using Python (5+ years).
  • Azure Data Factory, Azure Resource Management, and DataOps automation (1+ year each).
  • Data modeling and governance best practices (1+ year).
• Strong communication, time management, and analytical skills.
• Customer service orientation with the ability to balance collaborative and independent work.

Preferred:

• Experience in high-quality project delivery with meticulous attention to detail.
• Proficiency in mentoring and guiding junior data engineers.

Experience

• 5+ years of professional experience in:
  • Data engineering, data integration, and data warehousing.
  • Developing pipelines and implementing cloud-based solutions.
• 2+ years of designing Databricks Medallion architecture with governance and quality standards.
• 1+ year of hands-on experience in:
  • Azure Data Factory.
  • Managing and automating Azure resources using DataOps.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field.
• Equivalent qualifying experience may substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.