Data Engineer 5 (Python, SQL, Databricks, Snowflake) (Enterprise Platforms Technology)

Capital One; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 209,000 - 239,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One is seeking a Data Engineer 5 to design and implement AI-enabled data pipelines and real-time streaming architectures that power LLM workflows and ML models. You will guide architecture, governance, and cross-functional collaboration with data scientists and analysts.

The role emphasizes scalable data foundations, cross-cloud pipelines, and cost-aware performance optimization, with opportunities to mentor junior engineers and shape enterprise data products.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a quantitative field or related discipline.
• At least 6 years in application development.
• At least 4 years in distributed data and in SQL.
• Proficiency in Python, Java or Scala for data engineering tasks.
• Experience designing data pipelines and data modeling across systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect, build, and scale data pipelines for AI/ML workloads and LLMs.
• Lead architecture and guide junior engineers on standards.
• Partner with security and governance for data lineage and privacy.
• Build scalable feature stores for real-time and offline training.
• Audit cross-cloud pipelines for performance and cost efficiency.
• Collaborate with data scientists, analysts, and executives to deliver data products.

Skills

Python

SQL

Java

Scala

Distributed data

Data pipelines

Data modeling

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Databricks

Snowflake

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Job description

Position Overview

Data Engineer 5 (Python, SQL, Databricks, Snowflake) (Enterprise Platforms Technology) Position Overview We are seeking a Data Engineer to develop the technical vision, architectural design, and implementation of our AI-enabling data ecosystem. In this strategic role, you will bridge the gap between traditional enterprise data architecture and modern AI capabilities. You will design resilient, scalable data pipelines, and real-time streaming architectures that power LLM workflows, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, and predictive ML models. You will work closely with Data Scientists, Analysts, and other Engineers to establish best-in-class data engineering practices for traditional and AI enabled workloads.

About the Team

The Enterprise Platforms Tech Top of House Data & Analytics team serves as the strategic intelligence backbone for executive leadership and strategy. We operate at the intersection of business strategy, core enterprise infrastructure, and advanced analytics. Our team is responsible for delivering high-impact, enterprise-level data products, decisioning engines, and modern analytics capabilities that power executive level decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

• AI Architecture & Data Foundation: Architect, build, and scale clean, reliable, and latency-optimized data pipelines (batch and real-time) designed specifically to supply structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data to AI/ML applications and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Technical Leadership & Strategy: Contribute to defining the architectural blueprint for the Top of House AI data layer. Serve as a hands-on technical lead, guiding junior and mid-level engineers in coding standards, design patterns, and engineering excellence.
• Data Governance, Security, & Lineage: Partner with Enterprise Security and Data Governance teams to implement robust data classification, privacy safeguards, and automated lineage tracking for AI models and training datasets.
• Feature Engineering & Store: Build and maintain scalable feature stores to support both real-time inferencing and offline model training across executive-facing predictive models.
• Performance & Cost Optimization: Audit and optimize cross-cloud data pipelines, query performance, and storage infrastructure for efficiency, cost management, and reliability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner directly with Technical Program Managers, Data Scientists, Top of House leads, and C-suite stakeholders to turn executive data needs into production-ready solutions.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher in Computer Science or a related quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Engineering)
• At least 6 years of experience in application development (Internship experience does not apply)
• At least 4 years of experience in distributed data
• At least 4 years of experience in SQL
• At least 4 years of experience programming with at least one of the following languages: Python, Java, or Scala
• At least 4 years of experience designing and developing data pipelines
• At least 2 years of experience in data modeling and designing end-to-end data solutions using both relational and non-relational database systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in a related field
• 9+ years of experience in application development including Python, SQL, Scala, or Java
• 5+ years of experience with a public cloud (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud)
• 5+ year experience working on real-time data and streaming applications
• 5+ years of data warehousing experience (eg Snowflake)
• Experience leveraging interactive AI tooling to accelerate productivity, utilizing capabilities beyond basic code completion (Claude, Gemini)

Salaries

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

• McLean, VA: $229,900 - $262,400 for Data Engineer 5
• New York, NY: $250,800 - $286,200 for Data Engineer 5
• Plano, TX: $209,000 - $238,500 for Data Engineer 5
• Richmond, VA: $209,000 - $238,500 for Data Engineer 5
• Riverwoods, IL: $209,000 - $238,500 for Data Engineer 5

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website.

Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level. This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days. No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.

If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at [e-mail]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations. For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to [e-mail]

At Capital One, we’re building a leading information-based technology company. Still founder-led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Fairbank, Capital One is on a mission to help our customers succeed by bringing ingenuity, simplicity, and humanity to banking. We measure our efforts by the success our customers enjoy and the advocacy they exhibit.