Principal Data Engineer

About EAB

At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve.

At EAB, we serve not only our partner institutions but each other—that's why we are always working to make sure our employees love their jobs and are invested in their communities. See how we've been recognized for this dedication to our employees by checking out our recent awards.

For more information, visit our Careers page.

The Role in Brief:

Principal Data Engineer

The Principal Data Engineer, also referred to across the team as the Data Solutions Lead (DSL), will design, implement, manage and improve on data integration, warehousing, and analytics solutions for internal and external partners. In so doing, the DSL is responsible for maintaining EAB’s best practices as they guide users’ interaction with EAB Technology, manage their requirements, integrate data from their applications to power EAB services and products, and render all required technical services and consulting to ensure data are returned in a useful, insightful, and consistent manner. We're looking for a leader who can operate at the intersection of data, product, and customer outcomes, understanding not just how systems are built, but how they deliver real value in practice.

This position is ideally based out of EAB’s Washington, D.C. office or Richmond, VA office. It is also open to remote work within the continental U.S.

This hire may be required to travel to EAB’s central office in Washington, D.C. on a quarterly basis, and occasionally visit partners to firm up engagement and kick off high-touch projects. The current travel expectation does not exceed 12 days a year.

This position is also posted at the Senior Data Engineer level; candidates are being considered at both levels for the current opening.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead project discovery for reporting and data solutions by facilitating external stakeholder calls, translating business questions into structured data needs and acceptance criteria, mapping data elements, identifying gaps and risks, and producing clear functional and technical requirements to guide design, build, and validation.
• Support and advise technical leaders on system design and warehouse best practices, guiding teams and partners through complex data mapping and reconciliation challenges
• Design end-to-end integration and analytic solutions including ETL pipelines, integrations between different platforms, data quality and freshness validations, and business intelligence visualizations
• Independently break down, estimate, design, plan and deliver medium and large sized data-driven projects
• Understand and communicate base integration requirements on applications interfacing between on-premise and cloud architecture, especially on AWS
• Codify high-performing SQL for scalable data transformation to support replicable data pipelines
• Identify, investigate, and resolve performance and production issues, proactively recognizing recurring patterns and developing scalable solutions to prevent future occurrences
• Ensure high-quality deliverables by partnering with project teams to maintain accuracy, meet requirements, and drive measurable impact
• Guide junior engineers on tasks and unit projects
• Collaborate with development team and product managers to enhance existing product capabilities and develop new solutions

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years of advanced SQL programming experience, all syntaxes allowed, Postgres preferred
• 2+ years of basic Python programming experience on relational data management, including popular data management libraries
• 2+ years of cloud architecture scoping, design, and implementation work, AWS preferred
• Deep understanding of how data flows across systems
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to analyze problems and solve them creatively
• Experience writing and code-reviewing complex stored procedures
• Ability to ensure data integrity using standard rules, procedures, testing and validation
• Detail-oriented with ability to multitask and adapt to changing priorities
• Strong communication skills

Ideal Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field or equivalent work experience
• Experience communicating with external stakeholders and executives to strengthen integration of data systems, translate business needs into measurable impact, and advise on data enhancements and improvements
• Practical knowledge of how data warehouses are utilized and designed
• SPM certifications or demonstrated planning, organizing and time management skills
• Ability to work independently as well as collaborate with teammates to accomplish common goals in a fast-paced environment

• Commitment to embracing a continual learning environment and contributing to a dynamic and welcoming culture of fairness, authenticity, and belonging in support of EAB’s mission, values, and aspiration

If you’ve reached this section of the job description and are unsure of whether to apply, please do! At EAB, we welcome new perspectives and learn from each other’s unique experiences. We would encourage you to submit an application if this is a role you would be passionate about doing every day.

Compensation:

The anticipated starting salary range for this role is $91,500 – $130,000 per year. Actual salary varies due to factors that may include but not be limited to relevant experience, skills, and location. At EAB, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the starting salary range for their role.

This hire will additionally be eligible for discretionary bonus or incentive compensation. Variable compensation may depend on various factors, including, without limitation, individual and organizational performance. 

Benefits:

Consistent with our belief that our employees are our most valuable resource, EAB offers a competitive and inclusive benefits package. Our benefits currently include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans; dependents and domestic partners eligible
• 20+ days of PTO annually, in addition to paid firm and floating holidays
• Daytime leave policy for community service and flextime for fitness activities (up to 10 hours per month each)
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with annual discretionary company matching contribution
• Health savings account, healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account, and pre-tax commuter plans
• Employee assistance program with counseling services and resources available to all employees and immediate family
• Wellness programs including gym discounts, incentives to promote healthy living, and family access to the leading app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation 
• Fertility treatment coverage and adoption or surrogacy assistance
• Paid parental leave with phase back to work program for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Access to milk shipping service to support nursing employees during business travel
• Discounted pet health insurance coverage for dog and cat family members
• Company-provided life, AD&D, and disability insurance
• Financial wellness resources and membership in a robust employee discount program
• Access to employee resource groups, merit-based advancement, and dynamic professional growth opportunities

Benefits kick in day one; learn more at eab.com/careers/benefits.  

This opening is not eligible for visa sponsorship at this time; EAB will thus consider candidates who possess U.S. work authorization that does not require employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

At EAB, we believe that to fulfill our mission to “make education smarter and our communities stronger” we need team members who bring a diversity of perspectives to the table and a workplace where each team member is valued, respected and heard.

To that end, EAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we make employment decisions on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need. We don’t discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.