Data Engineer Internship (Summer 2026) at Principal Financial Group- Corporate Headquarters

Wayne State University; Des Moines (IA); Hybrid; USD 38,572 - 41,328; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid company holidays

Professional development opportunities

Internship stipend

Flexible work hours

Job summary

A leading university in Des Moines is seeking a Data Engineer Intern to work on real projects and collaborate with experienced professionals. This position will involve leveraging software and technology skills for data solutions, conducting engineering tasks, and building technical solutions. Candidates should be pursuing an undergraduate degree in a STEM-related field with strong communication and organizational skills. An internship stipend of $3,000 will also be provided.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing or completed an undergraduate degree in a related field.
• Involvement in campus or community organizations.
• Prior internship experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Deliver data solutions enhancing analysis and insights.
• Conduct data engineering tasks meeting business needs.
• Build scalable and maintainable technical solutions.

Skills

Leadership positions

Exceptional communication skills

Organizational skills

Critical thinking

Solution orientation

Education

Undergraduate degree in science, technology, engineering, or math

Tools

Java

Python

React

JavaScript

SQL

Git

AWS

R

PowerBI

Informatica

Job description

Our Technology & Engineering internship program offers opportunities for 95+ interns and has a strong reputation with over 20 years of history. You’ll work on real projects collaborating with a range of team members, including other interns through senior level management. We'll place you in a role customized to your expertise and interests, all while working in an Agile team environment. You'll be assigned a formal leader and mentor to help guide you through the program. This is an excellent opportunity to understand and learn more about Principal’s Technology Engineering culture.

Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years.

Data Engineer Intern

Project involvement could include:

• Leveraging software and technology skills to deliver on a variety of data solutions to advance data analysis and insights
• Conducting data engineering and analysis tasks to meet business requirements and improve efficiency
• Working with teammates and business partners to build technical solutions that are reusable, scalable, fast, and maintainable through datasets, both clean and un-clean.
• Solving a broad scope of data infrastructure/data pipeline related challenges and opportunities
• Combining data from multiple sources in an on-prem or cloud integration platform, data transformations, data virtualization and data visualization domains

Who You Are

• You are currently pursuing or have completed an undergraduate degree program- in a preferred science, technology, engineering, or math‑related field of study
• You are involved in student organizations on your respective campus, within the community or have prior internship experience
• You have exceptional communication and organizational skills and a strong work ethic
• You have a passion for technology which includes:
• Ability to think critically and solution for technology‑based problems

Skills That Will Help You Stand Out

• Leadership positions within student, work or community organizations
• Past IT internship or work experience
• Consideration will be given to candidates that demonstrate continuous learning through certifications and other non traditional learning paths
• Technical experience with:
  • Development in Java, Python, React, JavaScript, SQL, Git, AWS
  • Data visualization technologies - R, Business Objects, Informatica, PowerBI, SAS
  • Automation tooling
  • DevOps, Agile methodologies

Salary Range Information

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non‑sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions are eligible for sales incentives, and in some instances a bonus plan, whereby total compensation may far exceed base salary depending on individual performance. Actual compensation for all roles will be based upon geographic location, work experience, education, licensure requirements and/or skill level and will be finalized at the time of offer.

Salary Range (Non‑Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)

$28 - $30 / hour

Time Off Program

Paid company holidays and any time off required in your state.

Pension Eligible

No

Our Internship Culture

Join an established program that provides hands‑on experiences for 200+ interns each year! You'll learn new skills with dedicated teams and mentors, build your professional network and collaborate across a global Fortune 500 company. We care about offering you diverse experiences and exciting challenges that push you to reach for bigger life goals, all while enjoying our flexibility and work life balance. Join us for events such as our Executive Speaker Series, gain career direction, and much more.

Internship Stipend

You will receive a lump sum stipend of $3,000. This amount is intended to support incidental expenses you may incur as part of your internship. The Company will provide a tax gross‑up on this stipend as a financial benefit, but is not intended to compensate for all tax liabilities.

This role will be based out of our Des Moines, IA office location. Individuals in this role are required to work a minimum of 3 days per week in the office.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we're not considering applicants that need any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes, but IS NOT LIMITED TO: F1‑OPT, F1‑CPT, H‑1B, TN, L‑1, J‑1, etc. For additional information around work authorization needs please use the following links.

For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll need to follow an Investment Code of Ethics related to personal and business conduct as well as personal trading activities for you and members of your household. These same requirements may also apply to other positions across the organization.

Experience Principal

At Principal, we value connecting on both a personal and professional level. Together, we’re imagining a more purpose‑led future for financial services – and that starts with you. Our success depends on the unique experiences, backgrounds, and talents of our interns.

Principal is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Posting Window

We will accept applications for 3 full days following the Original Posting Date, after which the posting may remain open or be removed based upon applications received. If we choose to post the job again, we will accept additional applications for at least 1 full day following the Most Recently Posted Date. Please submit applications in a timely manner as there is no guarantee the posting will be available beyond the applicable deadline.