Data Platform Engineer Student Position

Canada Life; London; Hybrid; CAD 46,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

A firm specializing in financial services in Ontario is seeking a Data Platform Engineer Student for a temporary full-time role. The position involves designing and maintaining data platform solutions in a cloud environment, in collaboration with cross-functional teams. Ideal candidates are in their second year of post-secondary education in Computer Science or related fields, with strong Python skills. This role provides valuable experience supporting the company's data initiatives and operations. Competitive salary is offered.

Benefits

Hands-on experience with enterprise data platforms

Collaboration with experienced engineers

Opportunity to contribute to real-world initiatives

Qualifications

• Currently in your second year or higher.
• Exposure to Azure Machine Learning through projects or internships.
• Experience managing the end-to-end machine learning lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain data platform solutions in a cloud environment.
• Partner with stakeholders to understand development and analytics needs.
• Support and enhance DevOps and platform services.

Skills

Strong coding skills in Python

Customer-focused mindset

Strong communication skills

Ability to adapt quickly

Education

Post-secondary degree or diploma in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Azure Data Factory

Databricks

GitLab

Job description

Temporary Full Time

This is a student position that is 4 months in duration for the term: May - August. You must be a student registered in a Canadian College or University. This position is for students returning to school after their work term or requiring a placement as requirements for graduation. While not required, preference will be given to students enrolled in a registered Co‑op program.

Applicants are required to submit both their resume and their most recent unofficial transcript as part of the application process.

We are looking for a Data Platform Engineer Student who is passionate about learning how scalable, secure, and well‑governed data platforms enable analytics, machine learning, and enterprise decision‑making across the organization. Leveraging your cloud and Microsoft Azure technical interests and growing skillset, you will have the opportunity to help design, adapt, and maintain data platform solutions within a cloud environment.

This role plays a key part in supporting our data vision: unlocking the power of connected data to deliver continuous value for customers, partners, and teams built on trust, reliability, and integrity.

As part of a collaborative, agile data team, you will contribute to the design and support of cloud‑based data platform solutions that address current and future business needs. You will work closely with product owners, engineers, governance, and support teams, gaining exposure to how reliable platform capabilities are delivered in an enterprise environment, even when requirements are evolving or ambiguous. This role also provides exposure to operational excellence practices, including supporting platform operations and learning how teams respond to and manage production support activities.

Given the size and scope of our organization, this role may be based out of our Toronto or London head office locations.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and maintain highly scalable and reliable data platform solutions within a cloud environment
• Partner with internal stakeholders to understand development and analytics needs, identifying platform capabilities that address pain points and enable delivery
• Support and enhance DevOps and platform services, including monitoring, deployment, and pipeline support for data delivery
• Enable secure connectivity between data models and their underlying data sources
• Deliver and manage appropriate resource access permissions to support approved use cases
• Provide DevOps and CI/CD support, including deploying code developed by other teams into production environments
• Contribute to the long‑term data platform strategy, helping shape platform evolution and team growth
• Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams in an agile, highly cooperative environment

What You’ll Be Working With

You will work with several of the following technologies or concepts (experience in all is not required):

Data & Cloud Technologies

• Python
• Azure cloud technologies such as Azure Data Factory (ADF), Databricks, and Azure Machine Learning

Platform & Engineering Concepts

• Cloud platform design, scalability, and performance considerations
• DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and platform monitoring
• Machine learning lifecycle enablement and platform support
• Security, access management, and compliance within cloud platforms

Tools & Collaboration

• Git‑based version control and deployment pipelines (e.g., GitLab)
• Platform monitoring and operational support tools
• Documentation and collaboration tools

What You Bring

• Currently in your second‑year or higher and pursuing a post‑secondary degree or diploma in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related discipline
• Strong coding skills in Python
• Strong understanding of engineering and infrastructure best practices, including general software development principles and the machine learning software development lifecycle orientation.
• Exposure to Azure Machine Learning, Azure Data Factory (ADF), Databricks administration, and GitLab through coursework, projects, labs or internships.
• Experience managing the end‑to‑end machine learning lifecycle
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts and collaborate effectively across teams
• A customer‑focused mindset with strong relationship‑building skills
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and work effectively in ambiguous environments
• Strong time management, prioritization, and decision‑making skills

Why Join Us

• Gain hands‑on experience supporting enterprise data platforms used across the organization
• Work with modern cloud, data, and platform engineering technologies in a real‑world environment
• Learn from and collaborate with experienced engineers, product owners, and data professionals
• Contribute to initiatives that improve the reliability, accessibility, and impact of data at Canada Life

The base salary for this position is between $46,600 - $71,900 annually. This represents base salary only and does not represent other variable compensation components of our total compensation (i.e., annual bonus, commission etc). If you are selected to move forward in our recruitment process, your recruiter will be able to discuss additional details of our total rewards program with you.

For our student opportunities, the base salary will be dependent on the number of work terms you have completed along with other factors depending on your program.

Career opportunities will be open at a minimum of 5 business days from the date of posting, closing dates will vary depending on the search activity. All applications received will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Be your best at Canada Life – Apply today!

We are committed to providing an inclusive, accessible environment, where all employees and customers feel valued, respected, and supported. We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we live, and to creating an environment where every employee has the opportunity to reach their potential.

If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact [e-mail].

Canada Life would like to thank all applicants, however only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.