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), is responsible for designing high-impact data and analytics solutions that help higher education institutions unlock the full value of their data within the Edify platform.

This role sits at the intersection of data architecture, partner strategy, and product innovation. The DSL partners closely with Strategic Leaders, Data Engineers, and Product teams to translate complex institutional challenges into scalable, well-architected data solutions that drive measurable outcomes.

Unlike traditional data engineering roles, the DSL’s primary day-to-day work does not focus on building pipelines or writing production code. Instead, they lead discovery, shape solution design, guide implementation, and ensure that delivered solutions are aligned to partner goals, technically sound, and positioned for long-term success.

We are seeking a leader who can connect data systems to real-world impact, bringing both technical depth and consultative strength to help institutions modernize their data ecosystems and explore emerging capabilities such as advanced analytics and AI-driven solutions.

This position is ideally based out of EAB's Washington, D.C. or Richmond, VA office, and is open to remote work within the continental U.S. Occasional travel (up to ~12 days annually) may be required for partner engagements and team collaboration.

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 discovery engagements with institutional stakeholders to translate business questions into clear data and analytic requirements
• Design end-to-end data solutions, including data models, integrations, transformation logic, and reporting structures that align with Edify platform best practices and long-term partner data strategy
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to partners, guiding them through complex data challenges and opportunities to expand impact through improved data usage, reporting, and analytics
• Mentor or manage Data Engineers and collaborate with Technical Project Managers to guide implementation of designed solutions
• Identify, investigate, and resolve performance and production issues, proactively recognizing recurring patterns and developing scalable solutions to prevent future occurrences
• Contribute to the development of advanced capabilities, including predictive analytics, automation, and AI-driven use cases
• Provide structured feedback to Product and Engineering teams to inform platform evolution

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience
• 8+ years of experience in data architecture, analytics consulting, or related roles
• Strong proficiency in SQL, experience writing and code-reviewing complex stored procedures, and working knowledge of data transformation and modeling concepts
• Experience designing data pipelines, integrations, and ware house structures
• Deep understanding of how data flows across systems and how it is used to drive business decisions
• Demonstrated ability to translate ambiguous problems into structured, actionable solutions
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences
• Detail-oriented with ability to multitask and adapt to changing priorities

Ideal Qualifications:

• Experience working directly with external stakeholders in a consulting or client-facing capacity
• Familiarity with cloud data ecosystems (AWS preferred) and modern data stack concepts
• Experience guiding data strategy, analytics roadmaps, or system design decisions
• Exposure to advanced analytics, predictive modeling, or AI/ML use cases
• Ability to recognize patterns across implementations and drive reusable, scalable solutions
• Experience in higher education or similarly complex data environments
• SPM certifications or demonstrated planning, organizing and time management skills
• 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.