Forward Deployed Data Engineer - Houston New Houston

Indicium; Houston, Northern (TX, KY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Indicium is seeking a Forward Deployed Data Engineer to anchor technical work inside high-stakes client environments in the US Launch Team. You will bridge data strategy with hands-on production code, leading architecture design and modernizing legacy ecosystems into cloud-native Lakehouses.

Collaborating with Databricks and Anthropic, you will build agentic AI data infrastructures, implement Terraform-based provisioning, and guide nearshore pods to deliver working software within weeks.

Qualifications

• Extensive hands-on data engineering experience with Python and SQL.
• Databricks Lakehouse platform expertise with Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, PySpark and DLT.
• Deep migration experience from legacy systems (Informatica, Oracle) to cloud-native architectures.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical authority on client engagements and shape architectures.
• Refactor legacy logic into Medallion Architectures and optimize production pipelines.
• Architect AI data harnesses that securely integrate LLM workflows into data pipelines.

Skills

Python

SQL

Databricks

Delta Live Tables

DLT

Terraform

Git/Airflow

dbt

Teradata

Netezza

Tools

Databricks SQL

Unity Catalog

PySpark

Informatica

Oracle

Job description

Houston

The Opportunity

As a Forward Deployed Data Engineer (FDE) on our US Launch Team, you will act as the principal technical anchor embedded directly within high-stakes enterprise client accounts (focusing heavily on Financial Services and Healthcare). You won't just be writing specs or advising from afar—you will be on the front lines in client environments, bridging the gap between C-suite data strategy and hands-on production code.

Working at the tip of the spear alongside our elite partners at Databricks and Anthropic, you will lead architecture design, modernize brittle legacy ecosystems into cloud-native Lakehouses, build agentic AI data harnesses, and guide integrated "SWAT" pods to ship working software in weeks rather than months.

Key Responsibilities

Embedded Technical Leadership: Serve as the primary technical authority on client engagements. Partner directly with client VP/CTO stakeholders to scope architectures, map data domains, and turn complex requirements into execution-ready engineering plans.

Hands-On Lakehouse Modernization: Roll up your sleeves to write and optimize production PySpark, Databricks SQL, and Delta Live Tables (DLT) - actively refactoring complex legacy logic (Informatica, PL/SQL, legacy stored procedures) into Medallion Architectures.

Agentic AI & Data Infrastructure: Architect deterministic, secure data "harnesses" that integrate LLM workflows (Anthropic/Claude) into traditional enterprise data pipelines safely and cost-effectively.

DataOps & IaC Ownership: Write modular Terraform scripts to provision cloud environments (AWS/GCP), manage governance and lineage via Unity Catalog, and enforce CI/CD rigor across projects.

Pod & Delivery Guidance: Partner with our LATAM-based nearshore engineering squads (600+ experts) as the US technical lead - conducting code reviews, debugging performance bottlenecks, and maintaining high engineering standards.

Technical Unblocking & Escalation: Act as the ultimate technical safety net. If a pipeline breaks or a deployment stalls at 2:00 AM, you have the hands-on depth to jump into the code, fix the issue, and keep client delivery on track.

Qualifications & Requirements

Technical Mastery & Execution

Extensive Hands-On Data Engineering: Deep proficiency in Python and advanced SQL with a proven track record of shipping production data software.

Deep Databricks Platform Expertise: Hands-on experience building, scaling, and tuning Databricks Lakehouse environments (Delta Lake, Unity Catalog, PySpark, DLT, Workflows).

Modern Stack & IaC Discipline: Expert-level experience with dbt (Core or Enterprise) for data modeling, Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, and Git/Airflow for orchestration and CI/CD.

Legacy Migration Experience: Demonstrated background migrating enterprise client workloads from legacy platforms (Teradata, Netezza, Informatica, Oracle) to modern cloud infrastructure.

Client Presence & Startup Grit

The "Player-Coach" Mindset: Equal comfort pitching target architectures to a client CTO and debugging a failing PySpark job or dbt macro alongside junior engineers.

Executive Communication: Ability to translate messy business requirements into clean architectural patterns and speak authoritatively across both technical and business functions.

Scrappy Nation-Builder: High autonomy and resilience—thriving in a fast-paced, Series A growth environment without relying on rigid corporate playbooks or large support structures.

Nice-to-Haves

Prior experience in forward-deployed, technical consulting, or ProServe roles at top-tier agencies or hyper-growth vendors.

Pragmatic experience building or deploying LLM/GenAI orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, Anthropic API) into production pipelines.

Official certifications in Databricks, AWS, GCP, or dbt.

The anticipated base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $230,000. In addition to base pay, this position may be eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. An individual's final salary offer will be determined based on a variety of factors, including geographic location, experience, specialized skills, and qualifications. This compensation range is subject to updates or modifications at the company's discretion.

Due to client requirements, this role requires the candidate to be either a U.S. Citizen or a Green Card holder.

As set forth in Indicium AI's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your "major life activities." If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
<