Senior Data Engineer

Boardwalk; Calgary; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Boardwalk is seeking a Senior Data Engineer to lead architectural direction and execution of our core database modernization effort. You will guide migration from legacy SQL Server environments to Azure SQL Managed Instance, while shaping validation, monitoring, and data quality controls across dual-run operations.

You will own the Azure Data Factory ETL framework, optimize pipelines for Power BI-ready models, and work with BI teams to deliver scalable data platforms.

Qualifications

• Proficient in Azure Data Factory including Mapping Data Flows and CDC mechanisms.
• Strong DBA skills for SQL Server 2017 and legacy environments.
• Experience deploying, sizing, performance tuning, and maintaining Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Solid BI/data modelling knowledge for Power BI-ready schemas.
• Understanding of hybrid networks and secure cloud data streaming (VPN, ExpressRoute, VNet).

Responsibilities

• Lead architectural design and migration execution from on-prem SQL Server to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Refactor and scale ADF pipelines to meet high throughput and low latency SLAs.
• Establish monitoring, validation, and data integrity controls across dual-run migrations.
• Collaborate with BI team to design and optimize ETL pipelines for Power BI models.
• Oversee cutover activities and rollback procedures to minimize business disruption.

Skills

ADF

SQL Server 2017

Azure SQL MI

BI data modelling

Data integration

CDC mechanisms

Job description

Posted Friday, August 28, 2026 at 6:00 a.m.

Boardwalk provides Canadians with a quality, comfortable, home living experience. We offer rental apartments and townhouses that come in a wide breadth of shapes, sizes and sets of amenities. We operate over 34,000 units across Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Quebec.

This is a contract position.

About The Role

The Senior Data Engineer provides architectural direction, technical leadership, and execution oversight for our core database modernization initiative. This role is responsible for shaping and guiding the migration strategy, including environment assessment, data validation, reconciliation, monitoring, and quality controls required to support a controlled transition from legacy SQL Server environments to Azure SQL Managed Instance. Combining deep expertise in legacy database platforms with modern Azure data technologies, this individual will help reduce migration risk, improve confidence in data quality, and establish the foundation for future business intelligence and data platform capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Migration Execution

• Lead the architectural design and structural execution of our migration from a 30-year-old on-premises SQL Server 2017 setup to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
• Conduct extensive legacy assessments on decades-old schemas to isolate compatibility gaps, remediate depreciated items, and clear performance blocks for Azure PaaS transition.
• Build, enforce, and test rigorous migration fallback and rollback procedures alongside active live data flows to safeguard enterprise operations.
• Orchestrate and lead database cutover activities to support a controlled transition to Azure with minimal business disruption.

ETL Ownership & Pipeline Optimization

• Lead the technical stewardship, evolution, and operational success of our established Azure Data Factory (ADF) ETL framework and active data synchronization strategies.
• Review, refactor, and scale existing ADF data pipelines to confidently meet high-throughput requirements and strict data latency SLAs.
• Partner directly with our Business Intelligence (BI) team to design, build, and optimize net-new ETL pipelines optimized for Power BI semantic models and dashboards.

Observability, Monitoring & Integrity

• Establish advanced alerting, schema drift detection, error-handling, and automated recovery scripts within the ADF environment.
• Apply systematic monitoring, validation, and reconciliation controls to assess data consistency between on-premises and cloud environments during dual-run operations.
• Coach internal stakeholders on pipeline health metrics and run regular post-migration data audits to ensure permanent operational readiness.

Technical Requirements

• Expert-level proficiency in Azure Data Factory (including Mapping Data Flows, Self-Hosted Integration Runtimes, and CDC mechanisms).
• Expert-level database administration and engineering depth with Microsoft SQL Server (specifically SQL Server 2017 and legacy paradigms).
• Deep hands-on experience deploying, sizing, performance-tuning, and maintaining Azure SQL Managed Instance environments.
• Strong grounding in BI data modeling concepts, star/snowflake schemas, and data warehouse formatting tailored for Power BI consumption.
• Practical understanding of hybrid network infrastructure configurations required for secure cloud data streaming (VPN gateways, ExpressRoute, and VNet isolation).

Non-Technical Requirements

• Excellent communication skills; able to clearly explain migration logic, cutover risks, and architectural compromises to business leaders.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to confidently steer cross-functional technical teams without direct organizational authority.
• Highly skilled at navigating decades-old undocumented database logic, providing clear structure out of systemic ambiguity.
• Demonstrates strong ownership, accountability, and technical leadership in maintaining reliable, well-governed data pipelines and migration processes.

Offers of employment will be contingent on satisfactory Security Background Checks, Reference Checks, and Pre-employment Physical Testing where applicable.