Principal Data Engineer - QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey

McKinsey; Bogotá; On-site; COP 200,000,000 - 400,000,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey is seeking a senior data engineering leader to drive technical strategy and build scalable data pipelines for enterprise AI platforms. You will mentor teams, collaborate with clients, and advance R&D across diverse industries.

You will lead cross-functional teams, own technology decisions, and help accelerate AI adoption while ensuring security and governance. This role offers global collaboration and growth within QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.

Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years relevant professional experience.
• Ability to scope projects, define workstreams, and translate roadmaps into sprint goals within agile environments.
• Proven experience architecting enterprise data and AI platforms and scalable data pipelines for production use cases.
• Strong leadership and mentoring experience with junior colleagues.
• Expertise in DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps and in implementing software engineering best practices.
• Proficiency with distributed computing and cloud platforms (Spark, AWS/Azure/GCP); containerization (Docker/Kubernetes); data tools (Databricks, Airflow, SQL, PySpark); and data libraries (Pandas, NumPy).
• Proven client-facing or senior stakeholder management experience.
• Excellent communication in English and Portuguese; willingness to travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple technical teams and own the technology stack for enterprise data and AI platforms.
• Architect data platforms and build scalable data pipelines for ML use cases.
• Mentor colleagues and collaborate with clients at all levels.
• Drive R&D and innovation within the Data Engineering community.
• Deliver robust, scalable, and reproducible analytics solutions across industries.

Skills

Data engineering

Cloud platforms

Leadership

Agile/DevOps

Programming (Python/Java/Scala)

Education

Degree in CS/Engineering/Math

Tools

Databricks

Airflow

SQL

Docker/Kubernetes

Pandas/NumPy

Spark

Job description

Do you want to do work that matters, alongside supportive leaders who will help you grow faster than you ever thought possible? Are you a creative problem-solver who is energized by challenges? You’ve come to the right place.

YOUR IMPACT

You will lead technical teams, architect data platforms, and build scalable pipelines while mentoring colleagues and collaborating with clients at all levels. You’ll tackle impactful challenges, contribute to R&D, and grow as a leader by working with diverse experts on cutting-edge AI projects across industries. You will lead multiple technical teams and own the technology stack for enterprise data and AI platforms. You’ll design and build robust, scalable, and reproducible data pipelines for machine learning while ensuring information security standards are upheld. Additionally, you’ll mentor junior colleagues, contribute to R&D projects, and drive innovation within the QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey Data Engineering community. Your work will address real-world challenges across industries. Partnering with QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey and QuantumBlack Labs teams, you’ll help create innovative machine learning systems that accelerate AI adoption and solve business problems at speed and scale, enabling clients to achieve meaningful and lasting impact. You will be based in one of our offices as part of our global Data Engineering community. You’ll work in cross-functional Agile teams alongside Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, and industry experts to deliver advanced analytics solutions. Collaborating with clients from data owners to C-level executives, you’ll help architect impactful solutions that solve complex business problems and drive value. You will be in an exceptional environment to grow as a technologist and leader. You’ll develop expertise at the intersection of technology and business by tackling diverse challenges. Surrounded by inspiring, multidisciplinary teams, you’ll gain a holistic understanding of AI while collaborating with some of the best design, technical, and business talent in the world.

YOUR GROWTH

• Continuous learning:Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast-paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters:From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We not only encourage diverse perspectives, but they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community:With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World-class benefits:On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well-being for you and your family.

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience
• 10+ years relevant professional experience
• Ability to scope projects, define workstreams, and translate roadmaps into sprint goals, milestones, and deliverables within agile and iterative team environments
• Proven experience architecting and building enterprise data and AI platforms as well as scalable data pipelines for advanced analytics use cases operating in production
• Passion for and track record of effectively leading and mentoring more junior colleagues
• Expertise in implementing software engineering best practices to drive enterprise-wide improvement, including DevOps, DataOps, and MLOps
• Strong software engineering and data engineering expertise, including distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Dask), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), analytics libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, matplotlib), and modern data platforms and orchestration tools such as Databricks, Airflow, SQL, PySpark, Kedro, and RAPIDS
• Ability to write clean, maintainable, scalable, and robust code in object-oriented languages such as Python, Scala, or Java, and experience supporting the development of junior engineers through collaborative code reviews
• Extensive commercial client-facing or senior stakeholder management experience
• Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment
• Willingness to travel
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and Portuguese, with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels

FOR NON-U.S. APPLICANTS: McKinsey & Company is an Equal Opportunity employer. For additional details regarding our global EEO policy and diversity initiatives, please visit our McKinsey Careers and Diversity & Inclusion sites.