Lead Data Engineer

Job Title:

Lead Data Engineer

Key Skills:

Data Engineering, Azure Databricks, Snowflake, dbt, Python, SQL, Terraform, Data Architecture, ETL/ELT, CI/CD, Data Migration

Experience:

+8 years of experience.

Location:

Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia.

Work Mode:

Remote.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of Data Engineers, providing technical direction, conducting code reviews, and promoting engineering excellence.
• Own the end-to-end architecture and design of scalable, reliable data platforms aligned with business needs.
• Lead implementation delivery from design through deployment, ensuring high-quality and production-ready solutions.
• Define and drive data migration strategies from Snowflake and SSIS to Azure Databricks and dbt.
• Design and oversee scalable data pipelines and data models, ensuring performance, maintainability, data quality, and observability.
• Lead the implementation of Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and drive CI/CD adoption across data platforms and pipelines.
• Collaborate with Data, Product, Architecture, and Business teams to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Act as the primary technical owner for complex troubleshooting and long-term platform stability.
• Establish architectural standards, design patterns, and engineering best practices across the data ecosystem.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Data Engineering, with at least 2–3 years in a Lead or Staff-level role.
• Proven experience owning system design and leading implementations of large-scale data platforms.
• Strong hands-on expertise with Snowflake, Azure Databricks, dbt, and Python.
• Experience working with large-scale data transformations involving thousands of dbt models and data pipelines processing terabytes of data daily.
• Deep understanding of data architecture, data modeling, and distributed data systems.
• Extensive experience with Terraform and Infrastructure as Code principles.
• Proven experience leading cloud-to-cloud data migration projects, preferably from AWS to Azure.
• Strong experience with CI/CD pipelines and Git-based version control.
• Advanced SQL skills and strong knowledge of ETL/ELT frameworks.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to make architectural trade-offs and decisions.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven experience managing and developing Data Engineering teams, including mentoring, performance management, and identifying training and development needs.
• Experience managing teams with different performance levels and demonstrating measurable outcomes through coaching and development.
• Previous experience in the insurance or financial services industry, with knowledge of domains such as claims, policies, underwriting, and risk.
• Advanced English proficiency.

Preferred Skills

• Experience implementing data governance, observability, and data quality frameworks.
• Strong knowledge of security and compliance standards in insurance or financial services.
• Experience with real-time and streaming technologies such as Kafka, Event Hubs, and Delta Live Tables.
• Familiarity with lakehouse architecture and cost/performance optimization strategies.
• Experience operating in multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments.