Principal Data Engineer

Principal Data Engineer

Enterprise Data Platform & AI-Ready Architecture

Michigan / Hybrid / 1 Day Per Week Onsite

$175,000 - $185,000 / Plus Bonus / Additional Incentives

Join a growing enterprise at a pivotal stage in its data transformation journey. As the Principal Data Engineer, you will own the architecture, strategy, and evolution of the enterprise data platform, leading the modernization of legacy data environments while building a scalable, governed, and AI-ready ecosystem.

This is a highly visible, hands-on role focused on creating trusted data foundations that power analytics, machine learning, generative AI, and future intelligent automation initiatives.

Must Haves

Enterprise Data Architecture Leadership

• Experience owning the architecture, strategy, and technical direction of enterprise-scale data platforms.

Snowflake, Databricks, Python & SQL Expertise

• Strong hands-on experience building scalable data solutions using modern cloud data technologies and engineering best practices.

Data Warehousing & Data Modeling

• Deep expertise in data warehousing, ETL/ELT, ingestion, integration, orchestration, and enterprise data modeling.

Data Platform Modernization

• Proven success assessing legacy environments, defining future-state architecture, and leading enterprise data transformation initiatives.

AI-Ready Data Foundations

• Experience preparing data environments for AI, machine learning, LLMs, RAG, vector search, semantic layers, and emerging AI capabilities.

Nice to Haves

Modern Data Ecosystem Tools

• Experience with dbt, Fivetran, Airflow, Astronomer, Airbyte, Matillion, Stitch, or Databricks Workflows.

Enterprise Application Integrations

• Experience integrating Salesforce, NetSuite, Agiloft, financial systems, and other critical business applications.

Data Governance & Compliance

• Experience implementing governance, lineage, metadata management, security, monitoring, and regulated data practices.

Internal Data Products

• Experience building business-facing data applications, analytics platforms, or self-service data solutions using tools such as Streamlit.

Consulting & Technical Leadership

• Experience guiding implementation partners, contractors, or consulting teams while maintaining architectural ownership.

Qualifications & Responsibilities

10+ years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Architecture, Data Platforms, or related enterprise data leadership roles.

Own the enterprise data platform architecture, roadmap, technical standards, governance strategy, and overall data operating model.

Design, build, and support scalable ingestion, transformation, orchestration, modeling, and warehousing solutions across the organization.

Establish best practices for data quality, lineage, metadata, security, monitoring, documentation, and access control.

Integrate enterprise applications and ensure trusted, governed data is available for analytics, reporting, machine learning, and AI initiatives.

Lead modernization efforts by evaluating legacy environments and implementing scalable cloud-based data architecture solutions.

Partner closely with business and technology leaders to support enterprise analytics, digital transformation, and AI enablement strategies.

Operate as a hands-on Principal-level contributor while providing technical leadership and direction to external partners and implementation resources.

By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.

Equal Opportunity

Notice Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law.

The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact HR@vaco.com . Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal .

Representation Notice By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions.

You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications.

Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application.

In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal. For residents of Ontario, Canada only: to the extent the position for employment is not with Highspring or not otherwise noted as vacant above, candidate should be informed that this role is to replace a presently employed person at Vaco by Highspring's client.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies. California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here . Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here .

Residents of all other states may access our policies here . Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here . Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here .

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here ( https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/ ). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers.

Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to: · the individual's skill sets, experience and training; · licensure and certification requirements; · office location and other geographic considerations; and · other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure.

The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).