Data Engineer I

EKN Engineering; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% Company-Paid Medical, Dental, Vis

401(k) with Company Match

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Exclusive Employee Discounts

Monthly Catered Lunches & Daily Office

Employee Engagement & Wellness

JOYA Health Membership

Wellness Perks & Support Programs

Job summary

EKN Engineering in Irvine, CA is seeking a Data Engineer to join our growing civil engineering and technology consulting team. You will design and own data models, build robust data pipelines, and support AI-ready data for ML and LLM tooling.

The role focuses on governance, scalability, and collaboration with analysts and engineers to drive data-backed insights for engineering projects. You will work with modern tools (dbt, SQLMesh) and BI platforms (Power BI, Tableau) while promoting CI/CD and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in a related field.
• Experience designing and optimizing data pipelines with modern tools.
• Strong Python coding skills and maintainable code.
• Proficiency in SQL with relational and NoSQL databases.
• Cloud experience with AWS or Azure and relevant services.
• Experience with BI tools and data visualization concepts.
• Excellent problem-solving and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and own dimensional and domain data models for reporting and analytics.
• Define shared metrics and entities for dashboards and models.
• Partner with analysts and developers to translate processes into durable schemas.
• Build and maintain a tested transformation layer (dbt, SQLMesh).
• Introduce CI/CD, testing, and data contracts in analytics code.
• Support semantic layer feeding Power BI for trusted datasets.

Skills

Data Modeling

SQL

Python

ETL

Data Pipelines

Analytical thinking

Communication

BI concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Tools

Airflow

dbt

SQLMesh

Power BI

Tableau

PostgreSQL

Azure

Amazon S3

Redshift

Job description

EKN Engineering is a fast-growing civil engineering and technology consulting company located in Irvine, CA. We are searching for a Data Engineer to join our rapidly growing organization.

We are seeking a talented Data Engineer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will play a pivotal role in leveraging data to drive insights, improve decision-making processes, and enhance the performance of our engineering projects.

Responsibilities

Data Modeling

• Design and own dimensional and domain-oriented data models that serve as the governed source for reporting, analytics and data science.
• Define and document shared business metrics and entities so every dashboard and model operates and is communicated with fidelity.
• Partner with analysts, software developers and domain experts to translate business processes into durable schemas that can evolve and scale while maintaining downstream users.
• Build and maintain a tested, version-controlled transformation layer (dbt, SQLMesh or equivalent), including tests, documentation and lineage.
• Apply software engineering practices to analytics code: code reviews, CI/CD, environments and data contracts as both data producer and consumer.
• Support semantic layer feeding Power BI, moving analysts to trusted datasets instead of one-off extracts/exports.

AI

• Prepare AI-ready data: clean, well-documented, well-governed datasets and metadata that ML models and LLM tools can use reliably.
• Build and support pipelines for ML features, retrieval, and unstructured sources like documents and field reports.
• Audit AI-generated code, data transformations and technical logic to ensure adherence to compliance standards, performance standards and business requirements.
• Design and execute programmatic validation frameworks to test, audit and benchmark LLM outputs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proven experience in designing, building, and optimizing data pipelines and ETL processes using modern tools and frameworks (e.g. Airflow, dbt, SQLMesh)
• Strong programming skills in Python, with experience in developing efficient, maintainable code.
• Proficiency in SQL and experience working with relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, Azure).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure, and hands-on experience with relevant services (e.g., S3, EC2, Redshift).
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and BI concepts is a plus.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment.
• Nice to have: exposure to ML or LLM data workflows, and utility, energy or engineering-sector data.

Why Join Us

At EKN Engineering, you’ll be part of a company that values innovation and accountability and supports our employees' professional growth and personal development. Here, you’ll work with teams that push the boundaries of engineering to create solutions that enhance our communities and the environment by making utilities safer.

Benefits

• 100% Company-Paid Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance - Comprehensive coverage to support your health and well-being.
• 401(k) with Company Match - We invest in your future with a dollar-for-dollar match on contributions.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) - Set aside pre-tax dollars for qualified healthcare and dependent care expenses.
• Exclusive Employee Discounts - Access our BenefitsHub for savings on travel, rental cars, hotels, theme parks, and more.
• Monthly Catered Lunches & Daily Office Snacks - Enjoy a well-stocked kitchen and regular team meals to keep you fueled throughout the day.
• Employee Engagement & Wellness - We value connection and balance. Our team enjoys a variety of events and activities throughout the year, including hiking outings, summer BBQs, sports games, holiday celebrations, and dedicated team-building days.
• JOYA Health Membership - Access to over $1,000 in annual skin health and wellness benefits, including complimentary facials or peels, aesthetic service credits, priority skin cancer screenings, teledermatology services, and discounts on skincare products.
• Wellness Perks & Support Programs - Access a variety of wellness resources including discounted gym memberships through One Pass, mental health and self-care tools via AbleTo and Calm, and monthly rewards for healthy activities through Rally.