AI Data Engineer: Shape Scalable Data for Next‑Gen AI

McKinsey & Company; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 122,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

McKinsey & Company is seeking a data engineering professional to join our AI-driven data platforms. You will design and maintain scalable data pipelines, manage secure data environments, and collaborate with cross-functional teams and clients to turn hypotheses into engineered features.

You will work alongside Data Scientists and ML Engineers, travel up to 80%, and contribute to R&D on agentic AI while delivering production-ready data components for enterprise-scale AI solutions.

Qualifications

• Upcoming graduation between December 2026-August 2027 with a degree in an engineering discipline.
• Experience in a data-focused role (internships, academic projects acceptable).
• Ability to write clean, well-documented code in a modern programming language, with a strong preference for Python and SQL.
• Interest in or exposure to data engineering in the context of Agentic AI, Generative AI, Machine Learning, or Business Intelligence across different data formats (structured vs unstructured) and processing methods (streaming vs batch).
• Familiarity with data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, BigQuery, PSQL, etc.), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and tools (Pandas, Spark, dbt, LangChain, etc.).
• Exposure to DevOps, MLOps/LLMOps and CI/CD principles.
• Exceptional time management in a complex autonomous environment.
• Willingness to learn quickly and adapt to different project situations and tech stacks.
• Experience using coding agents (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, etc.) is a plus.
• Ability to travel up to 80% and contribute with regular in-office presence.
• Strong communication skills in English and local office language(s).

Responsibilities

• Design and build scalable data pipelines for AI systems.
• Maintain secure data environments and prepare data for AI-driven systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and clients to translate hypotheses into engineered features.
• Contribute to R&D initiatives focused on next-generation AI capabilities.
• Develop robust data foundations for scalable, production-ready AI systems.

Skills

Python

SQL

Data engineering

Agentic AI

Databricks

Snowflake

BigQuery

AWS

Azure

GCP

Pandas

Spark

dbt

LangChain

Git

CI/CD

MLOps

Java

Kotlin

English communication

Willingness to travel

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in engineering

Tools

Cursor

Claude Code

Codex

Job description

McKinsey & Company is seeking a data engineering professional to join our AI-driven data platforms. You will design and maintain scalable data pipelines, manage secure data environments, and collaborate with cross-functional teams and clients to turn hypotheses into engineered features.

You will work alongside Data Scientists and ML Engineers, travel up to 80%, and contribute to R&D on agentic AI while delivering production-ready data components for enterprise-scale AI solutions.