Lead Data Engineer

Cognizant; Blaine (MN); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays and PTO

401(k) plan

Long-term/short-term Disability

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Lead Data Engineer in a hybrid role based near Oak Park Heights, MN. Lead analytics and data engineering efforts, provide technical direction, and mentor peers while delivering robust data solutions.

You will design data models, build end-to-end pipelines using dbt, Snowflake, and Fivetran, and drive best practices in code reviews and DevOps processes. Strong collaboration and agile mindset are essential.

Qualifications

• Proficient in analytics engineering and data engineering
• Strong SQL and data modeling skills
• Experience with data pipelines and ETL/ELT design

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain logical, physical, and dimensional data models
• Build scalable ETL/ELT pipelines and manage data flow from source systems
• Collaborate with analysts and solution architects to align data solutions with goals
• Apply agile practices to improve team processes and product outcomes

Skills

dbt

Snowflake

Data modelling

Tools

dbt

Fivetran

Snowflake

Job description

Job Title – Lead Data Engineer

About the role

Lead Data Engineer is a senior individual contributor who serves as an engineering lead within the Technology & Data organization. This role combines deep expertise in both analytics engineering and data engineering, providing technical direction and thought leadership across teams. The Principal Data and Analytics Engineer mentors and supports analytics and data engineers, conducts code reviews, and sets high standards for technical quality. Leading through influence rather than direct authority, this position requires exceptional technical skills and the ability to guide and elevate others

In this role, you will:

Conceptual and Analytical Modeling:

Design, test, and maintain both conceptual and analytical data models, including logical, physical, and dimensional (star/snowflake) schemas, to support business analytics and reporting, optimize performance through partitioning and indexing, and ensure quality and consistency via SQL best practices and peer code reviews.

Data Pipeline Orchestration and Development:

Design, build, and optimize scalable, maintainable, and resilient end-to-end ETL/ELT data pipelines. Leverage orchestration tools for scheduling, dependency management, and error handling, while extracting and transforming data from source systems. Utilize platforms like dbt to ensure robust data flow, conduct UAT, and manage code releases for reliable system performance. Mastery of SQL skills

DevOps & Code Management:

Skilled in version control systems for collaborative development and code management (i.e Azure DevOps, GitHub) Monitoring & Observability: Implementing logging, metrics, and alerting for data pipelines

Strong Communication and Collaboration Skills:

Collaborate with analysts, analytics and data engineers, and solution architects to align data solutions with strategic goals. Communicate effectively across technical and non-technical teams.

Agile Mindset:

Actively participate in agile ceremonies and contribute to sprint goals. Apply agile principles to respond to change, iterate quickly, and continuously improve team processes and product outcomes.

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Oak park Heights, MN. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered

• Data Build Tool, Snowflake, Advanced Data Modelling experts
• Secondary Skills – Fivetran
• Excellent communication skills

Salary and Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until October 30, 2026.

The annual salary for this position is between $81,000 - $140,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.